Strengths: Extremely wide dynamic range; flat frequency response; ability to 'tune' the system to virtually any listening environment. The ribbon tweeter sparkles, and provides excellent transient detail; while the bass response goes down to subterranean depths with authority.

Weaknesses: Although the bass is fast, tight, and adjustable, there appears to my ears to be a bit of "lag" compared to the rest of the frequency range. Compared to other full range speakers (i.e., the Talon Khorus), the bass is a little 'thick' sounding. The midrange seems to have a bit of resonance, depending upon the upstream electronics and ancillary equipment (cables, ICs), although I achieved excellent results using a Butler TDB-2250 amplifier in one configuration. Finally, one thing that I miss is the 'cohesiveness' of some other systems: the different pieces have difficulty re-assembling the music into an organic whole. Again, system dependent.

Contolled bass, bipolar

placement finalization takes longer

I don't have any support problem. I've changed 5 drivers that I've suspected easily. They have very open and relaxed voice. Whatever you listen either single enstrument or orchestral/choral they can produce without any limitation/compression. After having them I cannot listen to any other type speakers any more but bipolar :-)

Similar Products Used:

B&W 803, Revel Salon, JM Lab Utopia

Initially sounded wonderful with basically any time of music. My musical tast ranges from renaissance to metal and anything in between and everything sounded brilliant

No international support available, manufacturer out of business

I purchased these speakers after hearing them at Lyric's showroom in NYC. They are driven by a Classe CA-200B and Classe CP-40B and MH-750 cables, also purchased there. The whole lot was flown to Europe and installed here. Initially they sounded great, but now one speaker is completely down. I get distortion, "humm" and 8 out of 10 drivers are not working. A few years ago we moved to Southern Europe, here of course nobody can service them, Genesis is out of business and we basically feel ripped off. Lyric offered help and asked us to dismantle the speakers. Not being a sound engineers we would have preferred to get an expert here, we are ready to send him/her a plane ticket anytime but so far nothing..... Next time I certainly will purchase European build speakers, I paid for a very expensive lesson

Although this is nominally a review of the Genesis V speakers, in fact I'm writing to alert Genesis V owners to an incredible synergy. Until recently, I powered the speakers with a solid state amp (a Classe CA-150). However, I always thought the combination resulted in a sound that was a tiny bit "hard". Although that could well have been the room, I was aware that there have been consistent reports that Genesis V's mate well with tubes. Coincidentally, I was bitten with the DIY bug and recently completed building a pair of Assemblage (Sonic Frontiers) 300B monoblocks, which supposedly put out about 16 watts. Although the power was arguably low (I though I saw somewhere that Genesis recommended 50W minimum), I hooked up the combination. The result was magic! The speakers, which were good before, are now transformed. I have never heard such realistic or beautiful sound in my life. And the power, by the way, is ample. I'm getting room-filling sound turning up my preamp (a Classe CP-50) less than 1/3 of the way. Although I have no idea why, even the bass (which is, of course, driven by the Genesis amp, not the 300B's) sounds both more articulate and musical. The sound -- from top to bottom -- now "glows" while remaining absolutely clean. Sorry I can't explain it any better, but the difference and improvement are astounding.

The Genesis V was a very good speaker before. It is now producing the finest music I have ever heard.

System:cj Premier 11A
Audible Illusions Mod 3A
Linn LP 12 Ittok arm Blue Point Special
Theta Data Basic II
Resolution Audio Quantum DAC
Nirvana Interconnects
Nirvana Speaker cable
Marigo Power Cords

Spending the better part of a year auditioning speakers to replace my Totem Model 1's I settled on the Genesis V. After two
months of getting them properly placed and dialed in I have yet to regret my decision. They are an exceptional speaker! The
Genesis V's definitely mate well with tube amplification. My first reaction to the Genesis was their overall lack of coloration
from top to bottom. They have a coherent sound that is only matched by Avalon Eclipse or Radian HC speakers. The Genesis
excell on jazz and classical music, of which I listen to about 90% of the time. They can be subtle and capture every nuance of
the music. What I have found with the Genesis is that they easily convey the musician's intent and emotion. As, well as being
subtle, they can reproduce power classical music, i.e. the Mercury Scythian Suite witout sounding congested or confused.
The bottom end with its dedicated 400 WPC solid state amplifier captures the Scythian bass drum with aplomb. The speakers
are not over driven or plummy sounding on the big drum whacks. The mallet and membrane sound come through cleanly, as
does the reverberant sound of the hall following the initial transient. Double bass, also, is exceptional as heard on Holly
Cole's cover of Cry on Don't Smoke in Bed. The warmth of David Piltch's bass against Aaron Davis' plucking of the piano
strings is intact. It is very easy to see the two playing on an open soundstage. Aaron's plucks come through clean and open.
As far as the midrange, again on Cry, Holly's voice is superb. Her sultry "bad girl" attitude comes across clean and clear.
Piano recordings are also excellent, be it Larry Willis on Maple Shade or Ivan Moravec on VAI. The piano does not sound
clunky or tinny. The pedal effects and soundboard are clearly heard as of one instrument. Piano sustain is clean clear and bell
like when it should be. Sustained notes disappear into a black background. As well, this speaker can party. Trying David
Murrray's Shakill's Warrior II on DIW was amazing. With Don Pullen's Hammond B3 and David's Sax wailing away. Just
incredible.
The Genesis efectively reproduces the music, it is not just for classical, or lite jazz. On Frank Zappa's G-Spot Tornado from
the Yellow Shark the band takes off into a frenzied cacaphony with the Genesis V not getting in the way or confusing the
sounds of the individual players. As well, the speaker can be powerful and gritty when the Music calls for. An example of this
is Sonny Sharrock's Many Mansions with Sonny ripping away on his guitar, overdriving his amp. The energy of this song
and the ability of the Genesis V to reproduce it are unreal. Yes the Genesis can party when the music calls for it. It can then
return to a relaxed nd clear presentation of Haydn's symphonies, London Dorati set.

Can someone please tell me what the heck Michael Children is saying in his posting? It looks like the grammatical equivalent of Scrabble game pieces tossed on the floor. I think it is rude to knock a well designed audio product with ramblings of Children. It is not wrong to be critical just make an valid argument. I can not figure out what argument Michael is presenting except that he can not afford the Genesis 5s. How about just saying "I don't like the Genesis 5s because I can not afford them". Seems like a argument you could make about Mercedes or a whole host of products. It really is not an argument at all. It seems more about an expression of your financial status and nothing about your ability to objectively review a product.
I only had a brief listen to the Genesis 5s but came away very impressed with their detailed and expansive sound. The soundstage was very wide and the bass extended and articulate. Tentative 4 stars. I will have to go back for more critical listening.

This product deserves more than a five star rating. Despite its high cost, it provides good value for the money. The Genesis V provides a good measure of what the larger Genesis speakers offer, and in my opinion, has no significant weaknesses. It is extremely transparent, images extremely well, has great dynamics (both micro and macro) and will play very loudly. Unlike many really dynamic loudspeakers, however, the Genesis V is also capable of extreme delicacy and subtlety in reproduction.
One of this product's greatest strengths is its transparency. When this speaker is properly set up, you will hear the sound of everything that precedes it in the chain. Changes in spatial/soundstage characteristics, frequency response, microphone placement, etc. are readily apparent on different recordings and on different cuts from the same CD or lp.

Another of the V's great strengths is its bass reproduction. In my current listening room, the V easily outperforms Apogee Divas, Dunlavy SC-IVs, and Martin Logan ReQuests in terms of bass articulation. Yes, indeed, this speaker has fast, transparent bass of a quality that most of you have likely never heard.

Although you can use lesser electronics with it, you will never hear how great the V is unless you partner it with great electronics. My favorite amp with the V has been the single ended Cary 805 Signature. This combo transcends the typical "high quality" reproduction.

The Conrad Johnson Premier 11 and the BAT VK-60 also work very well with the Genesis V. Two Golden Tube SE-40s (in mono configuration) sounded relatively mediocre (they're great, if occasionally relentless on the Dunlavy SC-IV though).

The Genesis V is relatively complicated to set up. You should plan to spend days, if not weeks, in getting its placement and controls set properly. If you fail to set it up properly, or partner it with the wrong electronics, you will wonder what all the fuss is about.

I just wanted to second Rick Campbell's spot-on assesment (below). These speakers are capable of accurately reproducing the input signal as well as any speaker I've heard. They play music. All kinds. I used to own ProAc Response 3.5s which were wonderful on small ensemble pieces, but fell short with large scale pieces. Extended base (from the 400wpc servo-driven woofers) adds a foundation that enhances ambiance and realism that is difficult to live without once you get used to it. And this (dipole) bass integrates easily into the room without boominess. Amazing. The air around the performers...just more 3-dimensional. And very extended on top, yet lets all the delicacy and refinement through. The dipolar nature of these speakers allows for a room-filling, spacious sound that is also crystal-clear, dynamic and harmonically true. Amazing.I drive them with Pass 0 monos through Magnan Sig cables.

I don't own Gen V, but I do own a set of Gen VI which are very similar in sonic characteristics to me. The only thing that precluded me from the V was that I couldn't afford it! hence I had to go for the VI. I could go on and on raving on these speakers but the reviews below already said it except the one from Mr. Audi. In short, when I was in the market for my new speaker the Gen V was the highest score on my auditioning list but as I said I couldn't afford it so I adapted to the VI which had many good things similar to the V especially when driven by my Mcintosh MC300. Talking about worthiness, I don't see any possible reason why anyone could say any of Genesis speakers a waste. For the same money does any of Theil series give a seperate servo amp with seperate woofers tower? NO! Gen does, from Model I to VI. I could say that even their cheapest 400 model( full range, ribbon tweeters, metal cone driver, dipole design) gives buyer more than others. And frankly sir! 400 model can easily beats any of Theil speakers in the same price range hands down, I auditioned the 400 and theil CS3.6 driven by Krell electronics couples months ago.The 400 is simply the most accurate speakers I've heard so far in 4000$ price range. All and all, if I have to choose between Theil CS6 or even 7 and Gen V my choice would, still, be Gen V.

My uncle had these for a very short time (about 2 weeks). Even in largish room, the bass never meshed. Very low frequency sub harmonics overpowered the fundamental regardless of many hours of tweaking. Overall I would give these speakers 3.5 stars on sound quality alone. However due to their price I give it 1 star