80-100-120 Hz only option ?

[ArxFatalis]

Hi, after much debating of which " high current budget " receiver to get ( between marantz or onkyo) I finally purchased the marantz RS 4500 . I have had it for less than 3 days so it´s still "breaking in" . Pretty poweful receiver rated at 80 RMS watts. It also has preouts in case I want more power in the future. But, there is somenthing that I can´t find out about this receiver. According to the manual the settings of the speaker are 80-10-120 Hz. What about 60 - 40 -20 hz ?? Am I missing something here ? I have full range 3 way speakers that go below 30 Hz. So does this mean I´m really not taking advantage of the speakers frequency response because the receiver only does 80-100-120 hz ?
Thankyou for your response, advice.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

That is a crossover cutoff. You should be able to turn the subwoofer output on the receiver on or off. Turning it on will allow you to cutoff the frequencies to your front speakers by 80-100-120Hz. That way the receiver can use more of it's power to drive your speakers above the set frequency, and let the powered subwoofer handle the lowest notes wherever you set them. Bass management. If you don't have a subwoofer, you don't want to use the bass management.

Great decision on buying the Marantz over the Onkyo. Two different leagues IMHO.

 

[corysmith01]

If you go to pg 21 (I think) of your manual, there's a section in there about "bass mix." You can choose "both" or "mix." If you choose mix, it sends signals to your sub and then the appropriate amt of low frequency (depending on your selected crossover pt) to your mains. However, if you choose "both" it will send the low frequencies not only to your sub, but your mains as well. Sounds like this is what you want if you have speakers capable of handling the low frequencies.

 

[Leprkon]

According to the manual the settings of the speaker are 80-10-120 Hz. What about 60 - 40 -20 hz ?? Am I missing something here ? I have full range 3 way speakers that go below 30 Hz. So does this mean I´m really not taking advantage of the speakers frequency response because the receiver only does 80-100-120 hz ?
Thankyou for your response, advice.

There are some really good reasons for putting the crossover in the 80-100-120 range, even if you do have good quality fronts that can go down that low.

One reason is that most THX DVD's are originally mixed using a crossover of 80 Hz.

The main reason is the subwoofer is designed to take care of the bottom end, so why not let it do so ?

The low end puts alot more work on your receiver when driving the mains. Since the sub probably has a dedicated amp, you can "offload" the work of driving the low end. It will extend the life of your receiver (or allow you to run a little louder, take your pick).

You really only need one source of bass. It bounces all over the place, so getting "more" from the front speakers will not really add to your sound quality. In some cases, using two or more sources will cancel each other out, and you actually get less for all the extra work you are doing.

The answer to your question is that you are not taking advantage of your frequency response, but you are getting better sound and prolonging the life of your equipment.

It's like the Designated Hitter rule in baseball. Maybe pitchers can hit reasonably well. Maybe a DH could pitch halfway decent. Why not let each do what he does best ?

 

[ArxFatalis]

Thanks for the response but the thing is that my system does NOT have a dedicated subwoofer. I use the main speakers (MTX 10) to do the low frequency. So here is my doubt again. Since I DON´T have a subwoofer and the receiver´s frequency is rated 80-100-120 Hz does this mean my MAIN speakers aren´t really taking "the juice" of lower notes ( below 80 HZ) ? Am i screwed just because I don´t have a dedicated subwoofer ? I thought full range main speakers could also take the bass with lower HZ.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Thanks for the response but the thing is that my system does NOT have a dedicated subwoofer. I use the main speakers (MTX 10) to do the low frequency. So here is my doubt again. Since I DON´T have a subwoofer and the receiver´s frequency is rated 80-100-120 Hz does this mean my MAIN speakers aren´t really taking "the juice" of lower notes ( below 80 HZ) ? Am i screwed just because I don´t have a dedicated subwoofer ? I thought full range main speakers could also take the bass with lower HZ.

Your receiver is not rated 80-100-120Hz. That is a built in crossover option if you use the LFE circuit in the receiver. If you don't have a dedicated sub, don't fret.

Refer to page 19 and 20 in the manual. Here's what you do:
1. Set all existing speakers to "large".
2. 2.1 Set your subwoofer to "none".
3. Set your LFE to "off".

That will send all the frequencies to all your speakers and bypass the 80-100-120 crossover. No more bass management. You still have the option of setting your speaker distances which will increase or decrease the db level of each speaker in relation to your sitting position. It has no effect on the frequency to each speaker.