Genelec

Genelec Oy is a manufacturer of active loudspeaker systems based in Iisalmi, Finland. It designs and produces products especially for professional studio recording, mixing and mastering applications, broadcast, and movie production. The company was co-founded by the late Ilpo Martikainen (1947–2017) and Topi Partanen in 1978.[5]

Genelec Oy
Private limited company (Osakeyhtiö)
IndustryProfessional audio
Consumer electronics
Founded17 February 1978 (1978-02-17) in Helsinki, Finland[1][2]
FoundersIlpo Martikainen[3]
Topi Partanen
Headquarters
Iisalmi
,
Finland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Siamäk Naghian (CEO)
ProductsActive loudspeakers
and subwoofers
Number of employees
154 (2018)[4]
Websitewww.genelec.com

History

Early history
Genelec 8030A

Genelec began operations to meet the needs of Finland's national public-broadcasting company YLE. YLE was building a new radio house in Pasila, Helsinki. Juhani Borenius, who worked for YLE as an acoustician, asked his friends at a postgraduate acoustics seminar if they could make an active monitoring speaker. Ilpo Martikainen and Topi Partanen had the first sample in two weeks. The prototype was promising enough to raise serious interest. In 1978, after two years of research and development, the company opened for business with their first speaker, the S30. The company moved immediately from Helsinki to Iisalmi, in the center of Finland. The first facilities were in Satamakatu, 190 square metres (2,000 sq ft) in the basement of an apartment building where Martikainen lived.

The first order went to RAI in Italy, the second to YLE in Finland. Four people worked for the company at the time, so YLE's order for 340 pieces gave work for one year. It also gave one year's time to explore other options to keep the company running. The company also began providing sound reinforcement contracting services.

Sound reinforcement contracting was half of the business. Genelec installed systems in many drama theatres in Finland—including the National Theatre, city theatres in Rovaniemi and Kuopio, the congress hall of the new cardiologic hospital in Moscow, the Moscow Circus, and two recording vans for YLE. The last contract job was Tampere Hall and the last audio system supplied went to the Royal Opera in Madrid.

The decision to quit the sound reinforcement business in 1989 was crucial for the future of Genelec. There was no financial need to leave contracting, but the company wanted to be known as a manufacturer.

There was high demand for Genelec speakers from the beginning, and production quantities grew every year, as did the number of employees. In 1981 Genelec delivered active monitors to ZDF’s new control rooms in Mainz. The facilities in Satamakatu became far too small. By 1981 the company had spread across different locations and searched for either a new factory or a lot where they could build one. In 1983, the town offered a lot next to lake Porovesi at Luuniemi. The company has expanded their facilities four times since then. In addition to production areas, the last expansion adds more room for training and quality listening.

International business
Genelec active subwoofers: 7050B, 7060B, 7070B

Genelec has exported speakers from their beginning, and has increased exports over the years. In 1980, they exported 20% of production, in 1984 80%, and on the 1990s exports peaked at 95% but have settled to around 90% in the 2000s. The first export countries were Italy, the Nordic countries, Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Great Britain. Cooperation with Otaritec Corp. in Japan began in 1986. In 1993, Genelec had distributors in 45 countries, and now has sales in more than 70 countries.

As the export trade has grown, the degree of domestic added value of the products has remained around 80%. The 77th AES convention in Hamburg in 1985 was a turning point for Genelec. They introduced the 1022A and displayed a whole family of speakers: Biamp 1019A mini monitor, broadcasting monitors S30 and 1022A, and music monitors 1024B and 1025A. By 1985, Genelec produced 12 models. They also made sound reinforcement and passive Hi-Fi speakers for the domestic market. The passive Biway 1050A and Triway 1051A were in production in 1980–1982 and production of the small 1049A began in 1988. They have long since discontinued production of passive hi-fi speakers.

In the 1990s, Genelec was increasingly known as a manufacturer of active monitoring speakers. They designed new products, notably the large control Room Monitors 1035A, 1034A and 1033A between 1988 and 1990. In 1991 Genelec designed the 1031A, which was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame in 2014. Genelec followed the 1031A with the 1030A, 1032A, 1029A, 1037A, and 1038A, and subwoofers 1091A, 1092A and 1094A.

Genelec in the 2000s

The first years of the 21st century presented challenges. Genelec introduced the LSE-series of subwoofers and replaced most of the 2-way series with the new 8000 Series. The 8000 Series comprises four models (8020B, 8030A, 8040A and 8050A 2-way Active Loudspeakers), some of which are clearly smaller than their predecessors, which was obtained by using aluminium as the material of the speaker enclosures instead of traditional MDF. Renowned Finnish industrial designer Harri Koskinen designed the 8000 Series' appearance.[6] Adding to the series are the smallest 6010A 2-way loudspeaker and its supporting 5040A Active Subwoofer, introduced in 2008.

Many new Genelec products feature digital signal processing and software control. The 8200 DSP series adds three products to the line (8240A, 8250A 2-way and 8260A 3-way Active Loudspeakers) with ability to automatically adapt their performance to any acoustical conditions with AutoCal calibration through the GLM Software.

As of 2010, Genelec produced over 50 active loudspeaker models, and numerous modifications and versions of these for specific applications. They also produced software products for acoustic calibration. After finishing sound reinforcement contracting, Genelec concentrated solely on active speakers.

Products

Current products

As of June 2020

Retired products

Models shown in bold in the "Replaced by" column are in production as of June 2020. Limited-production models are not included.

Studio Monitors[12]

Two-way systems
Model Produced Replaced by
1018A Active Speaker 1987–1989 —
Biamp 1019A Studio Monitor 1979–1994 1030A
1029A Studio Monitor 1996–2005 8030A
1030A Studio Monitor 1994–2005 8040A
1031A Studio Monitor 1991–2005 8050A
1032A Studio Monitor 1992–2013 1032B
1032B Studio Monitor 2013–2017 1032C SAM™
2029A Digital Active Monitor 1998–2005 8130A
2029B Digital Active Monitor
2029B-Y Digital Active Monitor		 2000–2005
6010A Active Speaker 2008–2013 6010B
6010B Active Speaker 2013–2014 —
8020A Studio Monitor 2005–2009 8020B
8020B Studio Monitor 2009–2013 8020C
8020C Studio Monitor 2013–2017 8020D
8030A Studio Monitor 2005–2013 8030B
8030B Studio Monitor 2013–2017 8030C
8040A Studio Monitor 2005–2013 8040B
8050A Studio Monitor 8050B
8130A Digital Active Monitor 2007–2015 —
8240A SAM™ Studio Monitor 2006–2016 8340A SAM™
8250A SAM™ Studio Monitor 8350A SAM™
M030 Studio Monitor 2013–2019 —
M040 Studio Monitor
Three-way systems
Model Produced Replaced by
Triamp 1022A Studio Monitor 1985–1990 1037A
1022B Studio Monitor 1987–1993
Triamp 1024A Studio Monitor 1979–1986 Triamp 1024B
Triamp 1024B Studio Monitor 1985–1990 Triamp 1024C
Triamp 1024C Studio Monitor 1990–1992 1038A
Triamp 1025A Control Room Monitor 1983–1986 Triamp 1025B
Triamp 1025B Control Room Monitor 1986–1989 1035A
1033A Control Room Monitor 1990–1999 —
1034A Control Room Monitor 1989–1999 1034B
1034B Control Room Monitor 2000–2015 1234A SAM™
1034BC Studio Monitor 1234AC SAM™
1035A Control Room Monitor 1989–1994 1035B
1035B Control Room Monitor 1995–2015 —
1036A Control Room Monitor 1997–2015 1236A SAM™
1037A Studio Monitor 1992–1996 1037B
1037B Studio Monitor 1995–2003 1037C
1037C Studio Monitor 2004–2015 1237A SAM™
1038A Studio Monitor 1992–2003 1038B
1038AC Studio Monitor 1998–2003 1038BC
1038B Studio Monitor 2004–2015 1238A SAM™
1038BC Studio Monitor 1238AC SAM™
1038CF Studio Monitor 2009–2015 1238CF SAM™
1039A Control Room Monitor 1995–2015 —
1238CF SAM™ Studio Monitor 2011–2017
8260A SAM™ Studio Monitor 2010–2019 8361A SAM™
8351A SAM™ Studio Monitor 2014–2019 8351B SAM™
Triamp S30 Studio Monitor
S30NF Studio Monitor		 1978–1992 S30B
S30BNF
S30B Studio Monitor
S30BNF Studio Monitor		 1990–1992 S30C
S30C Studio Monitor 1992–2001 S30D
S30D Digital Active Monitor 2000–2006 —
Subwoofers
Model Produced Replaced by
1091A Active Subwoofer 1996–2003 LSE™ Series
(7000 Series)
1092A Active Subwoofer 1994–2003
1094A Active Subwoofer
7050A Studio Subwoofer 2002–2005 7050B
7050B Studio Subwoofer 2005–2018 7050C
7060A Studio Subwoofer 2002–2006 7060B
7060B Studio Subwoofer 2007–2016 7360A SAM™
7070A Studio Subwoofer 2002–2016 7370A SAM™
7071A Studio Subwoofer —
7073A Studio Subwoofer 2003–2016
7260A SAM™ Studio Subwoofer 2006–2016 7360A SAM™
7270A SAM™ Studio Subwoofer 7370A SAM™
7271A SAM™ Studio Subwoofer —
SE7261A Digital Active Subwoofer 2007–2015

Home Speakers[12]

Two-way systems
Model Produced Replaced by
Biway 1049A Passive Speaker[b] 1988– N/A  —
Biway 1050A Passive Speaker[b] 1980–1982
6020A Active Speaker 2005–2010 G Two (A)
6040A Active Speaker 2002–2010 —
G One (A) Active Speaker 2013–2017 G One (B)
G Two (A) Active Speaker G Two (B)
G Three (A) Active Speaker G Three (B)
HT205 Home Theater Speaker 1999–2007 —
HT206 Home Theater Speaker 1999–2003 HT206B
HT206B Home Theater Speaker 2003–2015 —
HT208 Home Theater Speaker 1999–2003 HT208B
HT208B Home Theater Speaker 2003–2015 —
HT210 Home Theater Speaker 2000–2003 HT210B
HT210B Home Theater Speaker 2003–2016 —
Three-way systems
Model Produced Replaced by
Triway 1051A Passive Speaker[b] 1980–1982 —
HT312A Home Theater Speaker 2006–2008 HT312B
HT312B Home Theater Speaker 2008–2016 —
HT315A Home Theater Speaker 2006–2008 HT315B
HT315B Home Theater Speaker 2008–2016 —
HT320AC Home Theater Speaker 2006–2008 HT320BC
HT320BC Home Theater Speaker 2008–2016 —
HT324A Home Theater Speaker 2006–2016
HT324AC Home Theater Speaker
HT330A Home Theater Speaker
Subwoofers
Model Produced Replaced by
5040A Active Subwoofer 2008–2013 5040B
5040B Active Subwoofer 2013–2014 F One (A)
5050A Home Theater Subwoofer 2005–2012 —
5051A Active Subwoofer 2011–2012 F Two (A)
F One (A) Active Subwoofer 2012–2019 F One (B)
F Two (A) Active Subwoofer F Two (B)
HTS2 Home Theater Subwoofer 1999–2002 —
HTS3 Home Theater Subwoofer 2001–2003 HTS3B
HTS3B Home Theater Subwoofer 2003–2016 —
HTS4 Home Theater Subwoofer 2001–2003 HTS4B
HTS4B Home Theater Subwoofer 2003–2016 —
HTS6 Home Theater Subwoofer

AV Installation Speakers[12]

4000 Series
Model Produced Replaced by
4020A Installation Speaker 2010–2013 4020B
4020B Installation Speaker 2013–2017 4020C
4030A Installation Speaker 2010–2013 4030B
4030B Installation Speaker 2013–2017 4030C
Architectural Series
Model Produced Replaced by
AIW26 Active In-Wall Speaker 2001–2015 AIW26B
AOW312 Active On-Wall Speaker 2006–2008 AOW312B
AOW312B Active On-Wall Speaker 2008–2017 —
gollark: I might join and ship you a free potatOS demo computer.
gollark: Troubling.
gollark: Have you tried potatOS?
gollark: Blame the mysterious Pam.
gollark: I think it has something or other for that.

See also

Notes

a. ^ The networked SAM™ (Smart Active Monitor) DSP systems feature automatic calibration to the environment.[13]

b. ^ ^ ^ The passive hi-fi speakers, Biway 1050A and Triway 1051A, were in production only for the domestic market in 1980–1982 and the production of the small Biway 1049A began in 1988. Production of passive hi-fi speakers has since been discontinued and the company has concentrated solely on active loudspeakers.[14]

References
  1. "Genelec". Iisalmen yritysrekisteri (in Finnish). Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  2. "Genelec". Facebook. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  3. "The Genelec Story". Genelec. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  4. "Genelec Oy". Finder.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  5. Watkinson, John (2017-02-09). "John Watkinson Remembers Ilpo Martikainen (1947–2017)". The Broadcast Bridge. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  6. "Genelec and Harri Koskinen". Genelec.com. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  7. "Studio Monitors". Genelec.com. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  8. "The Ones". Genelec.com. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  9. Robjohns, Hugh (July 2017). "Review: Genelec The Ones". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  10. "Home Speakers". Genelec.com. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  11. "AV Installation Speakers". Genelec.com. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  12. "Previous Models". Genelec. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  13. "Smart Active Monitor (SAM™) Systems". Genelec.com. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  14. "Genelec Oy - äänentoistoa maailmalle - Menestystarinat". Iisalmi internet (in Finnish). Retrieved 2019-07-03.
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