Genelec 5051A Operating Manual
5051A
Operating Manual
Käyttöohje
Bruksanvisning
5051A Active Subwoofer
General description
The Genelec 5051A is a very compact
active subwoofer designed to complement
up to five Genelec 6010A or 8020B active
loudspeakers or a pair of the slightly bigger
8030A’s. Linked together two 5051A’s can
also be used with a pair of 8040A’s. The
5051A extends the system’s bass response
down to 27 Hz and integrates perfectly with
the main loudspeakers in any environment.
The playback level for the whole system
is conveniently controlled by the wireless
volume control provided with the subwoofer.
A wired volume control is available as an
option.
The 5051A has an integrated bass management for the five main channels which
directs the frequencies below 85 Hz to the
subwoofer and higher frequencies through
the output connectors to the main loudspeakers.
Installation
Before connecting the audio signals, ensure
that all equipment is switched off.
Pull out the battery insulating strip from
the underside of the remote control as
shown in figure 1. This strip insulates the
battery from the contacts on the remote
control during shipping and the remote
control does not function before it is
removed.
The subwoofer is equipped with six RCA
signal inputs (L, R, C, LS, RS and LFE/LINK
IN) and two balanced XLR inputs (LEFT,
RIGHT). These allow connecting the 5051A
to a variety of line level audio sources with
either unbalanced RCA or balanced XLR
type audio connectors. Suitable sources are
preamplifiers, computer sound cards, portable audio players, “PRE OUT” connectors
on a Home Theater receiver, etc.
The output section of the subwoofer contains corresponding L, R, C, LS and RS RCA
connectors for the main loudspeakers, a
LINK OUT RCA connector for linking multiple
subwoofers together and two balanced male
XLR connectors (LEFT, RIGHT).
The L and R RCA inputs and outputs are
working in parallel with LEFT and RIGHT
XLR inputs and outputs.
Figure 1. Removing the battery insulating strip
from the remote control
As the 5051A contains its own amplifier,
no separate power amplifier is needed. Never
connect the 5051A to the loudspeaker outputs of a power amplifier, integrated amplifier
or receiver.
Connecting a stereo system
Connect the audio signal cables from your
source to the corresponding input connectors. The 5051A offers both balanced and
unbalanced signal routes. For stereo signals, use either the LEFT and RIGHT XLR
inputs or the L and R RCA inputs. Next, con-
INPUT CONNECTORS
MAINS INPUT
POWER SWITCH
IN
CONNECTOR
FOR OPTIONAL
SYSTEM
VOLUME
CONTROL
LEFT
WIRED SYSTEM
VOLUME CONTROL
OUT
LEFT
OUTPUT CONNECTORS
Figure 2. Connectors and controls of the 5051A.
nect the subwoofer to the main loudspeakers with RCA or XLR cables from the corresponding output (OUT) connectors on the
subwoofer to the signal inputs of the main
loudspeakers.
You can also connect an unbalanced
source to the RCA L and R inputs and use
the
parallel LEFT and RIGHT XLR output
connectors as outputs. This provides balanced signal from the subwoofer onwards,
and facilitates easy connection to main
loudspeakers with XLR inputs, such as the
8020B or 8030A.
Connecting a
surround system
The 5051A has an integrated crossover
network for the five main channels which
directs the frequencies below 85 Hz to the
subwoofer and higher frequencies through
the output connectors to the main loudspeakers. When using a surround sound
processor, select a loudspeaker setting
“Large” for the channels routed through the
subwoofer.
Connect the five main channel signal RCA
cables from the signal source to the RCA
input connectors L, R, C, LS and RS.
The LFE channel of the preamplifier or
processor can be connected to the LFE IN/
LINK IN connector. The LFE channel on the
5051A can reproduce signals up to 120 Hz.
Next connect the main loudspeakers
LS
RIGHT
RIGHT
L
R
L
R
C
LFE/LINKIN
RS
LS
RS
LINK OUT
LINK IN
LEVEL -10dB
ON
C
-6 dB
-4 dB
-2 dB
BASS
ROLL-OFF
CONTROL SWITCHES
-LINK IN
-LEVEL-10 dB
-BASS ROLL-OFF
-PHASE
to the corresponding L, R, C, LS and RS
signal outputs on the subwoofer with RCA
cables.
Once all connections have been made, the
subwoofer and main loudspeakers are ready
to be powered up.
Positioning in the room
The placement of the subwoofer in the room
affects the overall frequency response and
sound level of the system dramatically, as at
low frequencies the effects of the room are
strong. Even a slight change in the location of
the subwoofer can cause a marked difference
in the frequency balance and often patient
and methodical experimentation and testing
is needed to find the optimum placement.
The placement will also affect the bass
roll-off rate and the phase difference between
the main loudspeakers and the subwoofer.
These effects can be compensated using the
controls in the subwoofer but we recommend
that at first you leave the switches untouched
and concentrate on finding the position where
the subwoofer gives the smoothest response,
and only then use the controls to fine-tune
the balance and phase alignment between
the subwoofer and the main loudspeakers.
Start by placing the subwoofer close to the
center of the front wall. We recommend a distance of less than 60 cm / 24” to the wall. This
position gives increased acoustic loading and
ON
POWER
SUBWOOFER
LEVEL
MAX
-180°
-90°
-270°
PHASE
MIN
MAINS INPUT
50/60Hz
120 W 230 V~
SUBWOOFER LEVEL
ADJUSTMENT
SPL due to the proximity of the front wall and
floor. Ideally the subwoofer and main loudspeakers should be positioned symmetrically
and at an equal distance from the listening
position.
If the frequency balance is not quite right,
try moving the subwoofer to the left or right
along the wall so that different room modes
are excited at different levels. Positioning
the subwoofer close to a corner will boost
the bass level at lower frequencies and may
cause asymmetrical spatial imaging.
Although the 5051A is magnetically
shielded, it may cause colour distortion if
placed near to very sensitive CRT monitors
or computer displays.
Using the 5051A with Genelec
6010A, 8020A/B and 8030A
When using the 5051A with Genelec 6010A
there will be a 10 dB difference in sensitivity between the subwoofer and main loudspeakers, which needs to be compensated
by setting the LEVEL -10 dB switch on the
subwoofer’s connector panel to “ON”.
The factory default setting for this switch
is “OFF”, which is the correct setting to be
used with Genelec 8020A/B or 8030A active
loudspeakers.
If your system has both 6010A’s and
8020A/B’s or 8030A’s, the LEVEL -10 dB
switch on the subwoofer should be set to
“ON” and the playback level on the 8020A/B’s
Subwoofer
placement
Bass Roll-Off
phase alignment. Four settings are provided
between 0° and -270°.
Near a wall -4 dB (sw 4 “ON”)
In a corner -6 dB (sw 3 “ON”)
Table 1. Suggested Bass Roll-Off settings in
typical situations
or 8030A’s should be attenuated by turning
the volume control knob on the front panel of
the loudspeakers. On the 8020A/B the knob
should be turned anticlockwise to approximately 12 o’clock position and on the 8030A
to 2 o’clock position respectively.
Setting the subwoofer level
The rotary subwoofer level control is located
on the connector panel of the subwoofer.
The factory default input sensitivity is -6 dBu
(9 o’clock). You can use this adjustment to
match the subwoofer’s playback level with
the main loudspeakers.
Setting the Bass
Roll-Off switches
The acoustic response of the subwoofer
may have to be matched to the characteristics of the room and the positioning in which
it will be used (see Table 1). To adjust the
subwoofer to match these characteristics
use the ‘’BASS ROLL-OFF’ control switches
located on the connector panel. When all
Roll-Off switches are ‘OFF’, a flat anechoic
response is obtained.
Setting the phase control
The effect of incorrect phase alignment
between the main loudspeakers and the
subwoofer is a drop in the frequency
response of the whole system at the main
loudspeaker / subwoofer crossover frequency. The phase difference between the
main loudspeakers and subwoofer at the
listening position is dependent upon the distance from the listener to the subwoofer in
relation to the main loudspeakers. To avoid
phase differences between the left and right
main loudspeakers and the subwoofer, the
subwoofer should be placed close to the
center of the front loudspeaker array.
Two phase matching switches in the
crossover allow compensation for incorrect
Coarse phase
correction method
Connect an audio frequency signal generator
to a signal input on the subwoofer which has
a main loudspeaker connected to the corresponding “OUT” connector. Set the generator
to 85 Hz. If a signal generator is not available,
it is possible to use an audio test recording
which has a test frequency in the range 70
Hz to 100 Hz. Suitable test signals can be
downloaded at www.genelec.com.
Toggle the -180°
OFF
phase switch ‘ON’
and ‘OFF’ and set it
to the position which
ON
7
6
5
7
6
5
7
6
5
gives the lowest
sound level at the
listening position.
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
Next toggle the
-90°phase switch
‘ON’ and ‘OFF’,
and again set it
to the position
which gives the
lowest sound level.
Finally, set the
-180°phase switch
to the opposite setting.
Using the 5051A subwoofer
When the subwoofer is powered up or after
being disconnected from the mains supply,
the green power indicator LED blinks and
the subwoofer stays muted for approximately
seven seconds. This is normal and after this
the LED lights up and playback begins.
The delay allows matching the remote
control to a specific subwoofer unit (see
chapter “Matching the remote control to the
subwoofer” below). This is only necessary
when there are several 5051A subwoofers
within the range of the remote control (in
adjacent rooms, for instance) and the user
wishes to avoid the situation that more than
one subwoofer reacts to the commands
given by the remote control.
VOLUME
CONTROL
BUTTONS
POWER /
STANDBY
BUTTON
Figure 3. 5051A remote control
The playback volume can be adjusted with
the + and - buttons on the remote control
(see Figure 3). The LED on the subwoofer
connector panel blinks while the adjustment
is being done and stops blinking when the
minimum or maximum level of the adjustment
range is reached.
The 5051A can be muted by a short push
on the POWER/STANDBY button. A new
short push on the POWER/STANDBY button
or the + button resumes playback. The power
indicator LED blinks approximately once per
second to indicate that the subwoofer is in
“mute” mode. Pushing the - button while the
subwoofer is muted reduces the volume setting.
Switch the 5051A to stand-by mode by
pushing and holding the POWER/STANDBY
button down until the power indicator LED
switches off. Respectively, the subwoofer
powers up again with a push on the POWER/
STANDBY button.
The 5051A is equipped with an automatic
signal sensing function that switches the
subwoofer to stand-by mode if no signal is
present in the audio input for approximately
one hour. The subwoofer resumes playback
automatically when it detects an audio signal
being fed into any of the input connectors.
Alternatively, the subwoofer can be activated
by pushing any button on the remote control.
Automatic protection function
The 5051A has an integrated protection function that automatically reduces the playback
volume to a safe level if the subwoofer is
overloaded. This function overrides commands given with the remote control. The
power indicator LED turns to orange colour
to indicate clipping and then to red to indicate
that the protection circuit is activated. If this
occurs frequently, reduce the playback level
until the LED stays green.
Matching the remote control
to the subwoofer
When shipped, the remote controls delivered
with 5051A subwoofers will function with any
other 5051A subwoofer as well. If this is not
desirable, for instance when there are several
5051A subwoofers in the same premises,
and the user wishes to avoid the situation
that more than one subwoofer reacts to the
commands given by each remote control, the
remote controls can be matched to operate
only one subwoofer. This can be done during
the seven second delay in powering up that
follows after connecting the subwoofer to the
mains supply.
1. Disconnect the power supply from the
mains connector for a moment and reconnect it or use the power switch to temporarily
switch off the subwoofer. The green power
indicator LED will start blinking indicating the
seven second delay.
2. During the delay, first press and hold
down the volume + button on the remote
control and then the volume - button. Keep
both buttons pressed for a few seconds until
the power indicator LED on the subwoofer
stops blinking. This indicates that matching
is completed.
Now the subwoofer should only respond
to commands given by the matched remote
control, and respectively, the matched
remote control should not work with other
5051A units.
Using multiple subwoofers
Genelec 5051A subwoofer is equipped with a
LINK OUT connector to provide an easy way
of coupling two or more subwoofers together
in high SPL applications, for instance when
using the subwoofers with Genelec 8040A
active loudspeakers. Connected as described
below, the “master” subwoofer controls the
volume of all subwoofers linked to it through
this connector.
Connect an RCA cable from the LINK OUT
connector of the “master” subwoofer to which
the main loudspeaker channels are connected, to the LFE / LINK IN connector of the
other, “slave” subwoofer and turn the LINK IN
dip switch on the “slave” subwoofer to “ON”.
In the LINK IN mode, the subwoofer level is
automatically set to maximum and the “slave”
subwoofer does not react to volume control
commands given with a remote control. It
only follows the volume adjustment done in
the “master” subwoofer.
When two subwoofers connected in this
way are positioned close to one another,
bass level increases by 6 dB. Three subwoofers give an SPL increase of 9.5 dB and
four subwoofers 12 dB compared to a single
subwoofer.
The rotary “SUBWOOFER LEVEL” adjustment knob should be turned counter-clockwise to the next line mark on its scale. Phase
and Bass Roll-Off adjustments should be
done individually for each subwoofer in the
chain, especially if they are not placed close
together. To check the phase alignment for
the “master” subwoofer switch off the “slave”
subwoofer and follow the instructions given in
the previous sections.
To adjust the phase alignment of the
“slave” subwoofer, you need to switch off the
“master” subwoofer, connect a signal cable
from the “slave” subwoofer’s “C“ channel
output connector to the center channel loudspeaker and switch the LINK IN switch to
“OFF”. This effectively changes the “slave” to
“master” mode and the phase adjustment can
be carried out. If you have a stereo system
use either “L” or “R” channel to complete the
adjustments. Return the connections and
LINK IN setting on the “slave” subwoofer
back to the “ON” mode after completing the
adjustment.
Safety considerations
The Genelec 5051A complies with international safety standards. However, to ensure
safe operation and maintain the equipment in
safe operating condition the following warnings and cautions must be observed.
• Do not use this product with an
unearthed mains cable or a mains
connection without the protective earth
contact as this may lead to personal injury.
• Danger of explosion if battery is
incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the
same or equivalent type.
• The battery shall not be exposed to
excessive heat such as sunshine, fire or
the like.
• Servicing and adjustment must only be
performed by qualified service personnel.
• Opening the subwoofer is strictly
prohibited except by qualified service
personnel.
• Do not expose the subwoofer to water
or moisture. Do not place any objects
filled with liquid, such as vases on the
subwoofer or near it.
• Note that the amplifier is not completely
disconnected from the AC mains service
unless the mains cable is removed from
the amplifier or the mains outlet.
Warning!
This equipment is capable of delivering sound
pressure levels in excess of 85 dB, which
may cause permanent hearing damage.
Compliance to FCC rules
Remote control
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions: (1) this device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) this device
must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation. This product emits radio frequency energy, but the radiated output power
of this device is below FCC radio frequency
exposure limits. This equipment complies
with FCC RF radiation exposure limits forth
for an uncontrolled environment. Nevertheless, the device should be used in such a
manner that the potential for human contact
with the antenna during normal operation is
minimized.
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Subwoofer
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
• This device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Note: This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the
FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference
by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving
antenna.
• Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet
on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/TV technician for help.
Modifications not expressly approved
by the manufacturer could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment under
FCC rules.
Changing the remote control
battery
The remote control battery can be changed
by turning the battery cover on the back of
the remote control anticlockwise. Use a small
screwdriver under the right side of the battery (see figure 4) to wedge the battery out.
Replace the battery with a similar CR2032
type battery. Insert the battery with the left
side first as shown in figure 4 and close the
battery cover.
Maintenance
Figure 4. Changing the remote control battery
EC Declaration of Conformity
This is to certify that the Genelec Active
Subwoofer 5051A conforms to the following
standards:
Safety:
IEC 60065:2001 + A1:2005 + A2:2010/
EN 60065: 2002 + A1:2006 + A11:2008 +
A2:2010 + A12:2011
EMC:
EN 55020:2007
EN 55013:2001 + A1: 2003 + A2: 2006
EN 61000-3-2:2006 + A1:2009 + A2:2009
EN 61000-3-3:2008
The product herewith complies with the
requirements of The Low Voltage Directive
2006/95/EC and EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
Signed:
Ilpo Martikainen
Position: Chairman of the Board
Date: 22-November-2011
There are no user serviceable parts inside
the subwoofer. Any maintenance of the unit
must only be performed by qualified service
personnel.
Guarantee
This product is supplied with two year guarantee against manufacturing faults or defects
that might alter the performance of the unit.
Refer to supplier for full sales and guarantee
terms.
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