Genesis 2.2 - Crest of emotions
1/12/2009
As you’d probably suspect, I was recently granted the opportunity to thrive on an experience that qualifies as unique, during my many active years of collecting music, composing private setups and deciding on reviewed equipment.
This opportunity followed my accepting Absolute Audio’s kind invitation to get acquainted with Genesis Advanced Technologies’ flagship, the 2.2 reference model (namely the G2), in the context of a first contact and an informative session for you.
Hospitable and aesthetically matching their audience, Absolute Audio’s premises currently host a well-prepared G2 based setup, fine-tuned courtesy of Mr. Gary Leonard Koh himself. During his stay in Greece, Mr. Koh, Genesis’ CEO & Managing Director, kindly granted us an interview, which is available for you to savor on at www.abouthifi.com/interviews.
The G2 derives from Genesis 1 (1993) and 7 IRS (1977), both Arnie Nudell’s creations. Its design is comprised of four vertical arrays of equal height. According to Genesis, the midrange arrays are the “wings” whilst the servo-bass arrays account for the “towers”. The mid-highs “columns” are dipoles. Each of them features fifteen 1-inch ribbon tweeters of circular shape (twelve facing ahead, three facing towards the rear wall), to reproduce the high frequencies, and a 48-inch rectangular-shaped ribbon in vertical orientation, covering the midrange. Mids and highs can be further adjusted, via separate controls on the rear of the column, to suit your personal space and taste (variation margin is estimated within a +1db to –1db range). Each of the servo-bass towers hosts four 8-inch aluminum-cone woofers, driven by the Company’s switching amplification. The latter is comprised of a control device, a PSU (1 kVA x 2) and two amplifier stages (500+500W). The control unit allows precise gain, phase, high-pass and low-pass filter adjustment, while Genesis cabling carries out all interlinking. Please note that there is a readily available upgrade option that includes a heftier PSU section (1,8 kVA x 2) as well as longer interlink cabling. The bass towers are sited on a clear acrylic base, which is then floor-coupled by adjustable spikes. In all, we are dealing with an absolutely flawless finish (in high-gloss black acrylic) of the highest quality.
While unavoidably imposing, due to its physical dimensions, the Genesis ensemble is more discrete than pompous. Accordingly, auditioning the G2 in a mere 40 square meters space did not leave me with the slightest gram of discomfort, given the real estate occupied by the setup, quite the opposite! I was assuming that such a large ensemble would be deprived the right to perform up to expectation, asphyxiating in a mediocre-sized space. Boy, was I mistaken!
Right away, the first note did not only dissolve my well-founded predisposal but also shook quite a few of my beliefs, formed during years of hanging around high-end gear. In the past, I had come across grand-sized creations -both in controlled environments and in demo-rooms- and their tendency to project a super-sized icon, which is undoubtedly impressive but bound to come out as tiresome, let alone blatantly unreal, in the long term. It is ultimately unbearable for a guitar to be the size of a cello or for performer to rival a… Titan’s stature. “Gigantism” is the wrong way to go, this should be clear – notes and their performers should only be sized as intended by nature, really.
Auditioning the G2 proved to be a captivating experience, as they avoided exactly what I mentioned above. Imposing giants were just not there to create an impression, so everything was accurately portrayed, in total control, under strict command of the listening programme. The result was calm, honoring silent moments, whilst no intervention was made to its beautification.
Air and spaciousness prevailed on a soundstage that easily exceeded the room, virtually defying its physical dimensions. Vocals had just the right amount of “moisture”, overall transparency was far beyond judgment and bodies emerged in full holographic coherence… Given the recorded material, the overall portraying ability was taken to the limit. And as the G2 would constantly refuse to mess with the musical event, it was only the quality “gap” between different recordings that would finally make it to the listener, a gap to be solely defined by each recording’s true potential.
Due to its dipole properties, there is no sweet spot, as mid-highs dispersion can cover a wide field, inside which accuracy and resolution are preserved. Even as I stood up, the drawn plane remained coherent maintaining all of the aforementioned virtues, which is quite rare.
As for the lower frequencies, they contributed their best to the rhythmic section, taught, controlled and masterfully damped as they were, allying seamlessly with an impossible-to-flaw midrange. I honestly tried hard to find a point of weakness, where I could base my prosecutor’s argument, but in vain. In every case, I would only end up facing a maximum quality setup, eager to redefine my expectations from this sport. These shall from now on include unprecedented -to my experience- neutrality and tonal balance – my new, current and future, reference.
Of course, all this comes at a price tag that is irrelevant to the vast majority’s budget, but let this not interfere with the prestige and the value that earned this setup the top-ranking position it deserves.
For the end, it would be worth mentioning Spectral’s contribution to the G2’s sonic act. Although I have come across quite some literature, regarding their quality, I never had the chance for an audition in such a controlled environment, until now. As a brief conclusion, I am positive that Spectral has already made it to my “most wanted future review” list.
Until then, I would like to thank Genesis Advanced Technologies for doing a nice job redefining the upper limits of what we can be expected and achievable, towards the goal of the ultimate sonic illusion!
Christos Tsiatis
email: ct@abouthifi.com
LISTENING SETUP
Pre: Spectral DMC 38SS ~ 12.995 Euros
Power: Spectral DMA 250 ~ 11.995 Euros
Transport: Jadis JD1 Evolution ~ 19.500 Euros
DAC: Jadis JS2S ~ 6.500 Euros
Loudspeakers: Genesis 2.2 ~ 79.000 Euros (89.000 for the upgraded PSU & amp version we auditioned)
Interconnects & speaker cables: MIT & Spectral
Power cables: Siltech
Distributor: ABSOLUTE AUDIO
Site: www.absoluteaudio.gr
Tel: 210 9952578
Fax: 210 9955727
Address: 26 Palamidiou Str., Ilioupoli
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