The ceiling, side walls and especially the
rear wall should be acoustically absorbent at
low frequencies. The wall in which the loud-
speakers are mounted should have a high
acoustical mass to properly implement a low
frequency radiation condition into half space
and be angled so that the loudspeakers are
correctly aimed. However, the loudspeak-
ers should not be mounted too high as this
increases the required vertical tilt of the loud-
speaker (maximum tilt angle < 20 degrees)
and reduces the optimum listening area. Great
care should be taken over how the loudspeaker
is mounted into the wall. Note the following:
A space 50 to 100 mm (2 to 4”) wide can
be left around the loudspeaker. Cover the
space around the loudspeaker with a facing
panel that should be fixed to the wall. Leave
a gap of about 5 to 10 mm (¼ to ½”) between
the loudspeaker and the panel. Fill this gap
with a soft rubber gasket to allow for possible
cabinet movement (see Figure 6).
Regardless of the type of front wall con-
struction the loudspeaker cabinet should be
mounted on vibration isolators, with a resonant
frequency between 2 to 8 Hz, to prevent vibra-
tions from being transmitted to the wall and
impairing the low frequency performance.
If a heavy wooden front wall construction
is used, the space around the cabinet should
be filled with absorbent mineral wool or foam
plastic. The wooden wall structure must be
heavily braced to achieve sufficiently high
mass and rigidity (see Figure 3).
In a solid wall (e.g. concrete) structure, the
space around the cabinet should be filled
with either absorbent mineral wool or sand
bags (see Figure 4).
The wall can also be constructed of a com-
bination of materials to achieve high acousti-
cal structural mass that will disable low fre-
quency sound propagation and provide high
LF sound isolation (see Figure 5). Acoustic
consultants will be able to provide details and
design these structures.
Ensure that the cabinet is flush with the
surface of the wall. Discontinuities in the loud-
speaker mounting wall will cause diffraction,
which leads to inferior frequency response
and imaging. So, if a decorative cloth frame
is used to cover the wall, make sure that the
edges adjacent to the loudspeaker are less
than 20 mm (
3
/
4
”) deep. The cloth must be very
thin Tricot or an acoustically transparent mate-
rial otherwise the high frequency response of
the system will be adversely affected. Genelec
approved cloth grilles are available.
Mode indicator LED
The loudspeaker is provided with a three-
colour indicator LED on the DCW™ panel.
When the LED is green, it indicates that the
loudspeaker is ready for use. Standby mode
is indicated by yellow colour. Amplifier clipping
is indicated by a blinking red light and ther-
mal protection mode by a constant red light.
If clipping is indicated reduce the signal level
so that the LED stops blinking. If the red LED
stays on constantly, switch off the loudspeaker
and the audio source and let the amplifier cool
down. Check that the ventilation around the
amplifier is not blocked. There should be a
clearance of more than 100 mm (4”) between
the amplifier back panel and any solid surface
at the back. If the red light does not come off,
contact authorised Genelec service.
The LED can be deactivated if you find it
disturbing in a darkened room by turning both
the "POWER LED" and "STANDBY LED"
switches on the amplifier panel to "OFF".
Maintenance
The air filter on the left side of the RAM4/5
amplifier must be cleaned every six months.
Remove the decorative front plate and pull
the filter out. Check the filter and replace it
with a new one if any damage or brittleness
can be found.If the filter is in a good condi-
tion, carefully clean it with compressed air.
No other serviceable parts are to be found
within the loudspeaker enclosure or the
amplifier unit. Any maintenance or repair
should only be undertaken by qualified serv-
ice personnel.
Figure 3: Flush mounting the loudspeaker in
a wall constructed of wood
Figure 4: Flush mounting the loudspeaker in
a wall constructed of concrete
Figure 5: Flush mounting the loudspeaker
in a wall constructed of a combination of
materials.
Figure 6: Covering the gap between the
wall and the loudspeaker cabinet.
