Genelec 8030A User Manual

8030A

Operating Manual

Genelec 8030A
Active Monitoring System

8030A Active Monitoring System

General description

The bi-amplified GENELEC 8030A is a two

way active monitoring loudspeaker designed

to be small but still have high output, low col-

oration, and broad bandwidth.

The 8030A is ideal for near field monitor-

ing, mobile vans, broadcast and TV control

rooms, surround sound systems, home stu-

dios, multimedia applications and also for

use with computer soundcards. As an active

loudspeaker, it contains drivers, power ampli-

fiers, active crossover filters and protection

circu itry. The MDE™ (Minimum Diffrac-

tion Enclosure™) loudspeaker enclosure is

made of die-cast aluminium and shaped to

reduce edge diffraction. Combined with the

advanced Directivity Control WaveguideTM

(DCWTM), this design provides excellent fre-

quency balance in difficult acoustic environ-

ments. If necessary, the bass response of

the 8030A’s can be extended with a Genelec

7050A or 7060A subwoofer.

Positioning the loudspeaker

Each 8030A monitor is supplied with an inte-

grated amplifier unit, mains cable and an

operating manual. After unpacking, place the

loudspeaker in its required listening position,

taking note of the line of the acoustic axis

(see Figure 1).

Connections

Before connecting up, ensure that the mains

switch is off and the volume control fully

counter-clockwise (see Figure 1). Do not con-

nect the loudspeaker to an unearthed mains

supply or using an unearthed mains cable.

Audio input is via a 10 kOhm balanced

female XLR connector labelled “INPUT”. An

unbalanced source may be used as long as

pin 3 is grounded to pin 1 at the unbalanced

source connector (see Figure 2).

The male XLR “OUTPUT” connector can

be used for daisy-chaining up to six 8030A’s

together or for connecting a Genelec 7050A

stereo subwoofer. The volume control atten-

uates the signal on this output, so the first

“master” loudspeaker on a daisy chain can

be used to adjust the level on the whole

chain. The volume controls on the “slave”

loudspeakers should be set fully clockwise.

Once the connections have been made,

the loudspeakers are ready to be switched

on.

Setting the volume control

The input sensitivity of the loudspeakers can

be matched to the output of the mixing con-

sole or other source by adjusting the volume

control on the front panel (see Figure 1).

Setting the tone controls

The frequency response of Genelec 8030A

can be adjusted to match the acoustic envi-

ronment by setting the tone control switches

on the rear panel. The controls are “treble

tilt”, “bass tilt” and “bass roll-off ”. An acous-

tic measuring system such as MLSSA or

WinMLS is recommended for analyzing the

effects of the adjustments, however, care-

ful listening with suitable test recordings can

also lead to good results if a test system is not

available. Table 1 shows some typical settings

in various situations. Figure 4 shows the effect

of the controls on the anechoic response.

Treble tilt

Treble tilt (switch 1) attenuates the treble

response above 5 kHz by 2 dB, which can be

used for smoothening down an excessively

bright sounding system.

Bass tilt

Bass tilt offers three attenuation levels for the

bass response below 1 kHz, usually neces-

sary when the loudspeakers are placed near

room boundaries. The attenuation levels are

-2 dB (switch 3 “ON”), -4 dB (switch 4 “ON”)

and -6 dB (both switches “ON”).

Bass roll-off

Bass roll-off (switch 2) activates high-pass

filtering at 85 Hz to complement the low-pass

filter on a Genelec 7050A subwoofer. This

switch should always be set to “ON” when

using the 8030A with 7050A subwoofers.

The factory setting for all tone controls is

“OF F” to give a flat anechoic response.

Alway s star t adjustment by setting all

switches to “OFF” position. Measure or listen

systematically through the different combina-

tions of settings to find the best frequency

balance.

Mounting considerations

Align the loudspeakers correctly

Always pl ace the l oudspeakers so t hat

their acoustic axes (see figure 1) are aimed

towards the listening position. Vertical place-

ment is preferable, as it minimises acoustical

cancellation problems around the crossover

frequency.

Maintain symmetry

Check that the loudspeakers are placed

symmetrically and at an equal distance from

the listening position. If possible, place the

system so that the listening position is on the

centerline of the room and the loudspeakers

are placed at an equal distance from the cen-

terline.

Minimise reflections

Acoustic reflections from objects close to the

loudspeakers like desks, cabinets, computer

monitors etc. can cause unwanted coloura-

tion blurring of the sound image. These can

be minimised by placing the loudspeaker

clear of reflective surfaces. For instance, put-

ting the loudspeakers on stands behind and

above the mixing console usually gives a

better result than placing them on the meter

bridge.

Minimum clearances

Sufficient cooling for the amplifier and func-

tioning of the reflex port must be ensured if

the loudspeaker is installed in a restricted

space such as a cabinet or integrated into

a wall structure. The surroundings of the

loudspeaker must always be open to the

listening room with a minimum clearance

of 5 centimeters (2") behind, above and on

both sides of the loudspeaker. The space

adjace nt to the amplif ier must either be

ventilated or sufficiently large to dissipate

heat so that the ambient temperature does

not rise above 35 degrees Celsius (95°F)