Let's face it: your laptop may be pretty, social and adventurous, but when it comes to what's really important -- the hardware underneath the attractive, portable exterior -- your laptop comes up lacking. Regardless, Genelec has unveiled two new "desktop monitors" that are sure to prolong the lifeless and co-dependent relationship you have with your MacBook.

The Genelec 6010a and 5040a are active desktop monitors and a matching, active subwoofer, respectively.

While it looks like a standard computer speaker, the 6010a boasts many features you'd find on a typical studio reference monitor. A 3" bass driver along with a 3/4" high frequency driver are coupled with Genelec's "Directivity Control Waveguide" enclosure architecture. A twelve-watt internal amp provides performance specs like a 4 Hz - 18 kHz frequency response, and a maximum peak SPL output per pair of 102 dB. The 6010a is, of course, magnetically shielded to coddle your computer monitor into a false sense of security.

Perfectly paired with the 6010a is the 5040a active subwoofer. This relatively compact sub bears a striking resemblance to the fountain nozzles in Washington Square park, where you and your laptop first decided to become "mutually exclusive." But don't think about those times. Muse, instead, on the 5040a's 40-watt amp driving a 6.5" proprietary woofer, providing a frequency response of 35 - 85 Hz. the 5040a also serves as the core of a compact monitoring system, coupliung with up to five (blasphemy!) 6010a desktop monitors for 5.1 operation. A remote volume control keeps you off your knees. Oh, sorry, didn't mean to make you think of your co-abusive relationship again.

Both the 6010a and the 5040a (pricing TBA) have an expected availability scheduled for "Fall 2008", so there still might be time to get out of that corrosive laptop's emotional embrace.