Genelec 1091-A Brochure

1091A

DATA SHEET

Genelec 1091A

Active Subwoofer System

Genelec 1091A Active Subwoofer System

SYSTEM

APPLICATIONS

NEAR FIELD MONITORING

AUDIO VISUAL POST PRODUCTION

MOBILE VANS

HOME THEATRES

PROJECT / HOME STUDIOS

DIGITAL WORKSTATIONS

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION / PLAYBACK

The 1091A active subwoofer is a
very compact low frequency loud­speaker, incorporating all the
amplifier and crossover electron­ics needed to combine it with
Genelec 1029 or 2029 series
loudspeakers.The 1091A is in­tended to reproduce frequencies

from 38 - 85 Hz (± 2.5 dB).

The amplifier unit, which is inte­grated into the cabinet, consists
of the active crossover filter, driver
overload protection circuits and a
power amplifier. The subwoofer
has two input connectors and
adjustable sensitivity. This provides
great flexibility.

INTEGRATED
CONSTRUCTION

The combination of the cabinet
and amplifier in one unit results in a
simple and robust system. The
1091A is factory calibrated as a
single unit. This eliminates the
effects of component tolerances and
ensures consistent quality.
The cabinet is made from MDF
with rounded corners and a hard­wearing textured black surface. The
driver is concealed inside an
efficiency boosting cavity, which
also protects it from physical
damage.

Figure 1. Block diagram, showing active crossover filters, power amplifiers and driver units.

CROSSOVER FILTERS

The active crossover contained
within the amplifier unit filters the
input signals. This accurately
rejects the higher frequencies that
the monitors reproduce, and allows
the lower frequencies to pass. The
sensitivity can be attenuated by
8 dB in 2 dB steps, to allow easy
level matching with the main
speakers for varying positions.
A balanced XLR female and a
balanced
for the system inputs. This allows
for easy integration with Genelec
1029 and 2029 series active
monitors.

1

/4" jack socket are used

AMPLIFIER

The amplifier produces 70 W of
output power, with very low THD and
IM distortion. It is mounted on
thick aluminium, which provides
excellent heat dissipation. Driver
overload protection and power-on
signal muting is included in the
amplifier circuitry. This makes the
system immune to overloads and
spurious signals. Power-on signal
muting electronically disconnects the
drive unit when the power is turned
on. The amplifier also incorporates
thermal overload and short circuit
protection.

DRIVER

The 1091A has one 210 mm (8")
cone driver, capable of producing
high SPL's. The driver is housed
in a 15 litre vented cabinet. It is
specially front loaded to improve
both the passband efficiency and
stopband rejection.

Figure 2. The leftmost curve shows the 1091A free field frequency response. The right

hand curve shows the response of the 1029A monitor. The uppermost curve shows
the overall frequency response when the two systems are combined.

WHY ACTIVE SPEAKERS?

There are various reasons why active speakers are
preferable to passive alternatives, the most dominant
being the integrated construction allowing better
optimization of the system performance. The monitors
are always delivered as a complete factory calibrated
system, consisting of all amplifiers, crossover
electronics and speaker cabinets.
In an active monitor system the amplifiers are
connected directly to the drive units. Distortion
anomalies and losses caused by passive crossovers
are completely avoided resulting in better sound quality
and maximum acoustic efficiency.
For every model of monitor the associated amplifiers
have a unique design including driver overload
protection. The overload protection detects signals
that are above the drivers safe limits preventing
damage. This makes the system immune to overloads
and spurious signals which synthesizers, sequencers
and multimedia sources, such as sound cards, can
occasionally produce.
The crossover and phase responses are optimized for
each particular model to achieve highly accurate
system performance. Consequently every model
has the same neutral sound.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

The frequency response of the 1091A is tailored to suit
the low frequency response of Genelec 1029 and
2029 series Active Monitors.

WHY A SUBWOOFER?

For applications, such as computer multimedia work
and most types of near field monitoring, the 1029/2029
is an appropriate monitor system. However if lower
LF cutoff and more SPL are required, for example in
a home theatre system, the 1091A subwoofer has
been designed for this requirement.
The 1091A and 1029/2029 series have been
designed alongside each other. When combined they
give a flat frequency response from 38Hz to 20kHz. This
specification is comparable to some larger Genelec
monitors - one of the differences is the greater SPL's
offered by larger systems.
The 1029/2029 and 1091A combination offers greater
flexibility on placement positions. Due to the 1029/
2029's physical size it can be located on desks and,
if carefully placed appear fairly innocuous in a room.
Further advice on how to place the monitor is
described in the operating manual.
If the subwoofer and main speakers are placed properly
some of the low frequency problems associated with
free standing speakers can be avoided.

Figure 3. The 1091A subwoofer and a pair of 1029A monitors.

CABLING AND CONNECTIONS

Figure 3 shows the 1091A and the 1029A's. Figure 4
shows how the system should be cabled. The input to
the 1029/2029 monitor is made by an XLR connection.
This can be either balanced (e.g. output of mixing console)
or unbalanced (e.g. output of CD player). The subwoofer
output of the 1029/2029, and hence the inputs to the
1091A are balanced. The wiring diagrams for these
configurations can be found in the operating manual
which is supplied with the systems. The inputs to the
subwoofer are a

1

/4" jack and a female XLR. It makes
no difference as to which channel is used for the left
and right signal.

Figure 4. Block diagram to illustrate how the monitors and subwoofer interconnect.

1091A

1091A SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

Free field frequency response

of system (± 2.5 dB): 38 - 85 Hz

Maximum short term sine wave
acoustic output in half space,
averaged from 45 Hz to 80 Hz
@ 1m: >103 dB SPL

Self generated noise level in free
field @ 1m on axis (A-weighted) < 10 dB

Harmonic distortion at 95 dB SPL
@ 1m on axis in half space
(40...85 Hz): < 3%

Driver: 210 mm

( 8")

Weight: 10.2 kg

(22.4 lb)

Dimensions: Height 505 mm (197/8")

Width 251 mm (97/8")
Depth 230 mm (9")

AMPLIFIER SECTION

Amplifier output power : 70 W (16 Ohm)
(Long term output power is limited
by driver unit protection circuitry.)

Amplifier system distortion
at nominal output:

THD < 0.08%
SMPTE-IM < 0.08%
CCIF-IM < 0.08%
DIM 100 < 0.08%

Signal to Noise ratio referred to full output: > 90 dB

Mains voltage: 100/200 or 115/230V

Voltage operating range: ± 10%

Power consumption (average):

Idle 9 VA
Full output 100 VA

FILTER SECTION

Lowpass filter above 85 Hz: 24 dB/Octave

Subsonic filter below 38 Hz: 18 dB/Octave

Crossover frequency, (sub/main monitors) 85 Hz

Midband rejection, frequencies > 400 Hz: > 50 dB

Level control operating
range in -2 dB steps: from 0 to -8 dB

(Reference to 1029/
2029 output)

INPUT SECTION

Input connectors XLR female1/4" Jack

pin 1: gnd sleeve
pin 2: + tip
pin 3: - ring

Input impedance: 2 x 33 kOhm balanced.

Input level for 100dB SPL
output @ 1m in full space: variable from -23dBu to

-15dBu in 2dB steps.

All data subject to change without prior notice

Genelec Oy, Olvitie 5
FIN - 74100 IISALMI, FINLAND
Phone: +358 - 17 - 83 881
Fax: +358 - 17 - 812 267
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.genelec.com

Genelec Document BBA91001a COPYRIGHT GENELEC OY 11.2000

Genelec Inc, 7 Tech Circle
Natick, MA 01760, USA
Phone: +1 - 508 - 652 - 0900
Fax: +1 - 508 - 652 - 0909
E-mail: [e-mail]