In a multichannel and multi-speaker world, why would a leading loudspeaker and studio monitor manufacturer go into headphones? That question has been lingering in the brilliant minds at Genelec for a while. At the same time, the industry has evolved towards a multiformat reality, where immersive and spatial mixes are a requirement for all types of content, music being the most complex frontier to be conquered. And in that new reality, everyone needs to be able to consistently evaluate their work reliably in any condition, with headphones now being accepted as a reliable way to bring a reference monitoring experience from the studio, anywhere you go.
For that to happen, many different pieces of a complex technical puzzle had to be joined together perfectly, and that’s what Genelec has been doing for a while now. The Finish manufacturer is recognized globally as the source of the most accurate studio monitors available, with The Ones coaxial studio monitors currently being considered almost of a standard reference in content production, broadcast facilities and studios. Around its Smart Active Monitors and Subwoofers program, Genelec added room correction and calibration, and later added the 9320A Reference Controller as a bridge to its UNIO Audio Monitoring Service Platform.
For the first time, UNIO also allowed Genelec to integrate headphones monitoring with the same consistency of studio monitors. UNIO brought together all the benefits of Genelec Smart Active Monitors, GLM calibration software and Aural ID 2.0 technology (a whole story on its own) to create seamless integration between professional in-room loudspeaker and headphone monitoring services. More recently, Genelec created the UNIO Audio Monitoring Service Platform with the introduction of the 9401A System Management Device for Audio-over-IP Networking. The 9401A supports all formats from stereo to 9.1.6, and brings all the convenience and flexibility of multi-channel networked audio to the UNIO platform.
For audio professionals using network connectivity in studios that have to meet the shifting requirements of stereo, surround 5.1 and Dolby Atmos productions, the 9401A System Management Device was the missing piece of its UNIO Audio Monitoring Platform. It enables the smooth integration of Genelec Smart Active Monitors and Subwoofers (SAM) into SAM system layouts, from stereo to immersive, using ST2110, AES67 and Ravenna streams as the source – while offering full support for room correction using the Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software.
Now, Genelec has chosen the IBC 2024 exhibition to unveil the UNIO Personal Reference Monitoring Solution. This new system solution comprises the 9320A SAM Reference Controller, Reference Measurement Microphone, and the new 8550A Professional Reference Headphones – which help create an even more seamless bridge between professional in-room loudspeaker and personal headphone monitoring. And with the additional headphone calibration features available within Genelec GLM software – and the optional Aural ID V2.0 binaural headphone monitoring technology – users can enjoy the most personal and truthful headphone monitoring experience ever.
After much research, Genelec understood the importance of adding its own headphone design, ready for professional duties, and able to deliver the level of consistency that was required by a complete reference monitoring system. Its the UNIO ecosystem that brings together the whole power of Genelec’s Smart Active Monitors, GLM calibration software, and Aural ID personal headphone technology, all under the tactile hardware control of the 9320A controller, managed via the user’s MyGenelec account. By combining a calibrated Smart Active Monitoring system and professional headphones with Aural ID (where the user can load its own HRTF files or load generic ones), the user can enjoy mixes that translate reliably between monitors and headphones for a smooth, uninterrupted workflow – wherever they choose to work.
Of course, Genelec has raised the bar significantly higher with the introduction of the 8550A Professional Reference Headphones. The innovative active design allows the headphone output of the 9320A controller to adjust to an individual 8550A headphone factory calibration, thus bringing precise resolution to the uniquely optimized UNIO Personal Reference Monitoring Solution. This active principle of using the 8550A headphones to accurately calibrate the headphone stage of the 9320A enables exceptional linearity, acoustic precision, and neutral sound character – and mirrors the kind of tailored precision that Genelec Smart Active Monitors provide for in-room loudspeaker monitoring environments.
The closed, circumaural 8550A provides exceptional sound isolation and comfort for all sizes of head and ears with a durable, adjustable design and replaceable component parts – for a sustainable, extended product lifetime. The 8550A’s dynamic design features 40mm transducers and neodymium magnets to deliver a 15Hz to 20kHz frequency response, exceptional level matching, and an impressive 119dB of short-term SPL via the 9320A controller. Shipping with both leather and velvet ear cushions, and straight and coiled cables, the 8550A offers every user a distinctly premium experience – whatever their personal preference.
With the calibration file for the 8550A headphones stored within the matching 9320A controller, further personal optimization is available via Genelec’s GLM 5 calibration software, including slope adjustment, parametric EQ, and L/R level balancing. Then, for the ultimate personal headphone monitoring experience, the optional Aural ID V2.0 models the user’s own head and upper torso features to calculate their unique personal HRTF – delivering headphone mixes with externalized presentation, including precise azimuth and elevation, and producing a sense of space and direction that closely resembles in-room loudspeaker monitoring.
The new Aural ID V2.0 heightens that experience further via early reflection room modeling and integrated webcam head tracking support – which tracks the user and maintains a stationary acoustic presentation even when the head moves, for a more natural listening experience. Additionally, support for the Open Sound Control (OSC) standard interface for hardware head trackers provides maximum system compatibility.
Running as a standalone app on Mac devices, Aural ID V2.0 also offers optimized HRTF binauralization options for both stereo and immersive monitoring up to 9.1.6, plus a ‘raw HRTF’ option that allows full access to both the directional (DTF) and sound color (CTF) components within the HRTF, for users that wish to separately equalize their headphone acoustic effects for an even more reliable and precise listening experience. In addition to Aural ID’s completely personal HRTF, the inclusion of standard Kemar and KU100 head-and-torso simulator HRTFs in Aural ID V2.0 provides an even wider range of user options.
Commenting on this latest expansion of the UNIO ecosystem, Genelec Managing Director Siamäk Naghian says: “UNIO now effectively offers audio professionals three levels of reference monitoring. Those simply seeking the finest in-room loudspeaker monitoring can enjoy the combination of Smart Active Monitors, GLM and the 9320A, while users that also seek accurate headphone monitoring will embrace the arrival of the 8550As. But, for those seeking the ultimate combination of in-room and personal headphone monitoring, the UNIO Personal Reference Monitoring Solution and Aural ID V2.0 represents the most accurate and portable monitoring system ever produced.”
Visitors to the IBC show in Amsterdam (September 13–16) can meet the Genelec team and audition the newly expanded UNIO ecosystem on Stand 8.A61 and in Immersive Listening Room 8.MS1/8.MS20. Visitors to the AES NY Show will be able to audition the system there as well.
www.genelec.com
