Damping was good. Damping factors higher than 100 do not improve sound quality in my opinion. The Genesis' damping factor of 240 @ 1 kHz is very good. Input sensitivity was 105 mV to 4.5 volts. Some like to see input levels as high as 15 volts; personally I think that's ridiculous. The Genesis' input maximum level of 4.5 volts is fine and 105 mV is too sensitive for a quality installation.
Con'sWhile this amplifier offers virtually no compromise in audio reproduction, other features suffer somewhat:
ComponentsGenesis employs 85 C capacitors when 105 C caps should have been used in an automotive environment. Come on guys, pony up some quality caps! All other components are top quality.
CrossoversThe limited maximum frequency of 200 Hz may be too low for certain applications.
Frequency ResponseThe excessive high frequency response means that all audio cables should remain short and well away from speaker cables. (Prudent advice in any system.)
Muting and Turn-on/Turn-off NoiseThe Genesis appears to use no form of muting. When muted, the amplifier continues to pass audio for about 300 mS. If the deck that drives it thumps prior to this, you'll get a nasty thump. You'll have to carefully select the head unit for this amplifier, one that maintains its output a half a second after muting. Turn-on delay is a bit short, only 1.7 seconds. This does not give other equipment in the audio chain time to settle and will likely cause a turn-on thump. We were concerned that the 300mS turn off delay would cause a turn-off thump with certain decks. Most amplifiers mute their outputs within a few milliseconds after the mute line goes low. But we did not detect any muting noise whatsoever with our Clarion head unit. The Zapco SP7 EQ does not have a long turn-off delay, thus this combination did have a nasty turn-off thump, so you will have to be choosy about the audio equipment used with the Genesis.
ProtectionFrom the purist's perspective, protection might be intrusive in the audio path. This amplifier offers none except fuses. We did short the outputs, causing the fuses to blow. Operating the amplifier into a 1-ohm load also blew the fuses. We did not short the amplifier at high temperatures, where this type of protection might not protect the amplifier. So, don't over-fuse this amplifier and expect it to live through a speaker short.
Power SupplyThe supply is unregulated, causing the power to drop at lower supply voltages. Output power is at 12 volts, 20 Hz is 95 watts per channel. At 14.4 volts, 20 Hz, this amp delivers 140 watts per channel. Also unregulated supplies cause the amplifier section to run hotter than regulated designs without adding anything significant in transient power.
Reactive Load TestThe designers decided to leave off the customary output inductors found in most amplifiers. These inductors are shunned by the audio purist, as such the output stage is at the mercy of reactive loads. We found that the amplifier would ring or oscillate when loaded with anything bigger than .02uF at the speaker terminals. Fortunately the speaker wire itself adds enough inductance to keep the amp stable. It still oscillates with cap values greater than .27 uF with .5 meter speaker wire. You'll want to be careful when driving electrostats or other capacitor loads.
Listening TestCircuit design and electrical specs tell me what I need to know: this amplifier does not alter the audio in any perceivable way. Low THD and transient distortion at all power levels puts this amplifier in the audiophile class. We tested the Genesis with Morel Duets and the Altec Lasing Voice of the Theater. These old Voice of the Theater speakers are extremely efficient and help reveal low power distortion. The audition verified what I expected: This amplifier passes audio without coloration.