Genelec 1040a Subwoofer Pairing

[Eddybiker60]

Happy Fall, everyone. On impulse, I purchased a pair of Genelec 1040A powered monitors last week with the idea that I might eventually replace my current system which includes Vandersteen 2cis. The Vandersteens are really too large for my listening area which is about 12x10, so moving to a monitor/ subwoofer system is appealing, at least on the surface. I understand that Genelec makes their own subwoofers, they’re expensive and there are lots of good subwoofers on the market that might be fully adequate for my needs. So my question is if anyone has any similar experiences with pairing different brands of subwoofers with monitors(especially active ones) and what did you need to do to get them to play well together?

 

[srrxr71]

Happy Fall, everyone. On impulse, I purchased a pair of Genelec 1040A powered monitors last week with the idea that I might eventually replace my current system which includes Vandersteen 2cis. The Vandersteens are really too large for my listening area which is about 12x10, so moving to a monitor/ subwoofer system is appealing, at least on the surface. I understand that Genelec makes their own subwoofers, they’re expensive and there are lots of good subwoofers on the market that might be fully adequate for my needs. So my question is if anyone has any similar experiences with pairing different brands of subwoofers with monitors(especially active ones) and what did you need to do to get them to play well together?

I would probably look into a minidsp solution to integrate and room correct.

 

[Eddybiker60]

I would probably look into a minidsp solution to integrate and room correct.

Thanks for the suggestion. Anything specific?

 

[dfuller]

I'm not familiar with a 1040 model. Do you mean the 1030A or the M040?

 

[Eddybiker60]

Yes, the 1030a. Typo on my part.

 

[AnalogSteph]

What sort of total budget did you have in mind? I'd think that something like a single JBL LSR310S ($449) would be about the minimum. Consider two if your place is a concrete bunker with severe modes, or a single Kali WS12 V2 if it leaks bass like a sieve. Two of the latter should be getting close to endgame. A miniDSP Flex with balanced I/O is another $570; I suppose you could "cheat" with a 2x4HD and a pair of Behringer HD400s for around half the price.

 

[rynberg]

If you want accurate response with very low extension and very competitive output levels, you can't do better than Rythmik in the US. At a lower price point, the RSL Speedwoofer is tough to beat, if you can live with the cabinet size.

 

[IngMishael]

Happy Fall, everyone. On impulse, I purchased a pair of Genelec 1040A powered monitors last week with the idea that I might eventually replace my current system which includes Vandersteen 2cis. The Vandersteens are really too large for my listening area which is about 12x10, so moving to a monitor/ subwoofer system is appealing, at least on the surface. I understand that Genelec makes their own subwoofers, they’re expensive and there are lots of good subwoofers on the market that might be fully adequate for my needs. So my question is if anyone has any similar experiences with pairing different brands of subwoofers with monitors(especially active ones) and what did you need to do to get them to play well together?

A MiniDSP with a standard sub will be nice. Something like a Rythmik F12SE or an RSL Speedwoofer 10SMK2 when they go on sale again(this subwoofer has become a unicorn)

 

[Eddybiker60]

The 1030A. Somehow my spellcheck thought differently.

 

[Eddybiker60]

What sort of total budget did you have in mind? I'd think that something like a single JBL LSR310S ($449) would be about the minimum. Consider two if your place is a concrete bunker with severe modes, or a single Kali WS12 V2 if it leaks bass like a sieve. Two of the latter should be getting close to endgame. A miniDSP Flex with balanced I/O is another $570; I suppose you could "cheat" with a 2x4HD and a pair of Behringer HD400s for around half the price.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, around $500 would be ideal for a budget. I’m aware of some of the popular subwoofer, but I get analysis paralysis when looking at them to narrow the options down.

 

[srrxr71]

Personally I don’t feel like extension matters that much for music. I’d want something get to 35Hz in room and match the SPL capabilities of the 1030. Start with one put it roughly in the middle and take it from there.

 

[Eddybiker60]

Personally I don’t feel like extension matters that much for music. I’d want something get to 35Hz in room and match the SPL capabilities of the 1030. Start with one put it roughly in the middle and take it from there.

Thanks. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them

 

[rynberg]

Personally I don’t feel like extension matters that much for music. I’d want something get to 35Hz in room and match the SPL capabilities of the 1030. Start with one put it roughly in the middle and take it from there.

If you're going to go through all the trouble and expense of integrating a subwoofer, why waste your time with a toy?

All kinds of genres go down to the mid 30s or into the 20s Hz. Classical music frequently has very low frequency content.

 

[srrxr71]

If you're going to go through all the trouble and expense of integrating a subwoofer, why waste your time with a toy?

All kinds of genres go down to the mid 30s or into the 20s Hz. Classical music frequently has very low frequency content.

Maybe when one has a fixed budget they might have to make reasonable compromises.

 

[srrxr71]

Thanks. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them

Unfortunately all I know is SVS and Rhythmik. Some of the suggestions others have posted are worth looking into.

 

[Eddybiker60]

My budget leans more towards the SVS, JBL, RSL side of the options. At the risk of sounding pedantic. Shouldn’t a true *sub*woofer extend below 20 hz? I realize that in my room, I’m unlikely to obtain that anyway. The speakers roll off around 50-60 hz, so getting something close to full range would be my goal. I’m also concerned about compatibility with the Genelecs since they’re likely 20 years old.

 

[srrxr71]

My budget leans more towards the SVS, JBL, RSL side of the options. At the risk of sounding pedantic. Shouldn’t a true *sub*woofer extend below 20 hz? I realize that in my room, I’m unlikely to obtain that anyway. The speakers roll off around 50-60 hz, so getting something close to full range would be my goal. I’m also concerned about compatibility with the Genelecs since they’re likely 20 years old.

Yes they should but then you’re getting into 15” “sub” territory. It’s completely possible that your room reinforcement could get it down to 20Hz but not with the full even SPL as in +-1dB territory.

I guess i’m almost advocating for a sealed sub vs a ported that might go deeper.

Personally i have 2 10” subs on the corners in my small room and they kick they also can do 20hz with maybe -3dB. In fact they are Genelec 7360.

As for your older Genelecs - it doesnt matter. Id look at them as any other kind of high quality studio monitor. Sure you don't get all that GLM whizz bang but most monitors don't either.

 

[Eddybiker60]

Yes they should but then you’re getting into 15” “sub” territory. It’s completely possible that your room reinforcement could get it down to 20Hz but not with the full even SPL as in +-1dB territory.

I guess i’m almost advocating for a sealed sub vs a ported that might go deeper.

Personally i have 2 10” subs on the corners in my small room and they kick they also can do 20hz with maybe -3dB. In fact they are Genelec 7360.

As for your older Genelecs - it doesnt matter. Id look at them as any other kind of high quality studio monitor. Sure you don't get all that GLM whizz bang but most monitors don't either.

I’m going to be using them for home listening, so not professional monitoring. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[rynberg]

Maybe when one has a fixed budget they might have to make reasonable compromises.

An RSL Speedwoofer is $500... If one wants a smaller sub, in my opinion, spending $500 to get middling performance is a very poor value proposition when a little more gets you significantly better performance.

A Rythmik L12 is compact, <$800 shipped, and is -3dB at 18 Hz. Of course, the output will be limited compared to larger/more expensive subs but @Eddybiker60 is already volume limited with the Genelecs he is using for mains.

 

[Eddybiker60]

An RSL Speedwoofer is $500... If one wants a smaller sub, in my opinion, spending $500 to get middling performance is a very poor value proposition when a little more gets you significantly better performance.

A Rythmik L12 is compact, <$800 shipped, and is -3dB at 18 Hz. Of course, the output will be limited compared to larger/more expensive subs but @Eddybiker60 is already volume limited with the Genelecs he is using for mains.

My room is on the small size, so I don’t need maximum volume. Thanks for your input.