I don't think you understand the crux of my argument at all. You combine 5 channels of deep bass together with the LFE channel and you simply CANNOT have 115 dB's. Mathematically, that is impossible.
It makes no sense. You can't tell me that summing multiple signals (in phase) plus a maximum peak level of a 115 dB from the LFE will equal 115 dBs. That is what the lecturer essentially led me to believe, that it wouldn't make any difference either way and
that is what I have issue with.
As far as my concept of bass management, it's just fine. If it is in error then you haven't demonstrated it yet because you haven't pointed out one factual error I've made. I have said,
clearly, that each main channel has it's OWN bass information recorded, it is full range. 5 full range channels plus an LFE channel for super low, and loud bass. There is plenty of bass recorded in these main channels. I don't care about LFE in the main channels as that is not relevant to my argument. Actually, there is no LFE in the main channels. The only scenario where that can happen is if you tell your receiver that you have no subwoofer. Then it will reroute LFE bass to the main channels. In any case, those are two different things.
Like I said, I am not debating the merits of bass management. I could care less whether main speakers should be set to 'large'. That is not what my thread is about. I am a big proponent of bass management. I use it on all my systems. I am simply saying that summing redirected bass from each main channel
together with bass in the LFE does NOT equal 115 dB's. And so....this REQUIRES a better solution. A solution to achieve that. Since we are discussing the highest dynamic range possible in a home theater system, you can't seriously tell me that utilizing bass management still requires 115 dB's from a sub given the information I've brought to the table.
The idea that you need 115 dB's at reference when using bass management, THAT is what I am discussing here so I don't understand why you can't follow that. Does it not make sense to you that essentially what you are doing is adding considerably more workload to the sub ? It has to handle all the bass recorded in the LFE and now it has to cover all the bass in the main channels as well. That means
MORE work. Multiple signals summed means MORE level.
So, again I ask, what is the situation here ? If I am wrong, show me the math. Explain the theory as to why I am wrong. I don't care about output and output only. I care about objective facts. If I buy a subwoofer that can handle 115 dB's then that is great, especially if I am setting speakers to 'large', since the sub will handle ALL the information, as per reference level spec for the LFE. But what about when speakers set to 'small' ? What then ? If, at reference, you are 5-6 dB's over that spec, then at best, you've just added 5-6 dB's of compression, so your dynamic output is flattened, and at worst you have bottomed the subwoofer out completely.
Does that make sense to you ? Because I don't know how else to explain it. I think I have been clear enough.
Lets say you throw 5,6,7, even..... 100 LFE channel subwoofers into a room, you still calibrate the system to 115db for that channel (LFE). Once the 115 DB reference standard can be met adding more subs is for EQ/management.... NOT output. If you direct signals under 80hz to your main speakers you are asking them to perform the LFE portion of the sound track and, therefore, asking them to essentially be subs.
You are still not understanding what I am talking about. Yes, you can add 100 subs, calibrate them together to achieve 75 dB's and you should never exceed the maximum dynamic output of the LFE track. I don't care about that because I'm not discussing that. I am saying, you take the OTHER main channels (left, center, right, surrounds etc) which has ample bass content mixed in, you ADD that together with the LFE.....then what ? Does the maximum output peak still remain 115 dB's ? If that is true, please demonstrate the math behind it and please explain the theory behind it.
Bass under 80 Hz in the main channels is not considered LFE either. It is main channel bass. LFE bass is LFE bass. Unless you set your subwoofer to 'off', the main channels won't be voicing any LFE content whatsoever.
If your passive speakers could perform 20hz signals at 115db (which only a few can. & by few I mean a handfull).... you wouldn't have a need for the .1 speaker. You would simply set your speakers to large & let the main system would be doing all of that work. But, as I mentioned above and in response to ADTG, that would be a bad idea.
Forgive me for sounding a little agitated but my topic has still not been addressed in any way, shape or form. I'm not debating the merits of bass management. I don't care about 'large' vs 'small' so let's not discuss that, okay ? My understanding of bass management has not been shown to be in error. I just need to have someone explain the actual situation to me. Explain the math to me...assuming my argument is at fault. That's all I ask.