I have had both the 2.5 and the 201's and in addition to the midrange ribbon on the 201's failing due to being run too low [B and G out of Carson city Nevada makes the midrange ribbon for the 201's and according to my discussions with them, they suggest a crossover frequency of no lower than 165Hz whereas the Genesis crossover is right around 85Hz] so that was always an issue when I had them and I ran them with both Sonic Frontiers Model 3SE monoblocks,Conrad Johnson's largest tube amps as well as various high end solid state amps. The larger redesigned amp that is provided with the newer 201's which was extensively used throughout the product line has that nasty tendency to shut off at the most inopportune times. In my case the finale to Mahler's second symphony would shut the amp off every time when I played the speakers at lifelike listening levels as well as many other symphonic or rock recordings that have extreme amounts of low frequency material. I spoke with Gary at Genesis several times regarding this and was informed that "if you drive them to high levels the amp will shut down and we really cannot remedy that problem." I was blown away to say the least and that along with the repeated midrange failures caused me to sell the 201's for a very reduced price to an Audiogoner whose preferences ran to jazz and lighter classical music [who had a much smaller room than my 20 by thity eight foot dedicated listening room with sixteen foot ceilings] as this does not drive the amp or speakers into their failure modes. There was really nothing that could be done at that time to remedy these issues, perhaps the current models have addressed these issues. Considering the price I and the marketing of the system I felt somewhat deceived. Bear in mind I have had literally dozens of high end speakers over the last forty years so I am not new to the audio game. I also worked in the business while going to college and professional school and have met many of the various audio pros ranging from Albert Von Schweikert to Malcom Scholl of ADC and Audioanalyst, as well as many of the So Cal and East Coast Audio gang! Hope this helps as I know how frustrating these speakers can be. Best regards, Carl F. Tenckhoff
Genesis servo-bass amplifiers
My question is directed at owners (past or present) of the following Genesis models: 1.1, 201, 350, & 350SE.
Have any of you experienced problems with the bass amp shutting down due to transient overloads?
The bass amps included with these speakers have a protection circuit which may trip due to either a transient or thermal overload. Each failure mode is described below:
Transient Overload:
- Amplifier runs cool to warm to the touch but protection circuit trips excessively
- Often occurs with electronic music (e.g. rap/hip hop) on particular tracks only
- Amp will immediately turn back on but may trip again moments later
- Minor reductions in volume (-3dB) typically have no effect (amp will still trip)
Thermal Overload:
- Amplifier runs hot to the touch during heavy use and protection circuit trips
- Amp will not turn back on until it cools down (may take up to 30 minutes)
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced the transient overload case, and if they've found a way to eliminate it.
I understand that the thermal overload case means the amplifier is at maximum power, and the only way to fix it is to turn the volume down.