The 6040R is a two-way floor-standing smart active loudspeaker from Genelec and the first model of the company's Signature Series, launched on 6 October 2021. It re-engineers the 6040A, the model with which Finnish industrial designer Harri Koskinen began working with Genelec twenty years earlier, and which was the first Genelec speaker to use the curved Minimum Diffraction Enclosure. Genelec presents it for home use while stating that it is equally suitable for professional monitoring, and production takes place in Iisalmi, Finland, at a plant powered entirely from renewable fuels.
Key specs that matter
A 165 mm bass cone and a 19 mm metal dome tweeter, with magnetic shielding on both, are each fed by a dedicated 150 W Class D amplifier. The -6 dB bandwidth runs from 43 Hz to 20 kHz, with accuracy of ±1.5 dB from 50 Hz to 20 kHz. Short-term maximum output is 109 dB or more at 1 m, long-term output reaches 98 dB and peaks top 118 dB, while self-generated noise stays at 5 dB SPL A-weighted or lower. The cabinet stands 999 mm high, 237 mm wide and 220 mm deep and weighs 14.9 kg.
Engineering and use context
Genelec chose die-cast recycled aluminium for the enclosure because it is light, stiff and well damped, and the company says it avoids the resonances found in wooden boxes. The bass section is sealed rather than ported. A Directivity Control Waveguide surrounds the tweeter, and the crossovers work at low signal level ahead of the power stages, with protection circuitry guarding the drivers. Connections comprise a balanced XLR analogue input at 10 kOhm, an XLR AES/EBU digital input and an AES/EBU thru output, both at 110 ohm, plus two RJ45 ports for the GLM network. The mains input accepts 100 to 240 V AC. Intelligent Signal Sensing drops consumption to 1 W or less in standby, idle draw is 12 W or less and full output takes 180 W. Group delay is 2.9 ms with Extended Phase Linearity switched off. Finishes are grey, black with a black or white grille, and white with a white or black grille.
Pairing
Because amplification is built in, the speaker takes a line-level or AES/EBU signal straight from a preamplifier, streamer, DAC or audio interface, and the digital thru output can pass the stream on to the second cabinet. Genelec suggests placing the rear panel close to a wall. Each speaker ships with a mains cable and a 5 m RJ45 cable.
Alternatives
The Genelec 4430A is a networked two-way installation speaker powered over PoE with a Dante and AES67 input.