Genelec 8040BRWM Active Nearfield Studio Monitor - Raw Aluminium
Left raw, the 8040B shows what it is actually made of. The recycled aluminium cabinet is unpainted, so the cast form and the softly curved edges read as bare metal, which suits studios built around plywood, steel and concrete rather than gloss black.
Reach: the 8040B extends to an SPL of 105 dB and reaches right down to 41 Hz, so it holds its composure on loud material and shows you what is happening at the bottom of a mix.
Character: a nearfield monitor that provides truthfulness and energy in equal measure. It is the choice of recording professionals the world over, and it is honest rather than flattering.
Cabinet: the recycled aluminium design combines transparent, uncoloured audio quality with a distinctive look. The 8000 series minimum diffraction enclosure uses a large internal volume and softly curved edges to reduce distortion, with the Advanced Directivity Controlled Waveguide keeping directivity under tight control.
Standby: Intelligent Signal Sensing circuitry automatically switches the monitor into a power saving standby mode when you stop working.
In the box: one 8040B monitor, a 1.8 m mains cable, an operating manual and an IsoPod kit.
The 8040B is a nearfield monitor that provides truthfulness and energy in equal measures, and it has been the choice of recording professionals the world over for a long time. This is the raw version, with the aluminium cabinet left unpainted.
Why raw
Genelec cast the 8040B cabinet from recycled aluminium, and the raw finish simply stops hiding that. You see the metal and the softly curved edges rather than a coat of paint. In a room with exposed brick, timber or metalwork it looks deliberate, and it does not date the way a painted finish can. Genelec describe the recycled aluminium design as combining transparent, uncoloured audio quality with a unique aesthetic beauty, and raw is the version that makes the second half of that obvious.
Output and low end
Pristine performance here means real numbers. The 8040B extends to an SPL of 105 dB and reaches right down to 41 Hz. That combination is what separates it from the smaller nearfields, because you can check a kick and bass relationship without a subwoofer filling in the parts you cannot hear, and you can push the level for a client without the monitor starting to compress.
Cabinet and directivity
The 8040B is part of the Genelec 8000 series, which uses die cast aluminium minimum diffraction enclosures with large internal volumes, softly curved edges and considerable strength, all aimed at reducing linear and non linear distortion. The Advanced Directivity Controlled Waveguide gives extremely accurate control of the speaker's directivity, which is what keeps the sound consistent as you move around the sweet spot. You work with speed and accuracy, and the mixes translate.
Power saving
When you stop feeding it signal, the Intelligent Signal Sensing circuitry automatically switches the 8040B into a power saving standby mode. It wakes up again when audio returns, so the pair can stay switched on without burning power through the night.