Genesis 1.2 Owners Manual And Set-up Manual

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Owners Manual and Set-up Guide:

Genesis 1.2 Loudspeaker System

Contents

1 SET-UP GUIDE 6

1.1 UNPACKING 6

1.2 PLACEMENT OF THE GENESIS 1.2 LOUDSPEAKER 7

1.3 SERVO-CONTROLLED BASS AMPLIFIER SYSTEM 8

1.4 POWER CONNECTIONS 9

1.5 WOOFER CONNECTIONS 9

1.6 SERVO-BASS INPUT CONNECTION 10

1.7 MIDRANGE/TWEETER CROSSOVER CONNECTIONS 11

2 OPERATING YOUR G1.2 12

2.1 SERVO-BASS AMPLIFIER REMOTE 12

2.2 BASS CONTROL ADJUSTMENTS 13

2.3 SERVO-CONTROLLED BASS AMPLIFIER PROTECTION 14

2.4 CROSSOVER CONTROLS 15

3 TUNING THE SYSTEM 15

3.1 B

3.2 I

3.3 PHASE CONTROL 18

3.4 FURTHER ADJUSTMENTS 19

4 THE REFINEMENT STAGE 20

4.1 R

4.2 MAKE ONE CHANGE AT A TIME 20

4.3 D

4.4 APPROPRIATE MID-BASS BALANCE 21

4.5 OPTIMIZING DEEP BASS 21

4.6 R

4.7 M

EGIN WITH THE BASS LEVEL 15

MAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE 17

UNNING-IN THE SYSTEM 20

EFINING THE SOUNDSTAGE 20

OOM TREATMENT 22

ASTERING THE REFINEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM 23

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5 THE TECHNOLOGY 24

5.1 D

5.2 T

ESIGN PHILOSOPHY: DIPOLAR LINE SOURCE 24
HE GENESIS RIBBON TWEETER 26

5.3 75-INCH MIDRANGE RIBBON 26

5.4 T

5.5 T

HE SERVO-BASS ADVANTAGE 27
HE WOOFER TOWER 28

5.6 SERVO-CONTROLLED AMPLIFIER/CROSSOVER 28

5.7 THE CROSSOVER 29

5.8 CORIAN™ BAFFLE, WINGS AND BASES 30

SUMMARY 30

6

Genesis Advanced Technologies

654 S Lucile St
Seattle, WA 98108 USA

Tel [phone] Fax [phone]
www.genesisloudspeakers.com

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A Message from Genesis

Congratulations!

You are now the owner of the best loudspeaker system in the world.
The Genesis 1.2 Loudspeaker System is the embodiment of our

philosophy of “
musical event faithfully, with no compromise, in your home.

The G1.2 is commissioned for the most discerning music lovers in the
world. Every system is custom made and personalized. It
encompasses the state-of-the-art in transducer, crossover, and
electronics technology and craftsmanship.

A Short History: In June 1979, Mr. Arnie Nudell, the founder of
Infinity Systems and Genesis, headed a small team at Infinity™- that
conceived and created the remarkable Infinity Reference Standard
(IRS) using technologies conceived and developed since the Servo
Statik 1 in 1968. The IRS soon came to be known as the world’s
ultimate reference system for the reproduction of music. Fourteen
years later in June 1993, Nudell, in collaboration with Paul McGowan,
introduced to the world the Genesis I – a new benchmark for the
reference loudspeaker system. In 1999, the GI was upgraded to
become the G1.1, with a longer and larger midrange ribbon, and
ribbed aluminum woofers.

absolute fidelity



” – the ability to reproduce any

The current Genesis 1.2 embodies over 40 years of evolution and
revolution in loudspeaker design. Every single aspect of the G1.1 was
examined, down to the size and material of the washers under the
heads of the screws used to secure the wings to the Corian
midrange/tweeter panel, in the quest to improve on perfection.

The G1.2 is the current ultimate reference for the reproduction of
music. Whereas many other products might excel in one or more key
areas, the G1.2 excels in every important aspect of sound
reproduction :-

Spectral Coherence: The sound must be absolutely seamless, as if
the lowest bass frequencies were cut from the same cloth as the

-

Infinity™ is a trademark of Harman International, and is not associated with Genesis

Advanced Technologies in any way.

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highest frequencies. Despite the use of different materials and
technologies – kapton and mylar ribbon, and solid aluminum cones,
the crossover between the tweeters, midrange, and woofers cannot
be discerned even by trained, experienced listeners.

Pace, Rhythm, and Timing: The G1.2 plays rock, jazz, dance music,
contemporary, and Latin American as well as it does classical. It has
the speed and driving rhythm to dance to, and the timing to keep your
toes tapping. Be the pace slow and deliberate, or quick and rhythmic,
the musician’s intention is always conveyed faithfully.

Harmonic Structure: All instruments must be readily identifiable by
their harmonic content. There must be a uniformly consistent energy
vs. frequency ratio throughout the entire audio spectrum with uniformly
low distortion in order for this to be achieved. Tonal colors and
contrast must be faithfully reproduced so that a Steinway is easily
distinguished from a Bosendorfer, a Grand Amati easily distinguished
from a Grand Stradivarius.

Macro Dynamic Capability: Sometimes characterized as “dynamic
range”, macro-dynamics can be best defined in musical terms – from

mezzo forte (mf or medium-loud), to triple forte (fff or very loud).

Nevertheless, the G1.2 is not designed to be played LOUD. It plays at
realistic but not ear splitting levels.

Micro Dynamic Capability: This describes the ability of a system to
resolve the lowest level material with as much articulation and imaging
as it does at the louder levels. The most difficult areas for loudspeaker
systems to reproduce well are the extremes, i.e. the micro-dynamics

from ppp to p (pianissimo to piano), and the last part of the macro-
dynamics f to fff (forte to triple forte). This is most noticeable in the

extraordinary amount of detail still heard during low-level listening at
night.

Imaging and Soundstaging: A reference system must be able to
recreate a deep, tall and wide soundstage with accurate imaging
when reproducing recordings that contain such information. The effect
is that of being able to clearly distinguish the specific locations
(left/right, forward/back, up/down) at which the instruments are
playing, and to be able to hear their performance from the perspective
of the venue in which it was recorded.

These concepts can be understood in a basic sense by examining the
temporal coherence of a loudspeaker system. If each frequency of the
audio spectrum arrives at the listener at the same time, spatial cues

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emanating from a performance are reproduced, i.e. sound waves
bounced from the walls, floor and ceiling of the venue, attenuated in
amplitude and displaced in time, can be resolved in space by two
stereo channels. If a reference system can slice time “thinly enough”,
and have excellent low-level resolving power, one can experience
many such bounces off surfaces; all displaced correctly in time,
ultimately defining the soundstage and ambience of the venue.

Low Harmonic and Intermodulation Distortion: The greatest sound
pressure peaks should create almost no distortion whatever. Many
loudspeakers begin to experience signal compression at loud levels.
When this happens, music becomes distorted as sounds compress.
Reference systems cannot exhibit these symptoms. Just as live music
sounds relaxed at the loudest levels, so must the reference system.

Emotion and Intent: The hardest area to define is the human feelings
of emotion and intent. The reference loudspeaker must be able to
convey the emotions the musicians felt and their intents when they
performed the piece of music. Happy music must be reproduced as
happy, solemn pieces must be solemn. We have devised no way to
measure the ability of the loudspeaker to convey emotion and intent,
and it boils down to the art of the loudspeaker design to achieve this.

The net result is that the G1.2 can play all music equally well, from
rock to rap, from blues through classical and jazz to zydeco, from a
solo vocalist to a big band. As a reference system, there should be no
music that is out of bounds.

Please read this Owners Manual and Set-up Guide to get the
maximum enjoyment out of your purchase. Also, if you have access to
the internet, please check back at our website often. The address is

www.genesisloudspeakers.com. We will post the latest updates, tips &

tricks and support for our customers. If you have any questions,
please call, and we will be glad to answer to the best of our ability.

Most of all enjoy your music!

Best Regards

Gary L Koh,
President and CEO

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1 Set-up Guide

Now that you have your new Genesis 1.2 loudspeaker system, we
realize that you can’t wait to hook it up and start playing! However, this
is a big, complex system. There is no “quick” set-up.

You will need at least four strong people. Be prepared to allocate 4 to
6 hours to the initial unpacking, set-up and configuration. Mentally
condition yourself for hard, manual work that must also be done
carefully and precisely so as not to hurt your precious new acquisition
and to not hurt your backs.

1.1 Unpacking

The G1.2 system is packed in six (6) wooden shipping crates:

• two crates containing a woofer tower each,

• two crates each containing two wings per crate and a Corian

panel holding the midrange ribbon and tweeters,

• a crate with the two midrange/tweeter wing bases and the two
woofer tower bases, and

• finally a crate with all the electronics and cables.

To remove the contents of all the crates, you will need at least four
strong people – the Genesis 1.2 loudspeaker system weighs over
2,000lbs – to move the various parts of the speakers around. We
cannot be held liable for damage to either the speakers or your backs
during unpacking and setting up.

First, determine where you will be placing the speakers. They are
extremely heavy, so some forward planning will come in handy.
Depending on the surface they are set on, you may find that the
speakers are almost impossible to shift after setting up. Please see
the next section on placement and carefully mark the places where
you will set up the four columns, and unpack the bases and get them
in place first.

Next, place the woofer towers on their bases. The midrange/tweeter
wings are set up by first inserting the center Corian panel into the
foundation. The two wood wings are placed on either side, and
secured to the center panel with the supplied screws.

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Do not try to use spikes or other third party suspension systems. The
weight of the G1.2 is more than sufficient to anchor them to the floor.

1.2 Placement of the Genesis 1.2 Loudspeaker

The G1.2 requires a large room in order to give the speaker ample
space from the walls so that it can perform at its best.

A typical room size is 29 ft x 48 ft with at least 10 ft ceilings. A good
starting position for the midrange/tweeter panels is 15 feet into the
room as measured from the front wall (the wall behind the speakers
which you look at as you are seated listening to the speakers) to the
face of the speakers.

You will want to sit 18 feet away as measured from the face of the
speakers to the ears. Due to the length of the line-source, a minimum
distance of 12 feet is needed for driver integration. It would be best to

have approximately 15 feet behind
you to the rear wall. In case there is
insufficient space behind the listener,
sound absorbing treatment can be
used to reduce the rear reflection.

Place the column of tweeters on the
inside, and position the midrange/
tweeter panels so that the centers of
the tweeters are about 80 inches
apart. This will mean that the edge of
the midrange/ tweeter wings are 35
inches apart at the closest point.Next,
position the woofer towers just to the
outside of, and behind the mid/tweeter
wings.

Having the woofers diagonally six feet

behind the midrange/tweeters works
well. Placing the woofer towers asymmetric in the room results in a
smoother bass response than if the woofers are symmetric. We
generally like the right woofer tower further outside the right wing, and
the left woofer tower further behind the left wing.

If you have a much more space and a wider room, the woofer towers
can be also be positioned outside the mid/tweeter wings in an arc
such that the center of the woofer cone and the tweeters are
equidistant from the listeners.

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For some rooms, there may not be enough space and you will have to
adjust as you see fit. In a smaller room, the speakers can be just 20%
of the way into the room, and the listening position can then be 20%
from the rear wall. (see the diagram above). If you have to sit less
than 12 feet in front of the speakers, you have too small a room to
accommodate the Genesis 1.2’s.

1.3 Servo-Controlled Bass Amplifier System

The 12-channel Genesis Servo-Controlled Bass Amplifier comes in a
total of ten (10) modules. It comprises:

1) Left and Right Control Modules with left and right balanced

inputs and a pair of control outputs (each Control Module is
built as a dual-stereo unit, but only one input is used in each).
The Control Modules have a standard IEC power input.

2) Two left-channel Servo-Amplifier Modules with three 50-amp

Speakon™ outputs per module and a blue PowerCon™ power
input.

3) Two right-channel Servo-Amplifier Modules with three 50-amp

Speakon™ outputs per module and a blue PowerCon™ power
input.

4) Four 2kVA Power Transformer Modules each with a grey

PowerCon output (one per amplifier module)

Cables and accessories included in the package are:

1) Four Power Umbilicals with a grey PowerCon™ at one end

and a blue PowerCon™ at the other end

2) Four Control Interface Cables (CIC) with 7-pin Neutrik™

connectors at each end.

3) Two Servo-Bass Interconnect Cables (SBI) left and right with

bananas (optionally spades) at one end and Neutrik XLR
connectors at the other end.

4) Two amplifier acoustic suspensions, one for each stack of

amplifiers.

5) Six power cords are also included (the user is encouraged to

use their preferred brand of high-end power cables and
connectors)

In the typical configuration, the 12-channel Servo-Controlled Bass
Amplifier is placed in two stacks – each stack near the woofer tower

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that it will drive. The Control Module is stacked on top of the two
Servo-Amplifier Modules and the entire stack is on an amplifier
acoustic suspension system. Two Power Transformers are placed
behind each stack.

Next, using the supplied 7-pin Control Interface Cables, link the
Control Module to each Servo-Amplifier Module. Plug the included
IEC power cord into the Control Module.

1.4 Power Connections

Each amplifier module is powered by a separate external Power
Transformer. By having the power transformer external to the
electronics, and potential vibration or electromagnetic interference is
isolated from the sensitive low-voltage electronics.

When you make the power connections, pay close attention to the
way the connector works. This connector is a 20 amp twist-lock
Neutrik™ PowerCon™. By looking carefully, it will be obvious as to
how it works. It only goes in one way and you cannot put it in wrong.
However, you can fail to put it in all the way. Line up the alignment
pins on the connectors, push the plug in, and twist it clockwise until
the lock "clicks" in place to keep it there.

To remove the connector, pull the silver locking tab outwards, twist it
anti-clockwise, and pull out.

The Neutrik™ PowerCon™ 20 amp connectors used are the best
solution we have found for passing power, but they are not designed
to make/break connections. Hence, it is important that they are
connected before supplying power to the Power Transformers.

Use the included Power Umbilicals to connect between the Amplifier
Modules and the Power Transformers. Next, plug the included IEC
power cord into the Power Transformer. Leave it unplugged from the
wall outlet until you have all the rest of the connections completed.

1.5 Woofer Connections

Included with your Genesis 1.2 is a set of four large cables (with 3
channels each) used to connect the woofer towers to the Servo­Amplifier Modules. Each end of the cable is clearly marked, AMPLIFIER

SPEAKER. It does not matter which connector is attached to which

or
input or output as long as the correct amplifier modules are used for
the left and right towers. It also does not matter which SBC is used for
the left or the right; however, one pair is marked with

SPEAKER in red lettering, and the other in white lettering for

AMPLIFIER or

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convenience. Use the pair with red lettering for the right channel and
white lettering for the left channel.

Connect the appropriate ends to the outputs of your Servo-Amplifier
Modules, and the input plate on the woofer towers. It does not matter
which connector is attached to which woofer as long as the left/right
channels and cable direction are correct. The most convenient
configuration would be to use a single 3-channel SBC horizontally on the
three outputs on each amplifier module, and to use this vertically on the
inputs at the woofer towers.

For interest and reference, the connectors are
numbered 1 thru 6 from left to right and top to
bottom: input number 1 being the top pair of
woofers, and input number 6 being the bottom pair
of woofers.

The connector used for the woofer towers is
similar to the PowerCon used for power
connections. This unique connector is a 50 amp
twist-lock Neutrik™ Speakon™. As with the
PowerCon, you align the pins, insert the connector,
and twist until you hear a click when the
connectors lock.

At the AMPLIFIER end of the servo-bass cable, you
will find a small grounding jack on a flying lead. The
other end is on the chassis of the servo-bass
amplifier labelled GND. These jacks are used for
grounding an internal shield within the servo-bass

cable. For the time being, leave this shield
disconnected. The shield ground should be used only when necessary
if external electro-magnetic interference encountered by the servo-bass
cable causes noise or hum in the woofers.

1.6 Servo-Bass Input Connection

A pair of Servo-Bass Interconnects will be provided to deliver the
musical signal to the Control Module. This is supplied with a pair of
banana plugs at one end, and an XLR balanced male plug at the
other end. The banana plugs will plug straight into the binding posts of
the G1.2 midrange/tweeter tower crossover box inputs in parallel with
your speaker cables.

This means that the Servo-Bass input is tapped off the output of your
power amplifier at the speaker end of your speaker cables. This

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means that even if your speaker cables exhibit phase or frequency
characteristics, the bass will follow the character of your speaker
cables.

If you change your speaker cables to use banana plugs instead of
spades, we will be able to convert your SBI to spade connectors for a
nominal charge.

The XLR connector contains a specially developed internal balancing
circuit that enables the power amplifier to drive the balanced input of
the servo amplifier. Because of the extremely high impedance
(100kOhms) of the balancing circuit, the parallel connection places
absolutely no stress on the power amplifier. Do not use any other

interconnect cable for this purpose as the high level output from your
power amplifier will blow the inputs of the Control Module!

This internal circuit allows even fully balanced power amplifiers* to be
connected this way. Plug the XLR end of the SBI into the appropriate
input (Left or Right) on the rear of the Control Module. The XLR end of
the SBI also has a green grounding clip on a flying lead. Leave this
clip disconnected to begin with.

1.7 Midrange/Tweeter Crossover Connections

The two external crossover boxes have one pair of inputs and three

*

Do NOT use this method of connection with some Class D power amplifiers that have
both +ve and –ve speaker outputs floating above ground. Some of these amplifiers have
as much as 36V on their speaker “ground”, and this will damage the Servo-Controlled
Bass Amplifier. Please contact Genesis or your dealer if you are unsure.

pairs of output connectors each. They are (from
left to right as seen from the back of the
crossover box) front tweeters, midrange and rear
tweeters. The top pair of connectors are the
inputs and the bottom row are the outputs. These
high quality binding posts will accept either
banana plugs or spade connectors (but not bare
wire).

Connect your speaker cables from your power
amplifier to the top pair of connectors. The gold
nut is the positive (+ve) terminal, and the silver
nut is the (-ve) terminal. Then, insert the bananas
from the Servo-Bass Interconnect cables into the
same connectors. This will provide the signal to

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the Servo-Bass Amplifier to drive the woofers.

Six pairs of jumpers are supplied to connect the crossover box to the
midrange/tweeter wings. These jumpers are made using the same
internal wire connecting the drivers of the G1.2 and are supplied with
high quality banana plugs. When the supplied jumpers are used,
remove completely the nut on the binding posts. The sound will
improve with the removal of the unnecessary metal. Keep the nuts
safely in case you will be using spades for termination in the future.

The crossovers can be specified to be supplied in three electrically
separated parts so that the G1.2 can be tri-amplified (or bi-amplified)
with identical amplifiers. Do NOT use a low-powered SET amplifier for
the tweeters, and a high-powered solid-state amplifier for the
midrange. You will ruin the spectral and phase coherency of the G1.2.

2 Operating your G1.2

Once you have successfully connected all the parts of the system –
the various interconnects in the Servo-Bass system, the speaker

cables to the crossover boxes, the jumpers from the
crossover to the midrange/tweeter wings, and the power
umbilicals from the power transformers to the amplifier
modules – then plug in the Control Module power cord into
the wall power outlet. Next, plug in each of the Power
Transformers into the wall outlet. And you are now ready to
begin.

2.1 Servo-Bass Amplifier Remote

Your Genesis 1.2 servo-bass amplifier system is supplied
with a Logitech Harmony™ remote control. This is a
universal remote control that can also be programmed to
control the rest of your music system. While we do not
provide customer support for the programmable functions
(please check www.harmonyremote.com
supply it pre-programmed with the correct codes to control
the Genesis servo-bass amplifier.

To do this, we have created an online profile

Your UserID is RrrrrrrrrXxxxxx and Password is Genesis12

#

If you have managed to let us know ahead of time what the rest of your system is, it

might even be possible for us to pre-program the remote for you.

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for that) we

#

for you to use.

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Please visit the Harmony Remote website for support, and to activate
and configure your remote.

2.2 Bass Control Adjustments

Your servo-bass amplifier should be the last thing you turn on in your
system, and the first thing you turn off. As a general rule, turn your
system on starting at the source to the amplifiers, and turn it off
starting at the amplifiers back to the source.

If the remote is not already set-up to control the Servo-Bass Amplifier,
press the [Devices] button on the top of the remote, and select
Amplifier on the screen by pressing the button next to it.

Using the remote control, turn on each stack of the Servo-Bass
amplifier system by pointing the remote at the Control Module, and
pressing the OK button which functions as a power toggle. The
display on the Control Module shows on
currently set bass gain.

When you make any adjustments, the display flashes to identify the
function that is being adjusted. The input sensor of the Control Module
is directional, and each channel of the Servo-Bass amplifier system
can be separately controlled or both channels can be controlled
together by careful aiming of the remote control.

on and then shows the

onon

The bass volume or gain is controlled with the Ch. + and – buttons.
(The Vol + and – buttons are used for your main volume control on
your preamplifier.) When you first press one of the volume control
buttons, the currently-set volume will flash. The next press will move
the volume up or down. Pressing and holding the Ch. + or – buttons
will change the volume up or down rapidly.

The bass volume/gain has a range of 0 to 100. A volume setting of
around 30 is nominal for normal sized rooms. That is a good place to
start when making adjustments. In general, a lower bass volume setting
is needed in smaller rooms.

Next, adjust the phase with the buttons marked “” or “” on the
remote control. When you first press the phase up or down button,
the display will flash Ph
shown. The next press of the button will move the phase up or down.

Set the phase to zero as an initial setting.

Two crossover controls are provided on the Control Module that helps
you tune the system into your room. The high-pass filter determines

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how low the woofers will play, and the low-pass filter determines how
high the woofers play to. The frequency that you set these filters to will
be the “knee” frequency after which the woofers will attenuate by 6dB
per octave, and is not the –3dB point.

The high-pass filter and low-pass filter is set using the up/
down/ left/ right navigation ring around the OK button.
Up/down adjusts the high-pass filter up and down respectively,
and right/left adjusts the low-pass up and down respectively.

HI

Initially, set the high-pass (
and amplifiers break in (about 300 hours of play). After which it
can be set to 16Hz. Next, adjust the low pass (LO
98Hz using the button marked "low pass" (on the remote
control).

In addition to the current setting, each of the Control Modules can
memorize up to two additional sets of settings. To store the current
settings in Memory 1, press and hold the [1] key for approximately 5
seconds or until the display flashes. To store the current settings in
Memory 2, press and hold the [2] key for 5 seconds or until the display
flashes.

HI) filter to 26Hz until the woofers

HIHI

LO) filter to

LOLO

To recall the settings in Memory 1, press the [1] key momentarily. To
recall the settings in Memory 2, press the [2] key momentarily.

2.3 Servo-Controlled Bass Amplifier Protection

The servo-bass amplifier has numerous protection circuits built in to
protect both the amplifier and the woofers. If you over-drive the bass
woofers, the current limiter on there servo-amplifier will kick in, and
you will hear clicking or thumping sounds. If that happens, turn down
the volume of your system to protect your hearing and your speakers.

Until the woofers have broken in, you may find that the woofers will
limit even at fairly low volumes. This is normal as the stiffness of the
woofer suspension will restrict the movement of the cones.

The amplifier is designed to be current-limited to 20 amps – this is
more than enough to supply over 800W transients into each pair of
the woofers. However, the servo-system is not compression or
dynamic limited. Hence, it is possible to play the system too loud or
with too high bass gain, and damage the woofers (and possibly your
ears).

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Due to the extreme efficiency of the amplification modules, they
deliver and draw current extremely quickly. Hence, you may find that
a very loud bass drum thwack will cause your lights to dim, or the
circuit breakers to trip if you do not supply enough power to your
system.

A possible solution will be to install an additional 20amp circuit in your
listening room for each channel of the bass. Also, the Maximum
Dynamic Headroom Reservoir (developed for the Genesis Reference
Amplifier) is available as an optional upgrade in some extreme
situations (that we have not yet encountered in all our testing!!)

2.4 Crossover Controls

You will notice two control knobs on the crossover box. The left hand
knob is a volume control for the rear tweeters. Turning this control
clockwise will increase the level of the rear tweeters. Use this control if

you need a bit more treble or to increase the apparent space of the
soundstage. Start with this control at the twelve o'clock (high noon)
position.

The control on the right side is a five-position switch used to adjust
midrange response and the soundstage height. Depending on your
room acoustics and your amplifier, position two has the sound stage
at about the middle – like the soundstage when you are seated in the
stalls seats in the middle of a concert hall. Position five pushes the
soundstage high, like the orchestra level seats, and position one has
the lowest soundstage – like you are in the balcony seats.

3 Tuning the system

Music is the best way to begin your setup procedure. We suggest that
video and movie sources be used only after you have setup the
system to properly reproduce music.

We suggest that you start with a single female vocal with instrumental
accompaniment because the sound of the human voice is more easily
recognizable than many instruments and is the least complex sound
to deal with.

3.1 Begin with the bass level

For now, leave the low-pass filter set at 98 Hz, This control will be
addressed later. Turn the volume control of the woofer amplifier up or
down until the voice sounds correct. Whatever controls you use, turn
them up and down only a little at a time. It is easy to turn it up or down
too much.

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Concentrate on the mid-bass regions (as opposed to the very low
bass in your recording) to achieve a natural blend. The voice and the
music accompaniment should sound as if it were cut from one cloth,
not separate. The reason we use a female vocal to start is that male
vocals will have very much more bass content, and the lower bass
may obscure the mid-bass crossover point.

If the voice sounds “thin” or does not have enough “chest” to its
sound, turn the woofers amplifier’s volume up till it does. If you find
that turning the volume up creates too much low bass, you may want
to lower the low-pass filter cut-of frequency from 98Hz to 96Hz or
even lower.

The Low-pass Filter control will raise or lower the low-frequency cut­off point of the woofer. Turning the low-pass filter up to a higher
number will extend the upper bass regions without affecting the low
bass level. Some very large rooms may require that you set the low­pass filter very high up to 115Hz. Do not be afraid to increase this
control to give the sound more body, or reduce it if you find that there
is mid-bass boominess.

Next, set the woofers using more than just a voice. Select some music
that you know to have good deep bass. Using the volume control on
the servo amplifier’s remote control, set the woofers for a natural and
powerful bass sound. Use a symphonic piece of music if you can, or
use a natural double bass instrument for your guide. If there is a
running bass line, each note should sound equally loud.

Try to make it sound real. You may have to return to the vocal to
make sure you have not gone too far.

If, at this point, there is not enough mid-bass, turn the Low-pass
frequency up, or position the main speakers closer together in order to
achieve better mid-bass coupling between the main speakers. If it
sounds too “fat”, turn the Low-pass filter down or adjust the bass
volume down.

As a rule, the bass gain and the low pass filter works in opposite
directions. A higher bass volume will require a lower low pass
frequency, and a higher low pass frequency will require a lower bass
gain volume.

It is unfortunate that much of popular contemporary music is recorded
and mastered with too loud a level, and often with the bass boosted
so that they would sound better (or just louder) with mid-fi systems.

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When such music is used on the G1.2, you may find that the bass
bloated and “fat”. Do not use such music for tuning your system.

The G1.2 is capable of a bass response that is flat down to 16Hz.
When music with a bass boost (or worse, a rising bass response) is
played, there is the danger that the woofers will bottom and/or the
current limiters will kick in.

For this reason, we have provided two additional memory setting for
the control modules. We suggest that for such popular contemporary
music, a much higher high-pass bass setting (up to 32Hz) be used.
This will still provide significant bass energy for pop and rock music,
as the lowest E-string on the electric bass guitar is 41Hz, and would
still be reproduced faithfully by the G1.2.

3.2 Imaging and Soundstage

One great advantage of a true line-source is that good imaging and
soundstage is a given. However, it is possible to fine-tune the system
for ultimate enjoyment.

If your vocal selection is a well-recorded audiophile CD or LP with
good soundstaging information, the performer should appear to come
from behind the loudspeakers and be at the appropriate height for a
standing person.

If the vocal appears to be larger than life, you should first check the
system volume. Is it a volume that would be appropriate for
someone actually singing in your room? If there is too much volume
the artist will appear too big, and the opposite is true for too little
volume.

If the volume is set correctly and the image is still too big, place the
woofer towers closer together or closer to the midrange/ tweeter
wings and re-listen. Repeat this process till you have it right. Having
the woofer towers inside of the midrange/tweeter wings is rarely the
correct solution. If the image is still too large, try moving the
midrange/tweeter wings closer together.

If the voice is too low in height, turn the Midrange Control to the next
higher position and the image of the voice will move upward slightly.
However, be sure that you know that the height of the image is
correctly recorded.

We have a famous audiophile recording that we used for some time to
set the imaging height. Unfortunately, when we got the image height

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right for the singer, everybody else in the band. The mystery was
solved when we looked at a picture of the recording session, and
noticed that the singer was looking down towards her notes, and the
microphone was hung over her head. It was no wonder that when the
system is correctly adjusted, it sounded like the singer was standing in
a pit in relation to the rest of the instruments in the band.

If you have the speakers only 20% away from the front wall, and you
are not getting enough front to back depth (the background behind the
singer not appearing behind the speaker enough), pull the midrange
tweeter panels away from the front wall a little bit at a time. If you do
not have them pulled far enough away, you may not have enough
front to back depth. If you get the speakers much beyond 1/3 of the
way into the room (or 27 ft), it is unlikely that pulling them further
away will have any further effect.

Find the best compromise for your room, your tastes and your space
requirements. If the speakers are too far apart you will lose the side
image and if they are too close together you will have too small a
center stage. We recommend you begin with the midrange/tweeter
wings six to eight feet apart as measured from tweeter to tweeter. If
you are not getting proper focus on the voice, you may angle the
midrange panels about 5 to 10 degrees towards your seating position
until you have a properly defined center image.

When properly set up, very little sound should appear to come
directly from the speaker. Instead, the sound stage should extend far
beyond the left and right edge of the loudspeakers and there should
be tremendous front to back depth. When the recording is close-miked
(when the instrument or performer is very close to the recording
microphone), the music may appear to come directly from the
loudspeaker. This is normal. Typically, however, the sound should
appear to be detached from the loudspeakers.

A simple rule of thumb to follow is that focus will be achieved by
placing the speakers closer together or toed-in. Front to back depth
can be adjusted by varying the distance from the rear wall. Further, as
the system “breaks-in”, the depth and width of the soundstage will
increase, and so will the “smoothness” of the sound.

3.3 Phase Control

We suggested in the beginning of this section to set the bass phase to
0 degrees. Now that you have roughed the system in, you may want
to experiment with different phase settings.

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Using the remote control you can adjust the woofer's phase angle up
or down in five-degree increments. Depending on proximity to walls,
open spaces, cavities and cabinets, the gain, low-pass and phase of the
left and right woofer towers may be different.

The changes are subtle and they usually affect the imaging and
soundstage. Listen carefully to the positioning (in acoustic space), of
the orchestral players as you change the phase control. You may
notice small shifts in their apparent relationship to the other members
of the orchestra. Do not expect them to actually move. Expect minute
changes in the soundstage, the apparent width of the stage, your
ability to distinguish individual players etc.

Experiment with rock and blues recording (even if you only listen to
classical music). If the phase is correct, your foot will naturally tap in
time to the music. If the phase is out, you may think that the drummer
is having difficulty coordinating his cymbal work with his kick drum.

3.4 Further adjustments

With the woofer towers positioned in the recommended placement,
behind and outside the midrange tweeter panels, low bass in the
room should not be a problem. Should you have too much bass, turn
the bass volume down. Too little, and the opposite will apply.

In some problematic rooms a resonance may develop at one or two
frequencies that is unnatural to the music. By moving the woofer
towers closer to or farther from the wall, the resonance may be
reduced at the listener’s position. Also, staggering the woofers, with
one tower closer to the walls than the other tower, or closer to the
listening couch may quickly ameliorate the bass resonance.

In extreme cases, moving the entire system so that the listening
position is asymmetric in the room may solve the problem. There are
no absolute rules concerning problematic rooms, so do not be afraid to
experiment with your speaker placement.

Ultimately, it is all about balance. You have a number of controls at
hand with which to adjust the bass response, the low-pass filter
frequency, bass gain and phase. You can also move the speakers
closer together (for better coupling), and also move the woofer towers
closer together, or further apart, or even move them closer to a corner
of the room, for far more bass.

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4 The Refinement stage

After following the setup guide above, you may not be completely
satisfied with the results. We share with you here some of our
observations in setting up these loudspeakers.

4.1 Running-in the System

We often make the mistake of setting up a “cold” system, and then are
disappointed when the system breaks in. For all Genesis
loudspeakers, we recommend the use of the IsoTek Full System
Enhancement and Rejuvenation Disc. This will reduce the hundreds
of hours of run-in time needed to a couple of days.

You may find the need to make further adjustments at the 500 hour,
2,000 hour, and 5,000 hour marks. The G1.2 is already run in for at
least 100 hours before delivery, and it should sound pretty good
straight out of its crates.

4.2 Make One Change at a Time

One rule of thumb you should always keep in mind - make one
change at a time! Do not, for instance, change the position of the
speakers and make an adjustment to the amplifier all at once. Make
each of these changes separately and note the difference - by
listening - with each adjustment, then make the next change.

Making any changes to your system may also entail a need for setting
up the system again. Many changes, even something as innocuous
as changing your equipment rack, can change the phase
characteristics and frequency response of your system.

4.3 Defining the Soundstage

A common problem we find with many set-ups is a tendency to
separate the speakers too far from each other. This gives an
unnaturally stretched soundstage between the two speakers, and
creates problems with focus. The key problem is a lack of soundstage
information beyond the left and right sides of the speakers.

If you find that the sound is not spacious enough or you are not getting
enough front to back depth, your first recourse is the rear tweeter
control. Depending on the material covering the walls behind the
G1.2, turning the rear tweeters up or down may improve
spaciousness and depth without too much glare or sizzle.

The next thing to try is to pull the speaker away from the front wall.
This is typically preferable to separating the two speakers too far, and

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will almost always give you better depth and soundstage information.
A word of caution though: if you move the speakers too far from the
front wall you may lose the focus of the image.

4.4 Appropriate Mid-bass Balance

Yet another problem is a lack of mid-bass energy. In order for the
appropriate amount of mid-bass energy to be present, the speakers
should be close enough together to achieve proper "coupling" of the
midrange ribbon drivers at the lower frequencies. Coupling between
the left and right channels is desirable in the lower frequencies from
the mid-bass on down. This simply means that the left and right drivers
"work together" as opposed to working independently.

With the broad wings of the Genesis 1.2, we have not found this to be a
problem. However, if the tweeter-to-tweeter distance is more than 10
feet, or the gap between the two wings is more than 7 feet, you will find
that the speakers lose coupling, and the mid-bass suffers.

4.5 Optimizing Deep Bass

If you find there isn't enough deep bass, your first remedy is the
volume control on the woofer amplifier. This has several limitations.
First, turned up too high, you may get some distortion on very low
frequencies or you may overheat the amplifier.

If you like a lot of bass, it is possible to push the bass gain up, but in
that case, it would be wise to also raise the high-pass crossover from
16Hz to 26Hz or even beyond to 30Hz in order to protect the woofers
and to keep the bass amplifier from overheating.

Another solution is to push the woofer towers back towards the front
wall or even closer to a corner. This will increase the coupling of the
woofers to the room. Do this procedure in small increments
(approximately one inch at a time), and return often to the recordings
you have used to adjust the front to back depth and soundstage
properties of your system. It is easy, yet unproductive, to go too far in
one direction. If you move the woofer towers too far from the front wall
you may lose low bass extension, too near and you may get too much
wall reinforcement.

A problem that you could create is that you may make the mid-bass
produced by the top range of the woofer out of proportion with the
mid-bass produced by the bottom range of the midrange ribbon. This
would tend to sound slow or thick in the mid-bass regions. When you
raise the bass gain, you will want to reduce the low-pass crossover to
90Hz or further.

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As a rule, the bass gain and low-pass crossover frequency works in
opposite directions. At a bass gain of 23 and a low-pass frequency of
98Hz, we will have flat frequency response in the recommended room
size of 29ft x 48ft. Smaller rooms will require a lower bass gain to
achieve a flat frequency response at the same low-pass frequency.

Another good rule of thumb is to first set the volume control of the
woofer towers for proper mid-bass rather than low bass. The theory is
that if the mid-bass is correct, then the low bass should be very close
to correct. If the mid-bass is proper and the low bass is still not right,
here are some other suggestions:

In order to achieve what the speaker is capable of, we suggest you
focus your efforts on a proper balance of soundstage elements that
includes information beyond the left and right sides of the speakers;

front to back depth well behind the speaker, excellent focus of
instruments and voices with proper vertical information and mid-bass
fill. A good balance between proper low bass extension and a deep

and spacious soundstage needs to be established to optimize your
speaker's performance.

A Genesis loudspeaker system, correctly set up, can and should
provide a soundstage that goes beyond the confines of the walls of
your listening room, and yet with pinpoint focus; the speakers
disappearing completely on a recording containing such information.

4.6 Room Treatment

No room is perfect. To optimize your sonic presentation it may be
helpful to treat your room. Here are some guidelines:

1. Front walls. The G1.2 loudspeaker is a dipole and therefore

there is sound coming from both the front and the back. How
the front wall is treated or not treated is important. Do not use
either diffusion or absorption on the front wall. The “focus lens”
behind and between speakers used by some room designers
is likely to be detrimental to all Genesis loudspeakers.

Generally speaking, the Genesis loudspeakers prefer a live
front wall. By these terms we mean the amount of reflection of
sound. A typical wall of glass, brick, cement or drywall material
is a highly reflective “live” surface.

A heavily curtained or sound-absorbing wall would be

considered a "dead wall" or a non-reflective wall. A normal thin

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curtain across a window causes only a small amount of
absorption.

2. Sidewalls. Because the speaker is a dipole it is less sensitive

to the sidewalls. However, as a rule of thumb, it is a good idea
to keep the speaker as far away from the sidewalls as is
practical. With this in mind, it may be helpful to add some
damping material or diffuser panels to the point of first
reflection.

This is where the sound from the loudspeaker first hits the
sidewall, then bounces to the listener. This reflection is
undesirable because it is slightly delayed from the original
sound. The point on the sidewall can be easily determined with
the help of a second person and a mirror:

Sitting in your listening position, have an assistant hold a mirror
up on the sidewall. Move the mirror until you can see the
tweeters. This is the point of first reflection. A diffuser (see your
dealer), an absorptive material or even a piece of furniture can
help break up this point of first reflection. The best diffuser is
also the most useful, a full-height rack of LPs or CDs!

3. Rear wall. In many cases it will be unnecessary to do anything

with the wall behind your listening position. However, if due to
the constraint of room size you are sitting very close to the rear
wall, you may want to experiment with diffusers or absorbers
behind you for best sound. Some absorption behind the
listener is usually beneficial in reducing slap echos.

4.7 Mastering the Refinements of the System

Fine tuning an audio system is an art that will take time and patience.
It can be one of the more rewarding learning experiences you will
have in the pursuit of music and its enjoyment. Unfortunately, for the
G1.2, trying to move the loudspeakers yourself is also likely to give you a
hernia. Luckily, the dipole line-source is easily positioned, and your fine
tuning may be confined to the settings on the servo-bass amplifier.

One of the best pieces of advice we can offer is that you take
advantage of the ear's ability to identify similarities in sound. This
ability is useful in fine-tuning your system because, if every recording
you listen to has a similarity of sound (too much or too little of a certain
frequency for instance), then you can be fairly certain that you have yet
to perfect your set-up. Keep at it and remember to enjoy your music
as you work on perfecting your set-up.

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5 The Technology

The Genesis 1.2 comprises four columns: two midrange/tweeter
“wings” and two bass towers. Each module is 7ft 3in tall (221cm), and
covered in fine rare-wood veneers.

The dipole midrange/tweeter column houses a 75-inch line source
ribbon midrange, and twenty-six ribbon tweeters in a line-source array.
Each bass tower houses twelve 12” aluminum cone woofers, each
pair of woofers servo-controlled with its own 500 watt bass amplifier.

The complete Genesis 1.2 system weighs in at over 2,000 lbs
(900kg).

5.1 Design Philosophy: Dipolar Line Source

Nothing has changed in theoretical acoustics since Lord Rayleigh’s
original book on acoustics published in 1877. There are still only two
proper ways for a loudspeaker to propagate sound in a room: a point
source and a line source. Anything else, or everything in between, is a
compromise.

John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh (1842 – 1919)

The Genesis 1.2 is a near perfect line-source that is over 7 feet tall
(nearly the room’s entire height). A line source has no vertical
dispersion at any frequency. Hence there is no sound bouncing from
either the floor or the ceiling. No deleterious interference from these
surfaces is created (as in virtually all other kinds of speakers).

In order for all frequencies of sound
from the loudspeaker to reach the
listener at exactly the same time, a
coherent wave front is important - not
just “time-alignment” of drivers. The
ideal is either an infinitely small
pulsating point or a pulsating line with a
size on the order of the room dimension.

Obviously, an ideal line-source is much
easier to mechanize than the ideal point
source. The line-source (if large
enough), can approach the ideal, and in
doing so, provide sufficient radiating
area for dynamically and spatially
realistic sound reproduction.

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Another advantage of the 7-foot line source is that the vertical spectral
content of music is virtually the same throughout the length of the line
source. Hence, the seating height does not matter with this speaker;
unlike point source speakers where it is important for the ears to be
aligned with the tweeter.

A third important advantage is that it attenuates at –3dB with a
doubling of distance from the loudspeaker, whereas a point source
attenuates at –6dB with a doubling of distance.

For example, with a sensitivity of 91dB/watt at 1m, the G1.2 is about
average for large loudspeakers. At 2m, the G1.2 line source can
deliver 89dB/watt, at 4m 86dB/watt, and at 8m 83dB/watt. For the
equivalent point source loudspeaker, it will be 85dB/watt at 2m,
79dB/watt at 4m, and 73dB/watt at 8m.

Hence, for a minimum listening distance of 4m (about 12 ft) the line
source will appear to be more than twice as loud as a point source
loudspeaker. This is the great advantage that a line source
loudspeaker will have over a point source loudspeaker in a large
room. The larger the distance, the greater the advantage the line
source loudspeaker has over the point source loudspeaker.

The fourth great advantage of the line source over the point source is
that the change in loudness is much less over a small change in
distance. Hence, it results in a much larger sweet spot as small side to
side changes in seating position result in less of a sonic change than
with the point source loudspeaker.

The G1.2 is also a dipole radiator. The midrange and tweeter drivers
are mounted on a rigid Corian™ baffle with no enclosure. This has
two advantages: firstly, it eliminates any enclosure or boxy colorations
caused by cabinet vibrations or resonance.

Secondly, the dipole creates a cardioid pattern (like a figure-eight),
which has its maximum output at the listening position and behind the
speaker itself, and minimum output to the sides in the plane of the
loudspeakers. This very effectively eliminates the bounce from the
sidewalls. Hence, in conjunction with the line source, the G1.2 has no
first reflection from the floor, ceiling or sidewalls. The net result is that
there are far fewer detail-robbing room reflections from the room than
other types of loudspeakers. With fewer spurious reflections to
confuse your hearing, the program source emerges more clearly.
Imaging is deeper, yet more focused.

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This results in a loudspeaker system that is virtually room­independent. Also, because there are no phase and frequency
distorting reflections created, one can be transported into the
audience of the actual concert hall where the music was recorded.

5.2 The Genesis Ribbon Tweeter

Over the past two decades, reviewers in the audiophile press have
often remarked that the Genesis circular ribbon tweeter is the world’s
best. It is a one inch circular planar ring-ribbon design crafted from an
extremely thin membrane of Kapton with a photo-etched aluminum
“voice coil” that is a mere 0.0005 inch thick. The entire radiating
structure has less mass than the air in front of it! That is why it will
accurately reproduce frequencies beyond 36k Hz.

The result of this design is a driver that has a rapid and uniform
response to high frequencies, and has the speed of the best
electrostatic designs without the high distortion and poor dispersion
that is typically associated with them.

The Genesis 1.2 uses twenty-six of these tweeters matched to within
1dB configured as a vertical line source (twenty front-firing, and six to
the rear). In addition to creating the dipole line source, the output is
distributed over many drivers, with each working at very low-stress.
This dramatically lowers the distortions in the high frequencies at all
reasonable listening volumes.

5.3 75-inch Midrange Ribbon

We sometimes say that the midrange is a window into the mind of a
composer or a singer. And indeed, the midrange is where the “magic”
is in a well-recorded musical event. This is why the G1.2 loudspeaker
system uses a single 75-inch ribbon per channel as a dipolar line­source to reproduce these critical frequencies.

The midrange ribbon used in the G1.2 is manufactured to Genesis’
specifications. The ribbon itself is made of a very thin layer of
aluminum laminated to a substrate of mylar that is 0.001inch thick.
The ribbon is then suspended in the magnetic field created by over 36
feet of barium-ferrite magnets.

The result is a perfect line-source ribbon generating a continuous and
perfectly coupled wave front. The benefit of this to the listener is a
wide and even horizontal dispersion yielding a large and highly stable
sweet spot.

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As a line-source dipole, the midrange ribbon has a vertical dispersion
pattern identical to that of the line array of tweeters. This insulates the
listener from the room’s negative effects, and enhances the sense of
spaciousness and depth.

5.4 The Servo-bass Advantage

Very few loudspeakers use servo drive, either because most
designers think that it is too difficult to design, too expensive, or
because of the extraordinary demands a servo system makes on the
amplifier and the transducer. The history of the Genesis servo-system
started from the first introduced in the legendary Infinity™ Servo
Statik One in 1968(!) – so we know how to design and build servo
systems. The technology has been constantly updated and refined
over the past 40 years.

The concept of our servo bass system is an easy one to understand: It
employs an accelerometer as a sensor to constantly monitor the
movement of the woofer cone and continuously compares it to the
input signal. This comparison circuit instantly identifies any deviation
from the input and applies a corrective signal to compensate for any
deviation, resulting in the virtual elimination of the inherent distortion of
the woofer.

As an example, when you have a high-impact, low-bass signal that
starts and stops suddenly (for example a tympani), the inertia of the
woofer cone makes it slow to start moving, and then after it has
started moving, the momentum of the cone makes it continue to move
after the signal has stopped. The sonic result is softness, overhang,
and bloat in the bass. This results in a perceived lack of tautness and
definition, and a blurring of dynamic impact.

With the servo system, the circuit senses that the woofer is not moving
as fast as it should, and it instantaneously applies much more current
to make it move faster. When the signal stops, it senses that the
woofer continues to move when it shouldn’t be moving and applies a
counter-signal to stop the woofer faster and more effectively than an
open loop woofer could possibly respond.

Thus, the servo-drive reduces distortion and improves transient
response by making the woofer appear to be massless. Typical non­servo woofer systems have distortion levels that exceed 10% at even
moderate levels. The Genesis servo bass system reduces this
distortion to below one percent at almost any output level. The system
also drives the woofer to constant acceleration, which makes the

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frequency response of the woofer anechoically flat to the lowest
frequencies.

5.5 The Woofer Tower

The Genesis 1.2 features a total of twelve horizontally-opposed 12­inch woofers per channel mounted in a 7ft 3in tall tower operating in
unison to control the air mass of the listening room. This means that
the surface area of the twelve cones and the large enclosure all work
together in unison to produce bass output that descends evenly to
below your hearing limits.

Each pair of woofers are housed in a separate chamber, and driven
by a single 500W bass amplifier. The opposed woofers eliminate
cabinet shake and vibration, and lower cabinet boxy colorations to
vanishing levels.

The woofers used in a servo system must be strong enough to
withstand the high-current approach of the servo amplifier, and yet
delicate and light enough to react extremely quickly. The woofers are
a uniquely designed metal-cone driver made for the Genesis servo
system.

While the servo system is able to ensure that the driver works linearly
as a perfect piston, it is unable to correct for distortion caused by cone
wobble, bending, and break-up. Hence, the drivers were designed to
minimize these non-linear distortions, allowing the servo system to
achieve maximum accuracy.

Made of a cone of solid aluminum, the suspension and voice-coil have
been maximized for long, distortion-free excursion so as to increase
dynamic range. Our aluminum cones are a magnitude stiffer than
plastic or paper cones, and virtually eliminate the problems caused by
cone bending and break-up.

The lowest break-up mode (where there can be any chance of
distortion at all), is at 3,600Hz – far above the 16Hz to 140Hz
frequency range at which these woofers operate. Therefore, the driver
is a perfect piston within the frequencies used.

5.6 Servo-controlled Amplifier/Crossover

The servo system places extraordinary demands on the amplifier
because the system uses enormous amounts of current to make the
woofer follow the input signal. Combined with the metal cones, this
means that the amplifier used must deliver extraordinarily large
amounts of clean power.

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In the Genesis 1.2, the amplifier was designed as a holistic system of
integrated connecting cables, woofers, custom tailored EQ network
and remote controlled crossover circuitry. Two separate Servo­Amplifier Modules each with its own 2kVA Power Transformers are
used per channel. This is specifically designed and tuned especially
for low frequencies in order to produce floor-shaking, musical bass to
power the servo woofers.

One side benefit of this powered woofer system is that almost any
sized amplifier can be used to drive the mid/tweeter section of the
Genesis 1.2. No longer must one choose between having an amplifier
with enough power to drive the woofers, and a smaller amplifier
having better spatial and tonal characters. Nevertheless, we do
recommend no less than 100 watts as a minimum for the mid/tweeter
sections.

5.7 The Crossover

If the servo-controlled bass amplifier is the pulsating heart of the
Genesis 1.2, the crossover is the brain. In order to manage and
maximize the performance of the extensive complement of
transducers used in the Genesis 1.2, we’ve designed a hand soldered
direct wired crossover utilizing the finest components available as well
as several custom designed elements. This includes the first multiple­tapped copper film air-core inductor.

Each crossover is designed by computer modelling plus years of
knowledge and experience. More importantly, the crossovers are
designed with many, many hours of music listening, and constant
refining, tuning and tweaking of the circuit. Out of this comes the
“magic” that is a Genesis designed loudspeaker system.

The two crossovers are matched to closer than 0.1% between the left
and right channels. This ensures perfect phase coherence and
frequency response between the two channels.

Housed in a solid Corian enclosure, the crossover components are
direct wired, hand-soldered, and “potted” in place with vibration­absorbing compounds to ensure the minimum interaction between the
components.

The crossover can also be specified with three electrically separate
circuits for the front tweeters, midrange and rear tweeters. This allows
the G1.2 midrange/ tweeter wings to be tri-amplified. However, we
stress that three identical amplifiers with identical loudspeaker cables
should be used.

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5.8 Corian™ Baffle, Wings and Bases

One of the great lessons learned in speaker design is the necessity of
rigid enclosures and baffles. Vibrations from any surface on the
speaker can not only cause frequency anomalies, but also time and
phase distortion. Hence, the Genesis 1.2 employs an ultra-rigid Corian
baffle on which to mount the midrange and high-frequency
transducers.

The Corian baffle is then inserted tightly into a Corian base which
forms the foundation for the “wings” of the midrange/tweeter module.
This results in a completely inert baffle from which to launch the
midrange and high-frequency soundwave.

6 Summary

The Genesis 1.2 contains the knowledge and experience of over 40
years of loudspeaker design. We believe that no other product in the
market can approach the sonic realism of the Genesis 1.2.

There are no compromises in this system. It excels at spectral
coherence and accurate harmonic structure. It has the greatest
dynamic range of any high-end reference system. It has superb
macro- and micro-dynamic qualities, unparalleled soundstaging and
very low distortion. It does not limit or favor any kind of music.

Listening to the Genesis 1.2 is listening to absolute fidelity.

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Specifications

 Frequency Response: 16Hz to 36kHz, +/- 1dB

 Sensitivity: 91 dB 1 watt 1 meter

 Controls (on bass amplifiers): Gain, Phase,

low-pass, high-pass

 Controls (on crossover): Rear Tweeters (+/- 1 dB)

Midrange (+/- 0.75 dB)

 Input Impedance: 4 ohms (nominal)

 HF Transducers (per side): 26 Genesis 1” Circular Ribbon

Tweeters (20 front, 6 rear)

 Midrange Transducer (per side): Single 75” Ribbon

 LF Transducers (per side): Twelve Genesis 12” woofers

with ribbed aluminum cones

 Bass Amplifier Power Rating: Six channels per side

@400 watts each

 Bass Amplifier Inputs: 1 pair XLR (balanced) for

Servo-Bass Interconnect

 Dimensions:

Mid/Tweeter Wing: H 90” x W 41.5” x D 5” each
Crossover: H 3” x W 6” x D 8” each
Woofer Tower: H 90” x W 15.5” x D 19” each
Amplifier: H 11” x W 12” x D13” stack
Power Transformer: H 6” x W 10” x D 12” each

 Weight (per side): approx.1,000 lbs (450kg)

 Finish: Rosewood/Corian

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