Topic: genos speaker lead

[djp]

Anyone no of an alternative lead for the genos base speaker as its not so robust
Regards

[Lee Batchelor]

By "not so robust" do you mean the audio signal seems weak or that the cable is poorly designed and flimsy? I don't use the Genos speakers, so I don't know what the cable looks like. Thanks.

[Rich Z]

I just installed the speaker system on my Genos today, and noted that the pins in those connectors are very thin.  It wouldn't take much to bend one or more pin over if you don't have the plug oriented correctly and you aren't gentle with it. Trying to bend it back might just break the pin off completely. The only clue you have to the orientation of the plugs to the sockets is the molded arrow on the black plastic of the plug, which I believe points to the noticeable notch on the socket.  Logic would have you believing that the arrow should be at the top for both connections, but on my sub, it was on the side and only at top on the Genos end. Push come to shove, I think they could have used more robust connectors on that cable, in my opinion.

And I do wish the sub had an EQ high pass filtering knob on it like most powered subs have.  Some day when I am bored I will see if I can take it apart without destroying it and try to figure out a way to add a powered sub to it in parallel.  I don't like to have a sub working much above 35 hz. That range above 35 hz is where the woofers in a speaker system should be occupying. Granted this isn't a full range speaker system, so I guess this is just a compromise anyway.  I would be curious to see what the frequency response of that Genos system is.

Even running it full tilt on the sub adjustment knobs, it doesn't have all that much "balls" to it. But when I don't feel like cranking up the receiver I have the Genos also plugged into, I guess it will do.  The way it worked out, I got it at no extra cost, so it will be hard not to get my money's worth out of it.

[Toril S]

I really hate those pin connectors! Flimsy and easy to break. Yamaha, please discontinue them in future models!!

[Lee Batchelor]

Rich Z, I doubt the main speakers on the Genos produce much below 80Hz. I'd high pass at 80 to 90 Hz. I built my own sub as an addition to my two Bose L1 Compacts. The Bose roll off at 65 Hz. I set my sub at 80 Hz with a fairly steep cut off. My sub has no crossover. I bought a Yamaha PX3 power amp for driving the sub. I can set the crossover point and slope. It also has parametric EQ. Of course, this is for larger gigs, not just living room playing .

I certainly agree with you about the pins needing to be more robust and aligned identically. Yamaha probably figured people who bought their speakers would plug them in once and leave them. You can't really gig with those speakers beyond a small house party, I assume. A lot of people on this forum seem to think the Genos speakers are way overpriced and can be replaced by far better ones for about the same money. Glad you got yours for free!

[Mike2]

I bought the 8 pin mini din cable from Amazon. It is better quality.  Just mark the plug and outlet with a marker to match them up.  I find the pins are sturdier.

[Rich Z]

FYI, I did find some specs on the Genos speaker system:

The GNS-MS01 is specially designed to transparently reproduce the high quality sound of Genos. With increased volume and a wider frequency response, you can also hear the difference.

•     Output power
•         Satellite speakers: 20W + 20W (1 kHz, 4 Ω)
•         Subwoofer: 40W (100 Hz, 5 Ω)
•     Frequency response
•         Satellite speakers / Subwoofer speaker: 32 Hz to 20 kHz
•     Speaker unit
•         Satellite speakers (Tweeter): 1.9 cm (3/4") dome, magnetic shielding
•         Satellite speakers (Midrange): 8 cm (3") cone, magnetic shielding
•         Subwoofer: 16 cm (6.5") cone, magnetic shielding

[Lee Batchelor]

Hi Rich Z. Thanks for posting those specs.

From those, I read that the mid and high range speakers are crossed at 1 kHz and the sub is crossed at 100 Hz. If you cross a sub at 35 Hz, there will be a huge bass gap between the sub and satellites (unless you meant "high passed" at 35 Hz).

Of course, I believe you're talking about using different satellites that go down to 35 Hz. I think those are rare and those that claim to perform that low, aren't very loud in that range - or at least not nearly as effective as using separate speakers for each frequency range. The open E string on a bass guitar is about 41 Hz. Anything below that is undertones or rumble from a violent movie. I have my sub set to roll off at 40 Hz but with a gentle slope. So, I'm probably doing something similar to what you want and that is to go down to 35 Hz or so.

If you ever take this on, let us know how you did it and what speakers you used . Thanks.

[Toril S]

I am not familiar with speaker tech, so I wonder: Is there a special reason for Yamaha to use this 8 pin connected cable for the sub? It is a pain in the b...! Difficult to connect, afraid every time that I will break or dislocate the pins. There are so many easy plugs to use, so why stick to this? Does it have something to do with sound?

[Lee Batchelor]

I assume that the eight pins are used to distribute power between the sub and satellites. They would be similar to the speaker poles you see on home theater plate amplifiers. Here is a sample photo. Notice how there are four amplifier poles (pins) and four speaker poles (pins).

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Rich Z]

I am not familiar with speaker tech, so I wonder: Is there a special reason for Yamaha to use this 8 pin connected cable for the sub? It is a pain in the b...! Difficult to connect, afraid every time that I will break or dislocate the pins. There are so many easy plugs to use, so why stick to this? Does it have something to do with sound?

My guess is that the audio signals come from the Genos into the sub, then through the filtering circuitry in the sub, which directs the lows to the sub and the higher frequencies back up the cable into the Genos and into the satellite speakers.  I guess one way to test that theory would be to plug in the satellites without plugging in the sub and see if they still generate sound. But yeah, I don't think I want to disconnect and connect that cable from the sub to the Genos all that many times, if I can help it.

Actually, the home theater receiver I have the Genos plugged into through a mixer is a 7.2 speaker set up and works pretty well that way. The "system" is pretty much retired audio components I've accumulated over the years from my main system in the house.  I've just very recently started playing around with RoomEQwizard (https://www.roomeqwizard.com/) and I guess I am curious about what that will show in the "music" room.  If I can figure out a way to monitor the speaker system on the Genos I will do that, just to see what the graph really looks like. I think there is a way to do it, but I have had beautiful theories shot down by ugly facts before. Unfortunately, the acoustics in that room (12x20) are terrible right now.  When I got a heads up about the COVID thing in January, 2020, that room became a storage area for long term necessities, "just in case". So some of the speakers are partially blocked, at best. And right now the central listening position is in front of my Korg Kronos and not the Genos.

As for the sub utilization with the Genos, I like to "feel" the bass and the percussion of the drums when they play.  Bass that you can feel in your bones and the solid toe tingling thud of a driving base drum can sound like a whole new animal down at that frequency (and below).  Yeah, I used to play in a rock/top 40 band in my younger days, and that is what I learned to like. It can drive the wife to distraction, though.

Yeah, I know I would be expecting way too much from the $350 Genos speaker system alone to do that for me. 

[Lee Batchelor]

My guess is that the audio signals come from the Genos into the sub, then through the filtering circuitry in the sub, which directs the lows to the sub and the higher frequencies back up the cable into the Genos and into the satellite speakers.  I guess one way to test that theory would be to plug in the satellites without plugging in the sub and see if they still generate sound. But yeah, I don't think I want to disconnect and connect that cable from the sub to the Genos all that many times, if I can help it.

Actually, the home theater receiver I have the Genos plugged into through a mixer is a 7.2 speaker set up and works pretty well that way. The "system" is pretty much retired audio components I've accumulated over the years from my main system in the house.  I've just very recently started playing around with RoomEQwizard (https://www.roomeqwizard.com/) and I guess I am curious about what that will show in the "music" room.  If I can figure out a way to monitor the speaker system on the Genos I will do that, just to see what the graph really looks like. I think there is a way to do it, but I have had beautiful theories shot down by ugly facts before. Unfortunately, the acoustics in that room (12x20) are terrible right now.  When I got a heads up about the COVID thing in January, 2020, that room became a storage area for long term necessities, "just in case". So some of the speakers are partially blocked, at best. And right now the central listening position is in front of my Korg Kronos and not the Genos.

As for the sub utilization with the Genos, I like to "feel" the bass and the percussion of the drums when they play.  Bass that you can feel in your bones and the solid toe tingling thud of a driving base drum can sound like a whole new animal down at that frequency (and below).  Yeah, I used to play in a rock/top 40 band in my younger days, and that is what I learned to like. It can drive the wife to distraction, though.

Yeah, I know I would be expecting way too much from the $350 Genos speaker system alone to do that for me. 

Great info, Rich. Thanks.

[Toril S]

Thanks😀