6 Channel Amplifier for Genelecs

Gallerytech

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Hello,
I'll be setting up a piece of artwork for a gallery consisting of a protected film with 5.1 surround. I'm not an AV expert, but have a reasonable handle on it. The gallery have Genelec powered monitors (8040s, 8030s and a sub) and the film will play off a Mac. They don't have a suitable amplifier though. Can anyone recommend any good amps that will take an HDMI input and give me 6 channels of pre-out, so I don't blow the Genelecs? It needs to be good quality but not hyper-expensive...
Many thanks in advance.
 
To get the full set of pre-outs, you would be looking at an AVR around the £700 price point.

There is a small processor here that might do the trick:


This should give you plenty of output to drive the active speakers, and XLR also.
 
I would recommend getting an Anthem MRX 300 or MRX 500. Many people use them as pre-amp due to their superb sound quality.
 
To get the full set of pre-outs, you would be looking at an AVR around the £700 price point.

There is a small processor here that might do the trick:


This should give you plenty of output to drive the active speakers, and XLR also.
To get the full set of pre-outs, you would be looking at an AVR around the £700 price point.

There is a small processor here that might do the trick:


This should give you plenty of output to drive the active speakers, and XLR also.

Many thanks for the suggestions, I'm looking at them now.
One point I should make is that the setup needs to be running for 8 hours every day for up to 6 months at a time! Do you think a home-cinema spec amp would handle this?
 
Many thanks for the suggestions, I'm looking at them now.
One point I should make is that the setup needs to be running for 8 hours every day for up to 6 months at a time! Do you think a home-cinema spec amp would handle this?
It should. Many of us use our home cinemas like that :D

You probably would want to buy new though, to ensure that the device is in top condition and hasn't had a hard life.

The company that makes the IOTA processor frequents these forums sometimes and seems quite approachable. You could try contacting IOTA and letting them know how you are intending to use the device and see if they think it would be good for the job.
 
I actually use an older IOTA/Nakamichi 7.1 (AV1) processor with a set of Genelecs and can confirm it works well, although I don't use any of the inbuilt auto EQ stuff. I've also never noticed any issues with having it switched on for extended periods. It's pretty bare bones which in your situation is likely a plus. You can also mount it in a 2U 19" rack tray/shelf/adaptor if you remove the feet.

Denon also make/made a couple of 7.1 19" rack mount processors (dn-700av and dn-500av) with balanced XLR outputs, designed to be rack mounted, which could be a good fit if you still can find one.

But if you're using a Mac for playback and the sub has multichannel inputs, you could just use an 6 (5.1) or 8 (7.1) channel USB sound card. The sub itself would then handle the crossover and bass management.

ie. the balanced outputs from the sound card would go into the top line of XLRs inputs below (you might need to use balanced TRS Jack to XLR cables depending on your sound card) and then the L/C/R/SL/SR channels (8030/8040) would connect to the subs outputs, second row of XLRs.

You'd need to ensure that your playback software could handle multichannel output (common Mac apps like VLC and MPV can) and that you'd correctly set the Mac to send the 5.1 signal to the sound card (Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup).

The downside to using a Mac (or PC) is dealing with turning it on/off each day if you're not around, or if someone accidentally switches it off by mistake. If the video is on a loop you may be better off with a dedicated media player designed for galleries/installations built with that single purpose in mind ie. it simply plays/loops whatever is on the SD card when turned on. Or even a small broadcast playback unit with a loop function. But if keeping costs low is key then a Mac should work fine.

Screenshot 2020-08-21 at 10.46.26.png
 
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I actually use an older IOTA/Nakamichi 7.1 (AV1) processor with a set of Genelecs and can confirm it works well, although I don't use any of the inbuilt auto EQ stuff. I've also never noticed any issues with having it switched on for extended periods. It's pretty bare bones which in your situation is likely a plus. You can also mount it in a 2U 19" rack tray/shelf/adaptor if you remove the feet.

Denon also make/made a couple of 7.1 19" rack mount processors (dn-700av and dn-500av) with balanced XLR outputs, designed to be rack mounted, which could be a good fit if you still can find one.

But if you're using a Mac for playback and the sub has multichannel inputs, you could just use an 6 (5.1) or 8 (7.1) channel USB sound card. The sub itself would then handle the crossover and bass management.

ie. the balanced outputs from the sound card would go into the top line of XLRs inputs below (you might need to use balanced TRS Jack to XLR cables depending on your sound card) and then the L/C/R/SL/SR channels (8030/8040) would connect to the subs outputs, second row of XLRs.

You'd need to ensure that your playback software could handle multichannel output (common Mac apps like VLC and MPV can) and that you'd correctly set the Mac to send the 5.1 signal to the sound card (Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup).

The downside to using a Mac (or PC) is dealing with turning it on/off each day if you're not around, or if someone accidentally switches it off by mistake. If the video is on a loop you may be better off with a dedicated media player designed for galleries/installations built with that single purpose in mind ie. it simply plays/loops whatever is on the SD card when turned on. Or even a small broadcast playback unit with a loop function. But if keeping costs low is key then a Mac should work fine.

View attachment 1353071
Thanks a lot for your very comprehensive reply. The IOTA definitely looks interesting, although there's fairly little information/reviews to be found online.
The gallery do own a Blackmagic hyperdeck. They have a crated setup where the hyperdeck is wired into a pair of Audac DPA154 amps, which have four outputs each. Do you know if there would be a way to take a pre-out of the Audacs? It would be great to use them with the Genelecs...
 
There must be a processor wired between the Hyperdeck and the amps if they are running multichannel, as they don't have more than 2 analogue outputs.

Do you need multi channel audio or is stereo sufficient?

As above, when I've done art installations I've always used a media server. These can be specced with multichannel analogue outputs so you can just plug directly into the speakers.
 
There must be a processor wired between the Hyperdeck and the amps if they are running multichannel, as they don't have more than 2 analogue outputs.

Do you need multi channel audio or is stereo sufficient?

As above, when I've done art installations I've always used a media server. These can be specced with multichannel analogue outputs so you can just plug directly into the speakers.
Yes the hyperdeck goes into splitters giving it 8 analogue outs from the Audacs.
Do you know if this system could be plugged into Genelec 8040/8030s via a pre-out?
 
Yes, you can just unplug the amplifier input cables and run extension cables from there to the speakers. Those amplifiers use XLR connections, so you should just be able to extend with XLR Male - XLR Female cables directly to the speakers - or wherever the inputs for them are routed.
 
Yes, you can just unplug the amplifier input cables and run extension cables from there to the speakers. Those amplifiers use XLR connections, so you should just be able to extend with XLR Male - XLR Female cables directly to the speakers - or wherever the inputs for them are routed.
Thanks for your help!
 

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