BK Gemini Mk2

I think this may be mostly a setup issue, maybe even the buzzing. What sources, amps etc are you using, and how are they set?
With all due respect I've seen this type of response many times when someone talks about sub issues, it's like it's never the sub, it can't be can it?
Change everything else including cleaning your mains then the sub will be ok and the buzzing will supposedly finally stop
I've had other subs in the past and I had one that buzzed once as this one does. I was naive back then and went on the quest to resolve it. After changing loads of kit, making my own shielded leads etc to no avail, I finally changed the sub and bingo no more buzz

I've taken it off LFE now and the buzzing is reduced considerably which I can live with but you'd have thought so long in the game that BK would have resolved this issue by now

Although it doesn't sound that deep to me it's ok and I can live with that aspect to, it is certainly what I would describe as very quick and tight base, not boomy or bloated but it seems to be very narrow in the range at which it responds leaving a gap between the sats and sub.
Sats are set to small with cross over frequency of 90Hz and sub is set to 120Hz
I'm using the low level input only from a Yamaha AV receiver

It will do, it's small and superbly finished, too much WAF to change it but as I say in direct comparison to my Kef PSW2500 I remain underwhelmed on the sound integration
 
With all due respect I've seen this type of response many times when someone talks about sub issues, it's like it's never the sub, it can't be can it?
Change everything else including cleaning your mains then the sub will be ok and the buzzing will supposedly finally stop
I've had other subs in the past and I had one that buzzed once as this one does. I was naive back then and went on the quest to resolve it. After changing loads of kit, making my own shielded leads etc to no avail, I finally changed the sub and bingo no more buzz

I've taken it off LFE now and the buzzing is reduced considerably which I can live with but you'd have thought so long in the game that BK would have resolved this issue by now

Although it doesn't sound that deep to me it's ok and I can live with that aspect to, it is certainly what I would describe as very quick and tight base, not boomy or bloated but it seems to be very narrow in the range at which it responds leaving a gap between the sats and sub.
Sats are set to small with cross over frequency of 90Hz and sub is set to 120Hz
I'm using the low level input only from a Yamaha AV receiver

It will do, it's small and superbly finished, too much WAF to change it but as I say in direct comparison to my Kef PSW2500 I remain underwhelmed on the sound integration

Sad to hear you are not happy with new product. I do remember the Gem II was quite polite rather than shaking the room. But good upgrade from cheap garbages in term of bass quality. I didn`t have any buzz or humm issues during 4years i owned it so you want to call BK and ask to speak with Tom on monday! Tell him every thing you wrote here, he is the best man to help you.

I wonder what is the issue not integrating good enough. Did you place it in the exact same spot as KEF sub was? Do you have the phase knob set to 0? Have you run YPAO calibration again after swapping sub? Check that the Subwoofer level isn´t maxed out at -10db (Yamaha menu). Generally speaking small sealed sub is often ideal in front corner to get bit extra grunt (boundary gain), but you do what you can. Not sure about your flooring, the sub comes with spikes which one can use over those "plastic screws".
 
I recently upgraded my BK Gemini I to a Gemini II. I have had the I since 2008 and I have been pleased with it most of the time. It might not be the best sub for knocking you out of your seat but that is not what I want anyway. Booms in action movies are of second importance to accurate reproduction of bass in music.

However, a while ago it started to hum and it was getting worse. I performed various tests such as moving it, removing the signal cable, and feeding it a signal from my iPod. It was certainly not an earth loop or any other factor outside the sub.

So, I started to look for a replacement but I struggled to find one more attractive within my budget than the newer Gemini II. I chatted to Tom at BK who finally convinced me that the II would be much better. I decided to trust him and I am pleased that I did. At full gain, with my ear next to the driver, I can hear a little noise but I think that is inevitable. With the gain at a more typical 12 o'clock it is hard to detect and not possible from the MLP; other things, e.g. the fridge two rooms away, are easier to hear. I am very pleased with the accuracy of reproduction of bass in music. Yesterday, I watched a BluRay of Beethoven's Symphony 3 while following the score. I paid particular attention to the double basses and other low parts. They were perfect as far as I could tell. My idea of perfection is to close my eyes and get the feeling that I am in Symphony Hall Birmingham. This did not quite work as there were no coughs and my sofa was too comfortable. I don't blame these failings on the Gemini.

Comparing the two Geminis is interesting. They look very similar but the II is slightly larger and has a 10" driver rather than 8". The control panels are identical. The II is still maybe not the best to knock you out of your seat but it is better at this than the I. I had neglected to check the physical size before buying it and I am lucky that it just fits under the equipment rack where the old sub was.

I also chatted to Tom about the old sub. He thought that the hum was due to aging capacitors and quoted me £45 to replace them including return shipping. After the new sub was in place and I was pleased with it, I took up this offer. The repair has been very effective and it is pretty much as good as new. As well as replacing the capacitors, he relocated the transformer to its location in the newer model.

Normally, I run just the new sub but, when I want extra boom in an action movie, I run both. This is quite effective; as close to knocking me off the sofa as I would want.
Finally, a possibly heretical comment: I think that the Geminis are the best looking subs that I have seen. Of course, this helps with wife approval but I like it as well.
 
To be fair I have managed an improvement in the integration. I've realized that the low level frequency adjustment is twitchy at the high end and if you switch off LFE (which I had done because of the hum) it had jumped down to 90/95 Hz (I repeated this a few times and each time it did the same the same). I don't mean the physical feel of the dial, I mean that if you move the dial a fraction, the frequency read out changes a lot, it can jump in large increments. I have since realized if you tease the dial by holding for a few seconds right on the point of switching you can get it up to the 120, according to digital read out at least, a faction more pressure and it switches back to LFE. At the lower end of the scale it seems to adjust more steadily.
Anyway I believe it has closed the gap and I'm happy with the sound on this setting although I feel like it would be good to have a bit more to play with in the upper frequency range
 
It's only sightly related to the past few comments here but I've used a BK XXLS400 and currently got the Monolith Plus both with humming buzzing issues. Turning down the crossover helps with the noise produced which was loud but it has had an effect on the frequency response. The Monolith was not a cheap sub so I don't see why they couldn't have implemented some sort of filtering circuitry which after doing some research many other sub brands do by default. I just bought a mains conditioner and will see if that helps but my QA 3070s with gain set to maximum and crossover set to max as well didn't make a sound with same cables and same locations
 
Just ordered today a B-Stock BK Gemini II in black ash, to use with my Audiolab 6000A and my Quad Z1s speakers.

I’m worried about the possible hum but we’ll see how it performs. Just wanted a “fast” subwoofer for music (to fill the sounds below 60Hz) on a 4,4*3m listening area (the room itself is 6m*4,4m but only half of it is used as living room).
 
It’s not small but it’s part of a ground floor apartment and my neighbor is right across the living room wall, so I tend not to listen loud. 75dB is already loud for me (and I reach those only during the day, when he‘s usually out) and most of my listening will be made at significantly lower values.

A very good friend of mine lives close to me and she has a similar living room in which she has a a Quad Vena 2 connected to a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 2s (with the 8” woofer) - yeah, I got her into this :) - and while my Quads are more detailed and have a better soundstage, I’m missing the bass from those little monsters.

The goal here is just to have a similar bass performance and I think the Gemini is more than up for that task as I’m not a bass head.

EDIT: Actually, I just want a similar frequency response but with a bit less bass, even. I measured those Silver 2s in her room and I began to hear them at 29Hz :O - most likely due to room acoustics.
 
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Got a small room, about 3m by 5m and looking for something that goes a bit deeper than the Gemini II as an upgrade.

What would I be looking for that won't break the bank?
 
Got a small room, about 3m by 5m and looking for something that goes a bit deeper than the Gemini II as an upgrade.

What would I be looking for that won't break the bank?

I’m guessing that means you’ll need a bigger and more powerful subwoofer such as the BK XXLS400, at £460.
 
I already have my BK Gemini II with me and it seems to integrate really well with the speakers. It‘s small but heavy and seems solid.

I‘m also happy to report that I don’t hear any humming from the subwoofer. It’s dead silent (unless I put my ear right next to the enclosure).

Speaking of enclosure, I was expecting a small defect on its black ash finish but no, it’s perfect.

The reason for the B grade must have been the glue residue when the dust cap first touched the cone before it was moved to the correct center position. Well, it’s glued and I cannot see it so I guess it’s fine. :)


19ACE519-0C39-4DFC-ACE6-D009A62642FF.jpeg
 
I still have the hum on lfe but I can get cross over to 120 without going that last bit and I've just upgraded my eggs to E301 which go slightly lower on the low end frequency response and I have to say it does sound really good for music now, back to the big speaker sound, I'm very happy now
 
Yesterday I was watching a movie and the back plate got quite warm. I guess it is to be expected with a closed box (and no external heat sink) but I wonder if this won’t shorten the life of the capacitors considerably.

Oh well, life’s too short to worry about this kind of stuff. I’m not misusing it.
 
My BK Gemini Mk2 has always had a faint hum/buzz, can't really hear it unless I'm I'm litterally over the top of it...I've had it from new since 2013 i think it was,.love it.
 
Hi, was hoping i may be able to get a bit of advise.

I've just bought a Panasonic GZ2000 and am thinking of getting a Gemini 2 for a little more bottom end clout.

My room is only about 13ft x 14ft so I'm hoping the Gemini 2 would be suitable for a room of this size. I do not have an AV system and will be connecting the sub directly to the GZ2000 by the headphone 3.5mm connection. My concern is that I can only place the sub in the corner of my room which is kind of obscured by my sofa and TV stand. Is the Gemini fussy about placement, it will have about 1ft of space all around it.

I can go up to a larger sub if this is needed but I'm only after a bit of bass impact and not having my teeth knocked out

One more thing, where can I get a cable that will have the 3.5mm connection for the TV and have the correct connections for the sub at the other end.

Sorry if my questions are a bit noobish but this is the first time I've considered buying a sub

Many thanks
 
Hi, was hoping i may be able to get a bit of advise.

I've just bought a Panasonic GZ2000 and am thinking of getting a Gemini 2 for a little more bottom end clout.

My room is only about 13ft x 14ft so I'm hoping the Gemini 2 would be suitable for a room of this size. I do not have an AV system and will be connecting the sub directly to the GZ2000 by the headphone 3.5mm connection. My concern is that I can only place the sub in the corner of my room which is kind of obscured by my sofa and TV stand. Is the Gemini fussy about placement, it will have about 1ft of space all around it.

I can go up to a larger sub if this is needed but I'm only after a bit of bass impact and not having my teeth knocked out

One more thing, where can I get a cable that will have the 3.5mm connection for the TV and have the correct connections for the sub at the other end.

Sorry if my questions are a bit noobish but this is the first time I've considered buying a sub

Many thanks
Don't quote me on this, but im not a 100% sure you van connect the sub to the TV this way.
 
Don't quote me on this, but im not a 100% sure you van connect the sub to the TV this way.

i believe there is an adaptor you can buy. Just something I read somewhere. That said the last thing I want to do is buy the sub and not be able to connect it.

I was going to call BK but they are on holiday

I'll give them a call when they get back and ta for the reply
 
Have you looked is there Panasonic GZ2000 owners thread here at AVForums or the US side cause you could ask there from owners who has added active subwoofer.

Review says: " A 3.5mm jack doubles as either wired headphone or subwoofer output. " I think you can set it from menu then.

So basically you would need this kind of cable if connected to LFE.

9e7075e7d2396dd69ffa0aab3c17a8c3_1024x1024@2x.jpg


Edit. Didn´t notice you have own thread already....
 
Have you looked is there Panasonic GZ2000 owners thread here at AVForums or the US side cause you could ask there from owners who has added active subwoofer.

Review says: " A 3.5mm jack doubles as either wired headphone or subwoofer output. " I think you can set it from menu then.

So basically you would need this kind of cable if connected to LFE.

9e7075e7d2396dd69ffa0aab3c17a8c3_1024x1024@2x.jpg


Edit. Didn´t notice you have own thread already....

Hi, yes some are using subs in the GZ forums but my main question was to how the Gemini 2 will work in a small room so was hoping someone may be able to help on that front. I will give the GZ forum a go but you have answered my question about the cable so thank you for that.

Think i will delay and purchase until I speak to the people at BK Electronics

Thanks again for you reply
 
please all; i need a HAND :)

i have had the gemini2 since years and overall happy....today i watched waterworld BLURAY and it sounded horrible :eek::eek: for almost 3 hours the sub was booming quite bad "buuuuuuummm, hummmmmmmm" is all i was getting ! switched to another movie and ps4...and all is fine...

what can it be ?! i know my AVR is not the best...but the soundtrack of that film is reference quality; so it should NOT sound like that! probably someone has encountered this issue with another movie ?!

i did read this topic (10 years OLD!!!) and would also like to know if my GEMINI2 settings are correct
here goes :

20200731_162527.jpg


appreciate the input, in advance :clap:
 
Lo level gain = volume at max? :eek: When you run YPAO it would automatically throw error (SW level -10db). Lower it before you kill the amp!

Can´t see cable connected to Right (Mono) either. o_O
 
@Gasp3621 thanks friend

indeed yesterday i realized that my child swapped the cable and i watched the movie with LFE on the other input...not the MONO one !

lo level gain is just the volume of the sub right ? it should be at 11/12 o'clock if memory serves me well...?
and yes YPAO was re-done and indeed i got an error !

lord i could have killed my whole setup..thank god it did not happen...and with this heat...

other buttons are alright ?
 
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@Gasp3621 thanks friend

indeed yesterday i realized that my child swapped the cable and i watched the movie with LFE on the other input...not the MONO one !

lo level gain is just the volume of the sub right ? it should be at 11/12 o'clock if memory serves me well...?
and yes YPAO was re-done and indeed i got an error !

lord i could have killed my whole setup..thank god it did not happen...and with this heat...

other buttons are alright ?

Yes other knobs are fine. Swap to Right Mono, run the YPAO and check that subwoofer level comes back around -6db give or take few db`s (12clock position likely close). Then you can later lower that figure (2-3db) to get more "oomph", without having to touch the knobs ever again. Very easy to do from the menu while watching movie even. Having owned that Gemini i would at least try front corner (furthest from any opening) to maximize it´s performance.
 
@Gasp3621
Just did ypao 3 times...and my Gemini always winds up at -10db! A few weeks back..it was around -7db...

What am I doing wrong? Room is quiet too
 
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@Gasp3621
Just don't ypao 3 times...and my Gemini always winds up at -10db! A few weeks back..it was around -7db...

What am I doing wrong? Room is quiet too

The lo level gain knob is too high. Lower it example from 12clock to 10clock and run again.
 

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