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Owners Manual and Set-up Guide:
Genesis 6.1e Loudspeaker
Contents
1
A QUICK START SET-UP GUIDE
3
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
UNPACKING
3
3
4
4
ROOM PLACEMENT
CONNECTIONS
ADJUSTMENTS
2
COMPLETE SET-UP GUIDE
5
2.1
2.2
2.3
POSITIONING
SOURCE INPUT CONNECTIONS
LOUDSPEAKER CONTROLS
5
5
6
3
4
TUNING THE SYSTEM
7
3.1
3.2
IMAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE
FURTHER ADJUSTMENTS
7
8
THE REFINEMENT STAGE
9
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
ONE CHANGE AT A TIME
9
9
9
10
11
DEFINING THE SOUNDSTAGE
APPROPRIATE MID -BASS BALANCE
ROOM TREATMENT
MASTERING THE REFINEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM
5
THE GENESIS 6.1E TECHNOLOGY
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5.1
5.2
DIPOLAR CONFIGURATION
THE TRANSDUCERS
5.2.1 THE GENESIS RIBBON TWEETER
5.2.2 TITANIUM MIDRANGE
5.2.3 MID-BASS COUPLERS
CROSSOVER
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13
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5.3
5.4
VIBRATION-FREE CABINET
6
SPECIFICATIONS
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1 A Quick Start Set-up Guide
Now that you have your new Genesis 6.1e loudspeaker system, we
realize that you can’t wait to hook it up and start playing! However,
please read this quick set-up guide (even if your dealer is setting it up for
you) before you proceed.
1.1 Unpacking
Your loudspeakers will come to you in two large shipping cartons. The
cartons containing your speakers weigh over 90lbs (41kgs) each, so we
suggest a minimum of two strong people to move the speaker cartons
around. We will not be held liable for damage to either the speakers or
your backs during unpacking and setting up.
The packaging is designed to ship the speakers vertically, and to be
unpacked horizontally. Please observe the “This Side Up” signs when
shipping and unpacking.
The carton is designed to unfold to make it easy to remove the
speakers. With a sharp knife, cut the tape on the top and two ends of
the carton. The sides will fall apart revealing the speaker held inplaceby
a back support box, and two pieces of foam holding on to the top and
bottom of the speaker. You will also find the wire grill that will go on the
front of the speaker.
Remove the foam on the bottom of the speakers, and slide the plastic
and foam wrapping off. Now, tilt up the speaker until it is resting on its
bottom. Remove the top piece of foam, and the wrapping. Repeat with
the other speaker, and store the packaging in a dry, safe place– just in
case you need to transport the speakers.
1.2 Room Placement
A good starting position for your G6.1e is about 18 inches (46cm) into
the room as measured from the front wall (the wall you look at as you
are seated listening to the speakers) to the back of the base of the
speakers. Place the speakers about five to six feet (1.8 metres) apart
measured between the tweeters. Toe the speakers in slightly towards
the listeners – by about 5 to 10 degrees – no more.
This is the best starting point for audiophile two channel stereo set-ups.
If you are primarily using these speakers for home theatre enjoyment,
the speakers can be placed nearer to the wall. If you are only going to
use these speakers for stereo, you may want to pull them further away
from the wall.
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You will want to sit eight to twelve feet (2.4 to 4 metres) away from the
speakers.
Typical room placement: Place speakers about 18 inches
into the room, the tweeters on the inside, 5 to 6 feet
apart, and 8 to 12 feet from the listeners. Toe-in the
speakers by about 5 degrees towards the listeners.
Toe in by 5o
18”
8’ to 10’
1.3 Connections
For most applications, the speakers should be plugged directly into the
output your power amplifiers using high quality speaker cables and the
5-way binding posts. The speakers has a set of Thru-Put binding posts.
These are for connecting to an optional ServoSub™. As the Thru-Put
binding posts are internally connected in parallel, DO NOT use them for
bi-wiring or bi-amping.
1.4 Adjustments
Don’t be too worried by the midrange and tweeter adjustment knobs on
the back of the G6.1e. The G6.1e will sound great, straight out of the
box, with these both set at the 12 o’clock position. As you play your
system for the next hundred hours or so, the speakers will settle in.
Once you familiarize yourself with their performance, putting a little bit of
additional effort in tuning the speakers properly into your system (which
includes the room) will give you greater long-term enjoyment and
benefits.
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2 Complete Set-up Guide
2.1 Positioning
A good starting position for the G6.1e is about 18 inches (0.45m) into
the room, as measured from the front wall (the wall you look at as you
are seated listening to the speakers), to the back of the base of the
speaker. Start with the speakers six feet apart with the tweeters placed
closest together, and angled in (toed-in) towards the listener by about 5
degrees. You will want to sit eight to twelve feet (2.4 to 4.0 metres) away
from the speakers (if you have the space). We will experiment with
moving the speakers around later.
As these speakers are dipolar, they are really room-friendly and you are
free to move the speakers closer to, or further away from the front and
side walls. We do recommend, however, that you give the speakers a
little bit of breathing space behind them, so don’t push them up tight
against the wall. If you do need to push then up tight against the wall,
the speakers feature a rear tweeter defeat switch which may make them
work better in your room.
If you have the speakers too close to the front wall, you will find that the
image depth is not as good - the soundstage becomes a little two-
dimensional. If you have the space to move the speakers away from the
wall, do so. You will be rewarded with the deep, broad soundstage that
this loudspeaker is capable of. You should be able to “see” the
soundstage behind, as well as in front of, the loudspeakers. The sound
stage will also extend outside the left and right sides of the speakers.
2.2 Source Input Connections
Connect the speaker outputs of your power amplifier to the INPUTS
binding posts using a high-quality loudspeaker cable.
If you have an optional Genesis ServoSub, connect the subwoofer to
the G6.1e using theTHRUPUT binding posts. Because the subwoofer is a
high impedance load, you do not need to use a beefyloudspeaker cable
for this connection. An interconnect-type cable should be use which will
optimise performance of the subwoofer.
Make sure that you have the correct polarity connected for both
speakers – the plus(+), positive(+ve) or red terminal on the G6.1e
should be connected to the plus, positive, or red terminal on your power
amplifier. The minus(-), negative(-ve) or black terminal should be
connected to the amplifier’s minus(-), negative(-ve) or black output.
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2.3 Loudspeaker Controls
The two knobs at the top of the
plate on the back of the speaker
tailor the mid- and high-frequency
response of the G6.1e. They are
subtle controls, but they can make
a great difference in gaining that
last bit of additional performance
in tuning your speakers into the
room that you are using them in. They can turn your system from very
good to exceptional, so take the time to work through this process.
The top left knob marked TWEETER is a volume control for the front
tweeter. Turning this control clockwise will increase the level of the
tweeters. Use this control if you need a bit more treble, or to increase the
apparent space of the soundstage. Too high a tweeter level, and you
can feel that crashing cymbals are leaping out at you, and nylon stringed
guitars sound steely. Start with this control at the 12 o'clock position.
There is about a one dB range for this control.
The top right knob marked MIDRANGE is used to adjust the level of the
midrange. Start at the 12 o’clock position. Turning the control anti-
clockwise will make the midrange sound leaner, and turning it clockwise
will make the midrange sound fuller. A fuller midrange can also can
make the soundstage more forward. There is about a one and a half dB
range for this control.
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3 Tuning the system
Music is the best way to begin your set-up procedure. We suggest that
video sources be used only after you have set-up the system to properly
reproduce music. There is no “perfect” setting for the G6.1e
loudspeaker. Every listening room is different, and we recommend that
you take the time to carefully tune the system into the environment it is
placed in.
Setting all the knobs at the “12 o’clock” position is “normal” and will be
the position from which you can start tuning. With the controls in this
position, it may not sound perfect, but your Genesis loudspeaker will
sound great straight out of the box.
We suggest that you start with a single vocal with simple instrumental
accompaniment because the sound of the human voice is more easily
recognizable than many instruments and is a less complex sound to
deal with. Use a good recording that you know has atmosphere and
good midrange and bass content.
3.1 Imaging and Soundstage
If your vocal selection is a well-recorded audiophile CD or LP with
good image information in the recording, the performer should appear
to come from behind the loudspeakers and be at the appropriate height
for a standing person. If it is not, there are several remedies that will
address this shortfall.
If the vocal appears to be larger than life, you should first check the
system volume. Is it a volume that would be appropriate for
someone actually singing in your room? If there is too much volume
the artist will appear too big and the opposite is true for too little
volume. If the volume is set correctly and the image is still too big,
place the speakers closer together and re-listen. Place the speakers
no less than 5 feet apart. If the image is still too big, toe the
speakers in a slight amount.
Conversely, if the image is too small, move the speakers apart. The
speakers should be no more than eight feet apart. Repeat thisprocess
until you have it right. If the voice is too low in height, turn the
MIDRANGE control up (turning the knob clockwise) and the image of the
voice will move upward slightly. Turning the midrange control up also
affects presence and may bring the image too far forward.
If you have the speakers 18 inches into the room, and you are not
getting enough front to back depth (the singer not appearing behind the
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speaker enough) pull the speakers away from the front wall a little bit at
a time. If you do not have them pulled far enough away, you may
not have enough front to back depth. However, slightly more than
1/3 of the way into the room is about as far as you want to go.
Pulling them half-way into the middle of the room is unlikely to help.
Find the best compromise for your room, your tastes and your space
requirements. If you are not getting proper focus on the voice, you may
angle the left and right speaker up to about 15 to 20 degrees (toe-in)
towards your listening position until you have a properly defined center
image. If the speakers are too far apart, the mid-bass will decouple and
you will lose the side image, and if they are too close together you will
have too small a center stage.
When properly set up, very little sound should appear to come
directly from the speaker. Instead, the sound stage should extend far
beyond the left and right edge of the loudspeakers and they should have
tremendous front to back depth. When the recording is close-miked
(when the instrument or performer is very close to the recording
microphone), the music may appear to come directly from the
loudspeaker. This is normal. Typically, however, the sound should
appear to be detached from the loudspeakers.
A simple rule of thumb to follow is that focus will be achieved by placing
the speakers closer together or farther apart, and front to back depth
can be adjusted by the distance from the rear wall. Further, as the
system “breaks in”, the depth and width of the soundspace will increase
and so will the “smoothness” of the sound.
3.2 Further adjustments
In some problematic rooms a resonance may develop at one or more
frequencies, that is unnatural to the music. By moving the speakers
closer to the front wall or farther from the front wall, the resonance may
be reduced at the listener’s position. You may have to place the
speakers asymmetrically in the room. Bass resonances are caused by
speakers exciting room modes, and these are generally symmetrically
distributed in the room.
There are no absolute hard and fast rules concerning problematic
rooms, so do not be afraid to experiment with speaker placement to
determine the best position of the speakers in your room.
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4 The Refinement stage
After following the set-up guide above, you may not be completely
satisfied with the results. We share with you here some of our
observations in setting up these loudspeakers.
4.1 One Change at a Time
One rule of thumb you should always keep in mind. Make one change
at a time! Do not, for instance, change position of the speakers and
make an adjustment to the amplifier all at once. Make each of these
changes separately and note the difference - by listening with each
adjustment, then make the next change.
4.2 Defining the Soundstage
A common problem we find with many set-ups is a tendency to
separate thespeakers too far from each other. This gives an unnaturally
wide soundstage between the two speakers, and creates problems
beyond the unnatural width of the center stage. The key problem is a
lack of soundstage information beyond the left and right sides of the
speakers.
If you find that the sound is not spacious enough or you are not getting
enough front to back depth, pull the speaker away from the front wall.
This is typically preferable to separating the two speakers too far, and
will almost always give you better depth and soundstage information. A
word of caution though: if you move the speakers too far from the front
wall you may lose the focus of the image.
4.3 Appropriate Mid-bass Balance
Another problem is a lack of mid-bass energy. In order for the
appropriate amount of mid-bass energy to be present, the speakers
should be close enough together to achieve proper "coupling" of the
midrange and the mid-bass couplers. Coupling is desirable in the lower
frequencies from the mid-bass on down. This simply means that the left
and right drivers "work together" as opposed to working separately.
If you find there isn't enough deep bass, you may need an optional
Genesis ServoSub. The G6.1e has good bass extension down to
48Hz, and rolls off gently below that. A ServoSub will extend this bass
response down to 18Hz.
In order to achieve what the speaker is capable of we suggest you focus
your efforts on a proper balance of soundstage elements that includes
information beyond the left and right sides of the speakers, front to back
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depth well behind the speaker, excellent focus of instruments and voices
with proper vertical information and mid bass fill.
A Genesis loudspeaker system correctly set up, can and should provide
a soundstage that is wall to wall and with pinpoint focus, the speakers
disappearing completely on a recording containing such information.
4.4 Room Treatment
No room is perfect. To optimize your sonic presentation it may be helpful
to treat your room. Here are some guidelines:
Front walls. This loudspeaker is a dipole and
therefore there is sound coming from both the
front and the back of the speaker. How the front
wall (the wall you face while listening) is treated
or not treated is important. Generally speaking,
the Genesis loudspeakers prefer a live (hard
reflective) front wall to a dead (soft absorbent)
front wall.
By these terms we mean the amount of reflection
of sound. A typical wall of glass, brick, cement
or drywall material is a reflective surface. A
heavily curtained or sound-proofed wall would be
considered a "dead wall" or a non-reflective wall.
A normal thin curtain across a window causes
only a small amount of absorption.
Sidewalls. Because the speaker is a dipole it is
less sensitive to the sidewalls. However, as a
rule of thumb it is a good idea to keep the
speaker as far away from the sidewalls as is
practical. In some rooms, it may be helpful to
add some dampingmaterial or diffuser panels to
the point of first reflection. This is a point on the
sidewalls between the listener and the
loudspeaker. It is where the sound from the
loudspeaker first hits the sidewall, then bounces to the listener.
This reflection is undesirable because it is slightly delayed from the
original sound. This point on the sidewall can be easily determined
with the help of a second person and a mirror.
Sitting in your listening position, have an assistant hold a mirror up
on the sidewall. Move the mirror until you can see the tweeter. This
is the point of first reflection. A diffuser (see your audio dealer), an
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absorptive material or even a piece of furniture can help break up
this point of first reflection.
Rear wall. In many cases it will be unnecessary to do anything with
the wall behind your listening position. However, you may want to
experiment with diffusers or absorbers behind you for best sound.
Absorption behind the listener is usually beneficial.
4.5 Mastering the Refinements of the system
Fine tuning an audio system is an art that will take time and patience. It
can be one of the more rewarding learning experiences you will have in
the pursuit of music and its enjoyment.
One of the best pieces of advice we can offer is that you take advantage
of your ear's ability to identify similarities in sound. This ability is useful in
fine-tuning your system because, if every recording you listen to has a
similarity of sound (too much or too little of a certain frequency for
instance), then you can be fairly certain that you have yet to perfect your
set-up. Keep at it, and remember to enjoy your music as you work on
perfecting your set-up.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at Genesis. Our
website is the first place that you can look to for more information, but
you are welcome to either send us an email, or just give us a call!
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5 The Genesis 6.1e Technology
5.1 Dipolar Configuration
What a lot of people don’t realize is that the room is as big (if not bigger),
a part of their music system as is the loudspeakers. At Genesis, we
strive to get the loudspeaker and the room to work well together and
hence, design loudspeakers that interact with the room, and have
enough of adjustment to make them work with most rooms in the world.
All rooms have floors, ceilings and sidewalls that distort sound because
of lateral, early-arriving reflections. We aim to suppress undesirable
contribution by reflected sound from these four surfaces (which is why a
lot of people put sound absorbers or diffusers at the first reflection point
of the room). In order to do that with a majority of rooms, we make our
loudspeakers dipolar.
Dipoles radiate the same, but out-of-phase, waveform from the front and
rear in “push/pull” fashion. Thus, the sound waves from the front and
back of the speakers cancel out as they radiate from the sides andtops
of the speakers; which means that there is minimum radiation of sound
to the sidewalls of the room.
The G6.1e also uses the wall behind the speaker to give more depth to
the soundstage and “air” to the speaker without detail robbing room
reflections from the sidewalls. Hence, it has the advantages of omni-
directional speakers, without the disadvantages.
With fewer spurious reflections to confuse your hearing, the program
source emerges more clearly. Imaging is stable, sharply focused,
deeper, and spacious. Transients are clearer, and sharper.
5.2 The Transducers
The transducers in the 3-way G6.1e are all proprietary Genesis-
designed drivers manufactured to our exacting standards.
5.2.1 The Genesis Ribbon Tweeter
Reviewers in the audiophile press have often remarked that the Genesis
circular ribbon tweeter is the world’s best. It is a one inch circular planar
ribbon design crafted from an extremely thin membrane of Kapton with a
photo-etched aluminium “voice coil” that is a mere 0.0005 inch thick. The
entire radiating structure has less mass than the air in front of it! That is
why it will reproduce accurately, frequencies beyond 35k Hz.
The result of this design is a driver that has a rapid and uniform
response to high frequencies and has the speed of the best
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ribbon/electrostatic designs, without the high distortion and poor
dispersion that is typically associated with them.
The G6.1e uses two of these tweeters per channel. One front-firing, and
the other rear-firing wired to the crossover out of phase to the front
tweeters, creating a dipole.
5.2.2 Titanium Midrange
We sometimes say that the midrange is a window into the mind of a
composer or a singer. And indeed, the midrange is where the “magic” is
in a well-recorded musical event.
The G6.1e uses a Genesis-designed proprietary 5 inch titanium coned
midrange to cover this critical frequency spectrum. Manufactured out of
one of the lightest and stiffest materials known, this low mass cone
driver is one of the best midrange transducers ever made with nearly
instantaneous transient response, enabling the G6.1e to sound lifelike
and effortless.
5.2.3 Mid-Bass Couplers
In order to create and deliver the spectacular dynamics and concert-
level listening that is available in all Genesis 6-series loudspeakers, the
G6.1e incorporates two front-firing 6.5 inch metal cone mid-bass
couplers as woofers.
Made of aluminum, this metal cone is extremely light and stiff. The driver
is hence capable of handling the huge dynamic range demands of the
system while maintaining extremely low coloration and excellent
transient response.
5.3 Crossover
At Genesis, we believe that the crossover is the brain of the
loudspeaker. In order to manage and maximize the performance of the
extensive complement of transducers used in Genesis loudspeakers,
we spend more money on the crossover than many other
manufacturers put in their entire speaker.
Each crossover is designed by computer modelling plus years of
knowledge and experience. The inductors are made for Genesis with
OFC copper windings. The capacitors used are also custom made for
Genesis, using high-quality polypropylene-film and tin-foil. The
crossover of each G6.1e weighs over five pounds (2.2kg)!
More importantly, the crossovers are designed with many, many hours
of music listening, and constant refining, tuning and tweaking of the
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circuit. Out of this comes the “magic” that is a Genesis designed
loudspeaker system. For example, by going the more expensive route
of using several smaller capacitors in parallel instead of a single big one,
transparency and musicality were improved.
5.4 Vibration-free Cabinet
The cabinet was designed for aesthetics, but with an obsession to sonic
quality, vibration control, structural strength, and rigidity.
The design had to be bounced around our Chief Scientist, a structural
furniture engineer, an interior designer, an architect, and our CEO who
supplied the final “eye” to get the angles right on the cabinets.
Consultants on veneers, glues, and a German consultant on CNC
machining were used in its development.
The cabinet required incredible
precision in manufacturing as the
cabinet is made of complex curves and
subtle angles that need to be joined
seamlessly and perfectly.
For example, there is not a single right-
angled joint in the entire construction! In
order to achieve the optical illusion to
make the cabinet look slimmer than it
actually is, the sides of the cabinet are
sloped 1degree top to bottom, and also
Joinery on G6.1e
Square Box
angled 3degrees front to back, and leans backwards by 5degrees.
Joints and braces had to be cut precisely at 1degree, 3degree, and
5degree angles.
The result is that the cabinet is not only beautiful, but exceedingly well
damped and vibration-free – contributing to a loudspeaker that is
extremely low in coloration. It uses subtle angles, complex curves, and
contrasting colors to transform a loudspeaker into a beautiful piece of
sculpture or musical instrument.
The structural principle used in the construction is this: when any
loudspeaker is operating, ALL the components of the speaker are set
into vibration to a larger or smaller extent. The goal of the cabinet is to
reduce this vibration to a minimum, distribute it, and damp it so that
there is no energy storage in the cabinet itself. This then eliminates the
boxy coloration that is evident in many loudspeakers.
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In some parts of the cabinet where vibration would have been the
greatest, two inches (52mm) of multi-layer bonded MDF was used to
provide the damping, structural integrity, as well as a rigid platform for
the drivers to be located. In other parts of the cabinet, extensive bracing
was carefully incorporated using 25mm slabs of MDF to eliminate
cabinet flex and panel resonance.
Incidentally, MDF was chosen as the material of choice for its damping
properties and its consistency in hardness, density and rigidity. It would
actually have been cheaper and easier to make the cabinet of solid
wood, but that would have been a compromise.
Genesis locates the mid-bass, midrange and high frequency
transducers on a gently sloping front. Constructed of two layers of
25mm MDF, this provides a damped, vibration-free structure to rigidly
locate these critical elements. This locates the transducers in the perfect
environment for the best imaging and soundstaging, and with the lowest
distortion.
Extensive bracing is also used to even further reduce vibrations. The
bracing is also directly coupled to the cabinet walls using tongue and
groove construction – the braces are not just glued in!
The sides of the cabinet also gently slope to the vertical. Like a pyramid,
the shape of the cabinet makes it exceptionally stable. This stability
ensures that the cabinet is well-grounded (like a sumo wrestler ☺!) no
matter what surface you put it on. The shape of the cabinet effectively
puts the center of gravity of the cabinet over the heavy transformer in the
base.
The results of this obsession in cabinet design and construction is low
coloration, stable imaging, and a wide soundstage. It is also something
you can feel! By playing a loud piece of music, and running your
fingertips on the surface of the cabinet, you will feel very few places (if
any) where there is vibration. On the front baffle, there are no vibrations
at all around the critical region that is the mounting environment for the
tweeter and mid-range.
Try doing that on other loudspeakers which do not have as well
constructed cabinets, and you’ll understand why we are so proud of our
design and manufacturing.
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6 Specifications
§ Frequency Response:
48Hz to 36kHz, +/- 3dB
89 dB 1 watt 1 meter
75/500 watts per side
§ Sensitivity:
§ Min/Max Power (Tube):
§ Min/Max Power (Solid State): 100/1000 watts per side
§ High Level Input Impedance: 4 ohms (Nominal)
§ HF Transducers:
§ Midrange Transducers:
§ Bass Transducers:
§ Controls:
Two Genesis 1” Circular Ribbon
Tweeters (front & rear)
One Genesis 5 “ titanium cone
midrange
Two Genesis 6.5” aluminium
cone
Upper Midrange Contour,
Tweeter level
§ Inputs:
High-level with 5-way binding posts
High-level with 5-way binding posts
H 41 ¾ ” x W 10 ¼ ” x D 14”
§ Outputs:
§ Dimensions:
§ Weight:
79 lbs (36kg) per side
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