Genelec 1031A
Our Score:	Imaging	9.5
B-	Dynamic Performance	10
	Frequency Response	10
	High Volume	10
	Sound Quality	10
	Price / Performance	3.5
	Overall	82 B-
	List price	Approx $4200/pr
	Web site	http://www.genelec.com

Probably the most popular biamplified nearfield in use in major production facilities, the Genelec 1031A has seen widespread acceptance in broadcast, video post, 5.1 mixing, and music production and mastering facilities (in fact all of the local post facilities I've worked in use Genelec 1031As). The 1031A offers an 8" polypropylene woofer and 1" metal dome tweeter housed in a computer-designed waveguide. Power is provided by a pair of 120 watt amplifiers.

Like most of the other contenders, the 1031A offers a number of equalization options, including a bass cut and bass and treble shelves. The bass cut offers cuts of –2 dB, -4 dB, -6 dB, and –8 dB at 40 Hz. The bass tilt offers shelves with 2, 4, and 8 dB cuts. The treble tilt offers +2, 0, -2, and –4 dB shelves. These shelves have very gentle slopes and are centered at approximately 1000 Hz providing the lowest possible coloration. The equalization options allow you to tailor the response of the 1031A to your control room and listening tastes.

Most engineers that use Genelecs swear by them, and for good reason. The quality of Genelec products has been consistently good, and the 1031A is no exception. All that quality comes at a price, and the Genelecs are by far the most expensive speakers in our shootout.

The 1031A was a great speaker, with the least apparent distortion of the bunch, overall good frequency response, and great detail. In fact, maybe too much detail. I found the 1031A a little fatiguing, with a bright sound that, over time, made me want to lower the treble content of mixes that I knew were not too bright. I have had this problem with Genelecs in other studios, and in my control room I got the best mixes with the treble tilt in the –2 dB position.

The 1031A also has ample power, among the most in our shootout, and will play loud. Woofer excursion at high volume was a little high, but not overmuch. If you're mixing club music you might want to use the optional subwoofer to avoid overdriving the woofers in the 1031As. Other, less bass-heavy mixing applications won't have a problem with the 1031A's bass response. The only deficiency I found in the 1031A was the inability to fully reproduce the lowest notes in the Supreme Being's “Last Girl on Earth" – notes which reach down below 60 Hz.

I wondered about the 1031A's ability to reproduce bass cleanly, and was surprised at the overall clarity of bass notes as well as minimal port chuff and baffle vibration. The 1031A was a much better performer than I expected. And the 1031A provided excellent imaging, surpassed only by the Dynaudio BM6As. I was really pleased with the sound of the 1031A on sparser, more spacious recordings. They really let the detail in the mixes come forward.

The 1031A is an excellent speaker which deserves its reputation as an industry standard. However, I think some of the mystique comes from its luxury pricing. Let's face it. These speakers are very good – but are they twice as good as the Dynaudio or Mackie offerings? No. While the Genelecs offer world-class sound, they are significantly overpriced, a factor which hurt their overall ratings.