Genie,
Sonodyne’s home grown small wonder is well on its way
to building an enviable reputation among audiophile circles
in India and in the few overseas markets it has been introduced
in. And this is not without reason. Sonodyne has paid particular
attention to the fit and finish of the Genie and packed its
innards with some strikingly relevant technology.
We reviewed the Genie Power Pack 1 in the October 2001 issue
of AV MAX, and this time round, we are reviewing the Genie Cine
Pack II.
The Genie Cine Pack II comprises 5 Genie 1 speakers which take
care of the front, center and rear channels, and the Roarr 2C
active subwoofer. Internationally, the Cine Pack II is sold
with the Roarr G22 subwoofer which has been specially developed
for those markets.
Be that as it may, the Roarr 2C active subwoofer box is a front-firing
vented system using a 10” driver. The Genie 1 satellites
are beautifully finished in metallic paint and their cabinet
build is rock-solid, with each speaker weighing 1.4 Kg. They
are available in white, black and silver. They are wall mountable
and if you pay a few extra bucks you may also have heavy stands
(including a table stand at the top) These come finished in
black only. The match is just perfect. So you have the option
of fixing the Genie 1s on them and using them as the front or
rear channels. The speaker wire can be hidden if passed through
the cylindrical rod of the stand. Speaker terminals have excellent
gold-plating which makes their rear aesthetics appealing too!
PERFORMANCE
It was simple setting up the Genie Cine Pack II. We used a moderately
powered AV receiver and set the speaker parameter to ‘small’.
These Genie 1s, no bigger than a PC speaker, were astonishingly
capable. We set the DVD spinning, the first being ‘Saving
Private Ryan’.
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The Roarr 2C subwoofer made its presence felt by instantly displaying
confidence while delivering the blasts. The sound got enhanced
after we optimized the placement. It was great to hear a satellite
system that never gets bright and annoying. The zings and bangs
had excellent imaging; keeping the rears at a slightly higher
level. I can recall the projectile effect derived from a scene
in which a missile is launched and hits the ground just before
me. The imaging was so realistic!
There was an equal amount of excitement while watching ‘The
Road to El Dorado’ and the detailing was crystal clear.
Not much of body could be expected from these small enclosures
but the illusion for size was well created and defined.
Shut your eyes and these babies disappear, leaving a wide expanse
of detailed, unforced music. This is due to good dispersion
characteristics. This was evident while watching a music video
by Sheryl Crow, encoded in DTS. The vocals were balanced and
had satisfactory depth. The drum and bass effects rolled out
with good authority though one cannot expect enormous solidity.
The system had its own integration and momentum. The effects
achieved were overall very convincing and comfortable. This
is a decent set-up while listening to sober music CDs too. Thanks
to these sats, the sound never gets annoyingly harsh and bright.
CONCLUSION
Sonodyne has a winner on its hands, as the Genie Cine Pack II
is a neat performer when used with a decent AV receiver. Proficiency
in imaging and detailing are the biggest strengths of the Genie
1s! We have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone who
wants a home-theatre speaker system on a budget. Enjoy the good
sound with the Genie Cine Pack II
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