There are still many audiophile who erroneously believe that the bass performance of the main amplifier does not matter when using Genesis loudspeakers as they have a built-in servo-controlled bass amplifier. Conversely, they think that it is a waste of money to buy a better power amplifier or one that has better bass control because the bass performance would not be reflected in the speakers with active bass.
That is outdated thinking. In true active systems, there is no crossover in the woofer and hence the sound of the amplifier used will change the sound of the woofer. All crossing-over is done between the preamplifier and all the power amplifiers used.
My designs are different. There is a low-pass filter for the woofers and a band-pass filter for the midrange (sometimes an additional band-pass for the mid-bass coupler), and a high-pass filter for the tweeter. The low-pass filter plus servo-controlled amplifier for the woofer has the same 'sound' as the band-pass and high-pass filters used in the crossover of the rest of the loudspeaker. The active low-pass filter plus servo-controlled amplifier for the woofer is designed with the same group delay as the band-pass filters used and high-pass filters used. This is how I achieve coherence across the entire sonic spectrum.
Hence, whatever amplifier that is used will have its sound translated to the entire loudspeaker. All the professional reviews of my designs have mentioned this coherence and seamlessness and the sound of all the drivers (include the active ones) being cut from one sonic cloth.
With the Genesis loudspeakers, you hear the 'sound' of any amplifier you use. For example, when you use a Single-Ended Triode tube amplifier, you hear what the bass of that amp sounds like. With a large solid-state amplifier, you hear the sound of that bass too. This is also why I do not allow for bi-amping or tri-amping via multiple pairs of binding posts. All the most disastrous systems I've heard have had different amplifiers for the various parts of the loudspeaker because the audiophile thought that a low-powered solid-state amp for tweeters plus a SET tube amp with "golden midrange" plus a monster solid-state amp for the woofers would lead to sonic nirvana.
In a recent demo at a customer's room using the G2.2 Junior with built-in amplification, we had the Viola Bravo monoblock amplifiers and a Gryphon Mephisto stereo amplifier (both about the same price). When we switched amplifiers, the biggest difference we all heard on switch-over was in the tonal character of the bass. Then, we had to sit down and concentrate to hear other differences. But the low-bass differences swamped the listening session - even though the bass is already self-powered and the higher power of the Mephisto should not have made a difference.
That is outdated thinking. In true active systems, there is no crossover in the woofer and hence the sound of the amplifier used will change the sound of the woofer. All crossing-over is done between the preamplifier and all the power amplifiers used.
My designs are different. There is a low-pass filter for the woofers and a band-pass filter for the midrange (sometimes an additional band-pass for the mid-bass coupler), and a high-pass filter for the tweeter. The low-pass filter plus servo-controlled amplifier for the woofer has the same 'sound' as the band-pass and high-pass filters used in the crossover of the rest of the loudspeaker. The active low-pass filter plus servo-controlled amplifier for the woofer is designed with the same group delay as the band-pass filters used and high-pass filters used. This is how I achieve coherence across the entire sonic spectrum.
Hence, whatever amplifier that is used will have its sound translated to the entire loudspeaker. All the professional reviews of my designs have mentioned this coherence and seamlessness and the sound of all the drivers (include the active ones) being cut from one sonic cloth.
With the Genesis loudspeakers, you hear the 'sound' of any amplifier you use. For example, when you use a Single-Ended Triode tube amplifier, you hear what the bass of that amp sounds like. With a large solid-state amplifier, you hear the sound of that bass too. This is also why I do not allow for bi-amping or tri-amping via multiple pairs of binding posts. All the most disastrous systems I've heard have had different amplifiers for the various parts of the loudspeaker because the audiophile thought that a low-powered solid-state amp for tweeters plus a SET tube amp with "golden midrange" plus a monster solid-state amp for the woofers would lead to sonic nirvana.
In a recent demo at a customer's room using the G2.2 Junior with built-in amplification, we had the Viola Bravo monoblock amplifiers and a Gryphon Mephisto stereo amplifier (both about the same price). When we switched amplifiers, the biggest difference we all heard on switch-over was in the tonal character of the bass. Then, we had to sit down and concentrate to hear other differences. But the low-bass differences swamped the listening session - even though the bass is already self-powered and the higher power of the Mephisto should not have made a difference.