Floorstanding loudspeakers — Genesis Tribute

The Tribute from Genesis Advanced Technologies is a two-tower loudspeaker system with integrated servo-controlled woofers and wide dipole wings that recall the layout of the old IRS design. Genesis builds it to order in the USA, and it made its debut at the Capital Audio Fest in 2022, with a quoted price of USD 125,000 per pair.

Key specs that matter

Every Tribute cabinet holds a set of fifteen Genesis ring radiators of 1 inch, 12 aimed forward and 3 aimed back, a single 48-inch Genesis ribbon midrange and one 12-inch ribbed-aluminium cone woofer. The quoted response is 22 Hz to 40 kHz within 3 dB, sensitivity is 90 dB at 1 W and 1 m, and nominal input impedance is 4 ohm. The built-in servo bass amplifier is rated at 500 W per side. Every tower measures 190.5 cm high, 96.5 cm wide and 45.7 cm deep and weighs 116 kg. Front and rear tweeter levels can each be moved by 3 dB, and bass gain and low-pass frequency are adjustable. Any custom finish can be ordered.

Engineering and use context

The ring radiator is a planar magnetic ribbon tweeter that Genesis introduced in 2013 to widen dispersion compared with its earlier round tweeters. The long ribbon midrange is also planar magnetic and was redesigned in 2016 with newer films and materials, aimed at lower distortion and higher power handling. Upper frequencies radiate as a dipole from the wide wings, which Genesis says reduces side energy and reflections from walls, ceiling and floor. As a line source, the panel produces a cylindrical wave that falls by 3 dB per doubling of distance instead of the 6 dB of a point source, giving a bigger listening area and less sensitivity to seated height. In the bass, the servo circuit uses amplifier power to overcome cone inertia and then to stop its momentum, and each tower contains multiple servo circuits. The crossover is kept as simple as Genesis considers workable, and the towers sit on a suspension that allows alignment and azimuth adjustment.

Pairing

With the woofer already powered, an outboard stereo amplifier handles just the ribbon tweeters and midrange, driven from a separate line stage. Each side also needs its own mains outlet for the bass amplifier, and enough floor area should be planned, as every tower is nearly a metre wide.

Alternatives

The Genesis Quartet moves the bass into separate servo woofer towers with eight 8-inch drivers per side and extends the rated response down to 16 Hz.