Originally introduced at IBC 2023, the UNIO ecosystem brings together the 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, and managed via the user’s MyGenelec account. By combining a calibrated Smart Active Monitoring system and professional headphones with Aural ID, the user can enjoy mixes that translate reliably between monitors and headphones for a smooth, uninterrupted workflow – wherever they choose to work.

Now, Genelec has raised the bar significantly higher with the introduction of the 8550A Professional Reference Headphones, whose 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 optimised 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 40 mm transducers and neodymium magnets to deliver a 15 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response, exceptional level matching, and an impressive 119 dB 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 modelling 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 optimised HRTF binauralisation 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 colour (CTF) components within the HRTF, for users that wish to separately equalise 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.