W371A SAM™ Woofer System

Networked Smart Active Monitor (SAM™) Systems feature automatic calibration to the environment.

The last decade has experienced a rapid increase in global media content creation, resulting in significant changes in the way network facilities deal with increased workload. Now, more than ever, a growing number of audio productions are done in tighter, more confined working environments. This increases acoustic problems and lowers the reliability of monitoring. At the same time, a professional audio engineer needs to have high confidence in a reliable and precise monitoring system that reproduces sound neutrally and without distortion.

Built upon the solid electro-acoustic foundations of the 1200, 8000 and 7000 Series products, Genelec advanced SAM Systems are today’s most advanced and flexible monitoring solutions. They are an indispensable tool for audio professionals, as they are capable to automatically adapt to the acoustic environments and correct for levels, delays and room anomalies. SAM Systems can be controlled via Genelec proprietary Loudspeaker Manager (GLM™) network and software, enabling you to build a highly flexible and reliable monitoring system.

The GLM 3 software is a highly intuitive and powerful monitor control networking system that manages connectivity to all SAM studio monitors and subwoofers on the network – up to 30. The GLM 3 software features adjustment of levels, distance delays and flexible room response compensation equalization with the state-of-the-art and robust AutoCal™ automated calibration system. All parameters and settings are stored in system setup files or saved in each individual monitor or subwoofer if the GLM network needs to be disconnected.

Also, all acoustical features of SAM Systems can be optimised for different working styles or client demands. Additionally, even if the monitors or the production projects move between rooms, you can expect SAM technology to achieve the highest consistency in monitoring, providing a neutral sound stage imaging with low distortion.

Genelec SAM Systems offers a comprehensive, solution-oriented, intelligently networked product range supporting analogue and digital signals in virtually any working environment.

Each transducer is driven by its own optimized amplifier.

Audio electronic crossovers allow to split the audio signal into separate frequency bands that can be separately routed to individual power amplifiers which then are connected to specific transducers optimized for a particular frequency band.

In a typical 2-way loudspeaker system, the active crossover needs two power amplifiers — one for the woofer and one for the tweeter. The power amplifiers are connected directly to the drivers of an active loudspeaker, resulting in the power amplifier’s load becoming much simpler and well known. Each driver-specific power amplifier has only a limited frequency range to amplify (the power amplifier is placed after the active crossover) and this adds to the ease of design.

The active design principle offers multiple benefits:

• The power amplifiers are directly connected to the speaker drivers, maximizing the control exerted by the power amplifier’s damping on the driver’s voice coil, reducing the consequences of dynamic changes in the driver electrical characteristics. This may improve the transient response of the system.
• There is a reduction in the power amplifier output requirement. With no energy lost in the passive crossover filter components, the amplifier power output requirements are reduced considerably (by up to 1/2 in some cases) without any reduction in the acoustic power output of the loudspeaker system. This can reduce costs and increase audio quality and system reliability.
• No loss between amplifier and driver units results in maximum acoustic efficiency
• Active technology can achieve superior sound output vs. size vs. low frequency cut-off performance
• All loudspeakers are delivered as a factory aligned system (amplifiers, crossover electronics and enclosure-driver systems)

Sophisticated drive unit protection circuitry for safe operation.

When working in critical audio production environments it is essential that monitoring systems remain reliable and functional at all times. One of the main reasons behind Genelec’s excellent success in broadcasting environments is the reliability of our products and a key element behind the reliability is the internal protection circuitry found in all products since 1978.

The protection circuitry prevents driver failures by detecting signal levels, and in case of sudden peaks or constantly too high levels, taking the signal level down automatically. Of course this feature does not affect the sound quality in any way when working within the specifications of the loudspeaker, but only prevents inadequate input signals from breaking the loudspeaker.

Protection circuitry features and benefits:

• Reduces the output level when required, (e.g. when driver voice coil temperature reaches the safe limit) which highly improves the system reliability
• Appropriate protection circuitry design in every loudspeaker and subwoofer enables to maximise system output sound level.

Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS™) for power consumption reduction in stand-by mode.

Introduced early 2013, Genelec’s Intelligent Signal-Sensing technology has been developed to meet with both European Union ErP Directives and the company’s own wider sustainability commitments.

The Intelligent Signal Sensing, ISS™ circuitry tracks the signal input of the loudspeaker and detects if it is in use. If the ISS circuit does not find any audio on the input for a period of time, it sets the loudspeaker to a low-power sleep state and the loudspeaker will consume less than 0.5 watts. When an input signal is detected, the loudspeaker immediately turns itself on. Basically, the loudspeaker system will start saving power as soon as work is interrupted.

Additionally an ‘ISS Disable’ switch is located on each product’s back plate next to the other room response controls. First, when the mains power switch of the loudspeaker is set to “ON”, the ISS™ auto-start function (low-power sleep state on/off) of the loudspeaker is active.

If this function is not desired, the ISS™ function can be disabled by setting the “ISS Disable” switch on the back panel to “ON” position. In this mode, the monitor is only powered on and off using the mains power switch.

Note that the mains power switch will always turn the monitor off completely.

Active crossover operating at low signal levels.

Audio electronic crossovers allow to split the audio signal into separate frequency bands that can be separately routed to individual power amplifiers which then are connected to specific transducers optimized for a particular frequency band.

Active crossovers come in both digital and analogue varieties. Genelec digital active crossovers include additional signal processing, such as driver protection, delay, and equalization.

Genelec analogue active crossover filters contain electronic components that are operated at low signal levels suitable for power amplifier inputs. This is in contrast to passive crossovers that operate at the high signal levels of the power amplifier's outputs, having to handle high currents and in some cases high voltages.

In a typical 2-way system the active crossover needs two power amplifiers — one for the woofer and one for the tweeter.

The active crossover design offers multiple benefits:

• The frequency response becomes independent of any dynamic changes in the driver's electrical characteristics or the drive level.
• There is an increased flexibility and precision to adjust and fine tune each output frequency response for the specific drivers used.
• Each driver has its own signal processing and power amplifier. This isolates each driver from the drive signals handled by the other drivers, reducing inter-modulation distortion and overdriving problems.
• The ability to compensate for sensitivity variations between drivers.
• The possibility to compensate for the frequency and phase response anomalies associated with a driver’s characteristics within the intended pass-band.
• The flat frequency response of a high-quality active loudspeaker is a result of the combined effect of the crossover filter response, power amplifier responses and driver responses in a loudspeaker enclosure.

Using the active approach enables frequency response adjustments and optimization of the full loudspeaker system, placed in various room environments, without expensive external equalizers. The end result is a simpler, more reliable, efficient, consistent and precise active loudspeaker system.

Laminar Integrated Port (LIP™) allows for precise bass reproduction.

Genelec’s choice for vented (or bass reflex) enclosures dates back to 1978 and the first active monitor developed by Genelec, the S30. Research to improve the performance and efficiency of reflex ports has been pursued ever since.

A typical reflex port enclosure features a tube and an opening area. To avoid turbulences in the tube the air flow should not meet any acute angles as this would generate noise, compression, distortion and losses of the total radiated energy. To minimize the air flow speed, both the tube and its cross section have to be large. Often, the outer enclosure dimensions become a limitation, because a long tube will not fit in the available volume anymore.

The M Series features two vent tubes having opening stretching across half of the enclosure depth to address these specific issues. The novel patent-pending Laminar Integral Port, LIP™, has been flow-optimized using computer-based finite element models to achieve low distortion and high efficiency even at very high audio output levels.

The reflex ports are integrated in the NCE enclosure during the moulding process, avoiding the need for separate additional components. The cross-section plot (Figure) demonstrates the efficient flow characteristics of the port. The natural installation orientation of the M Series is vertical and to allow easy placement of the monitor against a wall, the M Series ports opening face downwards, in the space under the monitor.

The novel Laminar Integrated Port, LIP™, bass reflex system provides accurate low frequency response and faithful tonal reproduction characteristics.

Advanced reflex port design for extended low frequency response.

Genelec’s choice for vented, or reflex, enclosures dates back to the S30 model, the first Genelec product from 1978. Port performance has been improved and refined over the years with the aim to increase the woofer’s low frequency extension and sound pressure level capability to provide outstanding bass articulation and definition.

Both driver and vent contribute to the total radiation of a reflex enclosure. Most radiation comes from the driver, but at the vent-enclosure resonant frequency the driver displacement amplitude is small and most of the radiation comes out of the vent.

To minimize the air speed in the tube, the cross sectional area of the vent should be large. This in turn means that the vent tube has to be long which presents quite a design challenge.

The long, curved tube maximizes airflow so deep bass can be reproduced without compression. The reflex tube terminates with a wide flare located on the rear of the enclosure for obvious reasons, minimizing port noises and providing excellent bass articulation.

The curvature of the tube has also been carefully designed to minimize any audible noise, compression or distortion. The inner end of the tube has proper resistive termination to minimize once again audible chuffing noise and air turbulence.

Proper reflex port design allows also to significantly reduce the woofer’s displacement, improving the linear low frequency output capacity.

Precise room response compensation for optimizing in-room performance.

The interaction between room acoustic and loudspeaker radiation is complex. Each room changes somewhat the monitor’s response in a unique way, e.g. reflective vs. damped rooms, or placement against a wall vs. on a stand away from the walls.

All Genelec loudspeaker systems feature room response adjustments to compensate for the room influences and retrieve a flat frequency response at the listening position.

Analogue Systems

Genelec analogue loudspeaker systems provide versatile Room Response Controls. They include (depending on models):

• Bass Roll-Off and Bass Tilt
• Treble Tilt and Treble Roll-Off
• Bass Level
• Midrange Level
• Treble Level
• Desktop Control

At low frequencies two main controls are provided. The Bass Tilt control, which acts as a shelving filter together with the Bass Roll-off control allowing you to optimize the low and very low frequency response of the system in different installations. Bass, midrange and treble level controls are provided in large systems. These controls allow to optimize the relative balance between the various pass bands.

The operating manual and datasheet of each loudspeaker contains a list of preferred room response control settings for different installations. These have been specified out of long practical experience and measurements of various kind of typical acoustic environments.

Smart Active Monitor (SAM™) Systems

Genelec SAM Systems offer a comprehensive, solution-oriented, intelligently networked product range which all feature Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM™) software and its automatic calibration system called AutoCal™.

Genelec AutoCal provides the industry’s first integrated process for complete automated measurement, analysis, and adjustment of every monitor on the GLM control network. The system measures the response in the listening area and applies relevant compensation in the low and low-mid frequencies to minimise the detrimental room acoustic anomalies as well as the differences between various listening positions. AutoCal also aligns relative levels, time-of-flight, as well as adjusts correct crossover phase (called AutoPhase) for all subwoofers on the network.

The Acoustic Response Editor provides accurate graphical display of the measured response, filter compensation and the resulting system response for each monitor, with full manual control of acoustic settings.