July 2025

World Premiere Review!
Genesis G7 Samba Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
You're drawn into the music by its amazing, lifelike sound.
Review By Senior Editor Tom Lyle

  I first became aware of Genesis speakers when I was a young man, shortly after they were first introduced in 1991 via the audiophile press. It was tough to ignore the fact that anyone who discussed this brand of speakers never failed to mention their chief designer, the late Arnie Nudell, and his passion for research and development, as well as the use of premium materials, their impeccable design, and, by all reliable accounts, their outstanding sound quality. Genesis introduced their more affordable G7 Series in 2005, beginning with the G7c, also known as the Convertible, a bookshelf speaker designed by Genesis' Arnie Nudell, who sadly passed away in 2017.

The G7c speakers were soon followed by other models created by Mr. Nudell's successor, Gary L. Koh, who is now Genesis' Chief Designer and the CEO of Genesis Advanced Technologies. These newer models included the G7p (Petite) and the G7f, a floor-standing model with an active side-firing woofer. Although the G7 Series was discontinued in 2018, it has now been reintroduced. This line now includes Genesis' Minuet, Tango, Foxtrot, and the top-of-the-line model of this series, the G7 Samba, which is reviewed here.

Genesis' Gary Koh claims that this rather large, floor-standing Samba is the result of "years of intensive development." He says that besides the two years it took to design the Samba, it "utilizes all the technologies that Genesis developed over the past 30 years." At $23,000, the Samba is within reach of more audiophiles than other large, floorstanding models that Genesis offers.

Servo-Controlled
Once I loaded these 102-pound speakers into my listening room, I noticed that each speaker required a connection to an AC outlet. This is due to Samba's servo-controlled bass system, which eliminates the need for a power amplifier to drive the speaker's 8" ribbed aluminum woofer. Genesis claims that their servo-controlled bass system provides "dramatically reduced distortion to imperceptible levels at any reasonable loudness, as well as improved transient response." 

This isn't advertising hyperbole. In the Samba, an accelerometer is mounted on the voice coil of the woofer. This continuously monitors the driver's motion and provides continuous motion tracking. The design is brilliant because it includes an additional circuit that compares the driver's motion to the input signal. This allows it to identify any deviation and instantaneously apply a corrective action to compensate for any deviation between the input and the woofer, thereby correcting any inertia or non-linearity. 

With this servo system, the circuit can sense that the woofer is not moving as fast as it should. If so, it applies more current and makes it move faster. After the signal stops, if it senses that the woofer is still moving, it applies a counter-signal to stop the woofer. This is significantly faster and more effective than what designers previously employed in this situation, which was to use a more affordable and more straightforward open-loop woofer. Genesis' servo-drive reduces distortion and quickens its transient response because, to the rest of the circuit, the woofer appears massless.

Largest
Genesis' Gary Koh said that the Samba's midrange driver is "probably the largest solid titanium cone in the world." He went on to say that he did this to match the speed and transparency of the 48" ribbon midrange drivers in Genesis' Reference series. 

In addition to the 5.5" titanium cone mid/low-frequency driver, the Genesis G7 Samba uses two tweeters, one on the front baffle and one on its rear. This tweeter is the same ring-radiator ribbon tweeter used in their flagship Prime+ model and also features the same crossover components. Additionally, it is utilized in all of their G7 Series speakers. Combined with the ultra-light titanium mid- and woofers, this allows the speaker to deliver "the clarity, detail, and resolution that Genesis loudspeakers have been famous for." 

Genesis didn't skimp on the cabinet of the Samba, either, as it was inspired by the carbon fiber/composite constrained-layer damped "sandwich" found in Genesis' G-Force and their Prime+. The use of bamboo is employed in all of their G7 speakers in much the same way as carbon fiber is used in their line-source models. It results in a low mass but high Q (sharper sounding), so it can manage resonance without needing a massive cabinet and lots of damping material, which can "suck the life out of the music." 

Tweeter / Midrange Crossover

Isobaric Woofer Crossover

Setup
The Genesis G7 Samba was auditioned in my primary system set up in an acoustically treated dedicated listening room. This room features acoustic panels installed not only on the front, side, and rear walls but also on the ceiling. Longtime readers of Enjoy the Music.com, and specifically those familiar with my reviews, may already be aware of the system I used in this room. However, there have been some significant upgrades to the reference system.

Most notably, the reference speakers are now the Raidho TD4.2. Additionally, the system now operates almost entirely "off the grid," as I'm now using a Stromtank S-2500 Quantum MKII battery power supply, which is very similar to the model I first reviewed in the July 2018 issue. With the Stromtank, I can listen to my system without the shortcomings of the contaminated power provided by the electric company. Power conditioners are now unnecessary as the electric signal the Stromtank provides is an AC signal that is a perfect 60 Hz sine wave with an output in the range of 100-130 Volts.

The analog front-end of the system has also been upgraded, as I used a Lyra Atlas phono cartridge mounted on a Tri-Planar 6-tonearm for this review. The turntable remained a Basis Audio Model V, and the phono preamp was the two-chassis Pass Laboratories XP-27. Also remaining in the system was the digital front-end, a computer-based music server with its USB output connected to a Simaudio Moon 681 DAC/streamer. 

A Pass Laboratories power amplifier fed the Genesis speakers their signal. Instead of exclusively using my usual Pass Labs X250.8 for the bulk of the review period, I used my older 350-watt-per-channel Pass Labs X350.5 power amp, as the relatively large Raidho TD4.2 speakers appreciated the extra 100-watt rating that this amp effortlessly delivered. 

Thirds
Over the years, I've learned that the Law of Thirds works particularly well for speaker setup in my almost rectangular listening room, as it did for the Genesis G7 Samba. The Law of Thirds setup is exactly as it sounds; the Samba pair was located one-third of the way into the room, and the listening seat was located one-third of the way in on the opposite side of the room. This setup worked exceptionally well for this review. 

On the rear panel of the speakers are adjustment knobs, one for bass and one for treble. According to the Samba manual, one shouldn't worry too much about adjusting these two controls. According to Genesis, the nominally flat position will work well in most rooms, as it did in mine. Whether that was due to the acoustic panels or not wasn't my concern, as the manual noted that adjustments might be necessary in certain listening rooms, albeit in rare cases. 

Grilles
According to the G7 Samba manual, the grilles of the Sambas "must not be removed." This is not the first speaker I've reviewed where the grille's traits are engineered into the speaker's design. When Arnie Nudell was still the chief engineer at Genesis, he also designed Genesis models that featured non-removable grilles, stating that they "match the transducer cone to the room."

When designing current models, Gary Koh said that he experimented with the speakers by constraining a layer of air in front of one of the drivers. He found that by carefully managing the air space, he was able to make them play louder and lower with less perceived distortion despite using only a small woofer. When using a larger driver, its sound tended to beam rather than disperse evenly. With the grille in place, the speaker would have a much larger "sweet spot" and create a more seamless sound transition between the tweeter and the mid/woofer.

Exceptional
The pair of Genesis G7 Sambas sounded exceptional right out of their crates, probably because Genesis claimed that they were broken in at the factory. Still, as the review progressed, I sensed an increase in all their positive traits as the speakers settled in. Longtime enthusiasts of Enjoy the Music.com may also be aware of the diverse range of music I listen to and incorporate into my reviews. I'm more interested in the quality of the music I listen to rather than its genre. 

Selections
One of the first selections I played through the Sambas was, as usual, Kraftwerk's track "The Robots" from their 1991 album The Mix, which features re-recorded tracks from their extensive catalog, dating back to their 1975 album Autobahn and continuing through 1986's Electric Cafe. Although "The Robots" was recorded using only synthesizers, it is one I use for almost every speaker when first set up in my listening room for review. 

Not only did this Kraftwerk track utilize the entire frequency range, but about two minutes into the track, dueling synth bass lines entered. This gave me a good idea of how well the speakers could handle the low frequencies, as well as whether I'd recommend using a subwoofer with these speakers. As a bonus, it also gave me a good idea of how well the speakers could separate the two opposing bass lines. Spoiler alert: The G7 Samba easily passed these tests. 

The manual of the Samba states that the lowest frequency these speakers can reproduce is equivalent to the lowest note on a piano (A0), which has a frequency of 27.5 Hz. I rarely needed to utilize the two resident SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofers in my system. 

If one habitually listens to pipe organ music, electronic dance music, or other bass-heavy genres, a subwoofer may be a suitable addition to their setup. When I used the subwoofers, I set them up to reproduce only the very lowest frequencies. Most listeners need not worry; the bass of the Sambas is hugely successful at reproducing very high-quality deep bass.. There is bass, and then there is high-quality bass, as the Samba has an internal 250-watt amplifier to power its 8" Ribbed Aluminum Cone. The 5.5-inch titanium cone mid/woofer was very instrumental in providing the transient response that made instruments with lots of bass energy sound realistic, not just "good."  

After this initial track, I listened to a variety of genres via both analog and digital sources. The Jimi Hendrix Experience's most recent vinyl pressing of the 1968 chart-topping album Electric Ladyland was a 3 double LP "Deluxe" edition, which included an all-analog version of the album mastered by Bernie Grundman. The album begins with an explosion of bass thanks to engineer Eddie Kramer's slowing down of the tape. The remaining album features not only Jimi Hendrix's most sophisticated psychedelic blues compositions but also his first-class guitar performance. 

This album's newest mastering brings out the clearest treble and smoothest-sounding midrange I've ever heard on the oft-played masterpiece. The Sambas were able to envelop me in sound. The speakers' huge soundstage surrounded these large speakers and extended far behind and to their sides. I was amazed at how the speakers, which were more than five feet tall, could disappear into the front of my listening room. Their pinpoint imaging, for example, on drummer Mitch Mitchell's cymbals, swirled above the speakers, separated from the sonic fray.

I could write a dissertation on the sound of this album as played through the Sambas. However, I listened to too many albums to focus solely on this one selection. Streaming Miles Davis' of Bitches Brew Live (2011 release via Qobuz 24-bit/192kHz), it features excerpts of recordings from Miles' electric band playing at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1969 and at The Isle Of Wight in 1970. The Newport tapes were engineered by the festival's team of engineers but produced by George Wein. The Isle of Wight recording was made by Miles Davis' longtime producer, Teo Macero. The reason for listing the producers was that the recording was spectacular, much better than many live sets during this era. The Genesis G7 Sambas expertly reproduced the results, providing me with a sonic picture of the event. 

There aren't any home speakers that can faithfully reproduce the sound coming from a 50-foot-wide and deep stage, with each instrument playing into a low-cost Shure SM50 microphone, but the Sambas were able to render the gestalt of the festival atmosphere. Each instrument, including Miles Davis' horn, came in and out of focus when the distance to the mic varied. Yet the instruments were sonically scaled to perfection in the Samba's soundstage, with its midrange reproduction being the standout in my listening room. 

The Samba's midrange reproduced a lifelike sound that belied the Samba's relatively low price. I've heard speakers that cost much more than thesethat couldn't reproduce acoustic or electric instruments with such a palpable, transparent sound. 

Although David Bowie's 1983 album Let's Dance isn't my favorite in his discography, there is still much to like about it. Admittedly, Bowie said that this album was purposely made to be profitable, as evidenced by the hiring of hit-making producer Nile Rodgers. Despite this, the album also featured guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. The album also has the hit "China Girl," co-written by Iggy Pop, which first appeared on Iggy Pop's album The Idiot.

Proof of the midrange prowess of the G7 Samba was the quality of Bowie's voice throughout this recording. At first, I was about to write that his voice "popped" from the speakers. But upon repeated plays I realized that the Sambas had such a transparent and realistic sounding midrange that I was drawn into the recording, amazed at how lifelike his voice sounded. When I played the LP for a friend visiting my listening room I joked, "David, this is Robert. Robert, say hello to David Bowie."

Conclusion
The Genesis G7 Samba are impressive speakers. When listening to them, despite them being Genesis' entry-level speakers, I often got the feeling that these speakers were designed for only one thing: to translate the incoming electric signal connected to their speaker posts into a full-range sound that was as close to the real thing as possible.

Chief designer Gary Koh surpassed all my expectations of what I expected from a loudspeaker at this price. The Genesis G7 Sambas easily outperformed many speakers that have visited my listening room in the past that were priced significantly higher. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone seeking speakers in this price range or those costing significantly more. It was an honor to have the opportunity to review them.

Specifications
Type: Type: Floorstanding loudspeaker
Musical Range: 27.5Hz on up 
HF Transducer: Two Genesis 1" Ring-Ribbon Tweeters (front & rear)  
Midrange/Low Frequency Transducer: Genesis 5.5" Titanium Cone  
Low Frequency Transducer: Genesis 8" Ribbed Aluminum Cone
Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m
Input Impedance: 4 Ohms (nominal)  
Controls: Soft/Bright (+/-6dB)     Light/Rich (+6/-3dB)  
Servo-Bass: 250 Watt Class D  
Input: Five-way loudspeaker wire binding posts  
Dimensions: 53" x 14" x 16" (HxWxD)  
Weight: 102 lbs.  
Finishes: Hand-rubbed natural Bamboo 
Price: $23,000 per pair

Manufacturer
Genesis Advanced Technologies, Inc. 
17802 134th Ave NE, Ste 26 
Woodinville, WA 98072

Voice: (425) 415-8383
E-mail: customer@genesisloudspeakers.com  
Website: GenesisLoudspeakers.com