User Manual
2
System
The GENELEC 8040B and 8050B are 
two way active monitoring loudspeakers 
designed to produce high SPL output, low 
coloration and broad bandwidth in a small 
enclosure size. They are suitable for a wide 
variety of tasks, such as near field monitor-
ing, mobile vans, broadcast and TV control 
rooms, surround sound systems and home 
studios. Designed as active loudspeak-
ers, they contain drivers, power amplifiers, 
active crossover filters and protection cir-
cuitry. The Minimum Diffraction Enclosure™ 
(MDE™) and advanced Directivity Control 
Waveguide™ (DCW™) technologies provide 
excellent frequency balance even in difficult 
acoustic environments.
Drivers
The bass driver dimensions are 165 mm (6 
1/2”) and 205 mm (8”) for 8040B and 8050B 
respectively. The long, flow optimized reflex 
tube has a large cross sectional area and 
terminates with a wide flare at the back of 
the enclosure. The high frequency driver is a  
19 mm (3/4”) metal dome on the 8040B and 
a 25 mm (1”) metal dome on the 8050B. Both 
drivers are magnetically shielded.
Crossover
The active crossover network consists of two 
parallel bandpass filters. The crossover fre-
quency is 3.0 kHz on the 8040B and 1.8 kHz 
on the 8050B. The active crossover controls 
(“treble tilt”, “desktop low frequency”, “bass tilt” 
and “bass roll-off”) allow precise matching of 
the loudspeakers to any room environment. 
Amplifiers
The amplifier unit is mounted in the rear of the 
loudspeaker enclosure. The unit incorporates 
special circuitry for driver thermal overload 
protection. Variable input sensitivity allows 
accurate level matching to console output 
section.
Connections
Each loudspeaker is supplied with a mains 
cable and an operating manual. Before con-
necting up, ensure that the mains switch 
is off (see figure 1). Audio input is via a 
10 kOhm balanced XLR connector, but unbal-
anced leads may be used as long as pin 3 is 
grounded to pin 1 of the XLR (see figure 3). 
Once the connections have been made, the 
loudspeakers are ready to be switched on.
Mounting considerations
Align the loudspeakers correctly
Always place the loudspeakers so that 
their acoustic axes (see figure 2) are aimed 
towards the listening position. Vertical place-
ment is preferable, as it minimises acoustical 
cancellation problems around the crossover 
frequency.
Maintain symmetry
Check that the loudspeakers are placed sym-
metrically and at an equal distance from the 
listening position. If possible, place the system 
so that the listening position is on the center-
line of the room and the loudspeakers are 
placed at an equal distance from the center-
line. 
Minimise reflections
Acoustic reflections from objects close to the 
loudspeakers like desks, cabinets, computer 
monitors etc. can cause unwanted colouration 
and blurring of the sound image. These can be 
minimised by placing the loudspeaker clear of 
reflective surfaces. For instance, putting the 
loudspeakers on stands behind and above the 
mixing console usually gives a better result 
than placing them on the meter bridge.
Genelec 8040B and 8050B Active Monitoring Systems










