Genelec F Two Operating Manual
F Two
Operating Manual
Käyttöohje
F Two Active Subwoofer
General description
The Genelec F Two is a very compact
active subwoofer designed to complement
up to five Genelec G One or G Two active
loudspeakers or a pair of the slightly bigger
G Threes. Linked together two F Two’s
can also be used with G Fours. The F Two
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 F Two 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 F Two
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.
As the F Two contains its own amplifier, no
separate power amplifier is needed. Never connect the F Two 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 F Two 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, connect
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
Figure 1. Removing the battery insulating strip
from the remote control
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 G
Three or G Four.
Connecting a
surround system
The F Two 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/
INPUT CONNECTORS
MAINS INPUT
POWER SWITCH
IN
CONNECTOR
FOR OPTIONAL
SYSTEM
VOLUME
CONTROL
WIRED SYSTEM
VOLUME CONTROL
OUT
OUTPUT CONNECTORS
Figure 2. Connectors and controls of the F Two.
LINK IN connector. The LFE channel on the
F Two can reproduce signals up to 120 Hz.
Next connect the main loudspeakers 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
LS
L
LEFT
LEFT
RIGHT
RIGHT
R
RS
LS
L
R
RS
position gives increased acoustic loading and
sound pressure level 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.
Setting the playback level
The “LEVEL +10 dB” switch on the subwoofer’s connector panel should be switched to
“ON” when the F Two is used with Genelec G
Three or G Four active loudspeakers and the
“LEVEL +10 dB” switches on the main loudspeakers are set to “1.”
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.
C
LFE/LINKIN
C
LINK OUT
ON
-6 dB
-4 dB
-2 dB
LINK IN
LEVEL +10dB
BASS
ROLL-OFF
SUBWOOFER
LEVEL
MAX
-180°
-90°
-270°
PHASE
MIN
CONTROL SWITCHES
-LINK IN
-LEVEL+10 dB
-BASS ROLL-OFF
-PHASE
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.
crossover allow compensation for incorrect
phase alignment. Four settings are provided
between 0° and -270°.
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.
MAINS INPUT
50/60Hz
120 W 230 V~
ON
POWER
SUBWOOFER LEVEL
ADJUSTMENT
Setting the phase control
Two phase matching switches in the
Coarse phase
correction method
Subwoofer
OFF
placement
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
ON
7
6
5
OFF
ON
7
6
5
OFF
Bass Roll-Off
Toggle the -180° phase
switch ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’
and set it to the position which gives the
lowest sound level at
the listening position.
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.
ON
7
6
5
Using the F Two subwoofer
When the subwoofer is powered up or after
being disconnected from the mains supply,
the 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 F Two 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.
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 F Two 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 F Two 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 F Two 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 F Two 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. If this
occurs frequently, reduce the playback level
until the subwoofer starts to function normally.
Matching the remote control
to the subwoofer
When shipped, the remote controls delivered
with F Two subwoofers will function with any
other F Two subwoofer as well. If this is not
desirable, for instance when there are several
F Two 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 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
VOLUME
CONTROL
BUTTONS
POWER /
STANDBY
BUTTON
Figure 3. F Two remote control
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
F Two units.
Using multiple subwoofers
The Genelec F Two 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 G Four 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
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