Audioholics 1A...a tiny quiz

[Tomorrow]

Okay, this is a closed book snap quiz. No looking at other threads or receiver/pre-pro manuals. Just play along. 'Splainin' will happen later. No admins please.

THE QUESTION:

Most modern home theater systems give the user an opportunity to output bass audio to the Subwoofer, the Mains, or Both. Actual crossover settings aside, which is true when "Both" is selected? Just answer with "A is true", or "B is true", or "C is true".

A. The .1 channel LFE is being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

B. Low frequencies (below the crossover setting) from other speakers are being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

C. Both A and B are true.

 

[Adam]

B is true?

[I actually thought it was none of the above - that the mains and the sub would play the low frequencies from the mains, but that the sub alone would handle the low frequencies from other speakers and the LFE.]

 

[jamie2112]

It s not A or B I don't think you will get signal going to anything but the sub
Trick question???

 

[gus6464]

C (need to type more)

 

[mike c]

A is surely true

but B might be true as well

which means

C might might be true like B

 

[allargon]

Is there a none of the above? I would normally go for "B", but it seems a bit off since you said bass from other speakers go to the subwoofers and the mains.

If I have to pick one, I will go for "B".

 

[bandphan]

my "thanks" is my answer

 

[abboudc]

Okay, this is a closed book snap quiz. No looking at other threads or receiver/pre-pro manuals. Just play along. 'Splainin' will happen later. No admins please.

THE QUESTION:

Most modern home theater systems give the user an opportunity to output bass audio to the Subwoofer, the Mains, or Both. Actual crossover settings aside, which is true when "Both" is selected? Just answer with "A is true", or "B is true", or "C is true".

A. The .1 channel LFE is being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

B. Low frequencies (below the crossover setting) from other speakers are being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

C. Both A and B are true.

I'm going to say A. The bass from the mains is directed to both the subwoofer and mains. The other speakers will be crossed over to the sub.

 

[armaraas]

Probably not...but C...

 

[3db]

B I think is the answer but this is qualified with the following; only if the main speakers are set to large does the bass go the mains and the sub.

The LFE channel I thought was the summation of all the bass from all the cpeakers being channeled to the sub when the speakers are set to small. Thats why I ruled out A and with it C.

 

[Davemcc]

I'm going to go with "none of the above" even though I am uncertain of the answer, or even if all receivers process the LFE+Main signal in the same way. I reason this: In this case, the mains are run full range so they receive their full signal and the sub receives the LFE channel. This is not to say the LFE is directed to the mains, just that the mains receive a full range signal and the sub will still get a copy of that signal for anything below the crossover point, hence the tag LFE+Mains so A is out. Further, any signal from other speakers set as small will have their low end signal added to the LFE channel and run from the sub but not the mains, as the mains do not get the LFE channel so B and C are out. This is all BS made up on the fly and any resemblance to accuracy is purely accidental.

 

[TLS Guy]

Okay, this is a closed book snap quiz. No looking at other threads or receiver/pre-pro manuals. Just play along. 'Splainin' will happen later. No admins please.

THE QUESTION:

Most modern home theater systems give the user an opportunity to output bass audio to the Subwoofer, the Mains, or Both. Actual crossover settings aside, which is true when "Both" is selected? Just answer with "A is true", or "B is true", or "C is true".

A. The .1 channel LFE is being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

B. Low frequencies (below the crossover setting) from other speakers are being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

C. Both A and B are true.

Well I know what mine does. I don't think there is standardization on this industry wide.

Mine will send the bass from a speaker to the sub if it set to small. If they are all set to large there are two options, to send only the LFE to the sub and the speakers full range. The other option is to set ALL speakers to large and send some of the bass from all speakers to the sub. Then the sub gets some of the bass from all channels plus the LFE.

The LFE can only be sent to other speakers if the no sub option is selected.

 

[AVRat]

B is true.

You can only set "Both/LFE+Mains" when there is a sub(s) AND the mains are set to Large. The discrete "LFE" signal goes ONLY to the sub output when one is in the system.

 

[gene]

A. The .1 channel LFE is being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

B. Low frequencies (below the crossover setting) from other speakers are being directed to both the subwoofer and the mains.

or

C. Both A and B are true.

How about option D

LFE + speakers set small + mains is only routed to the sub channel. The mains set large will only produce bass for the mains channel. This is usually how manufacturers do their bass management. They typically don't send LFE to any channels but the sub b/c of potential of overload

If you are running no sub in your system, than all bass of speakers set small gets recombined to the Mains channels as well as a lowered LFE signal.

 

[jostenmeat]

I thought it was none of the above. Sounds like a trick question. Assuming that "bass" equals "LFE".....

If its NOT "none of the above", I would blindly guess C, but perhaps with a very attenuated signal for the mains. I know that the mains can get similar info as the LFE, both having read and experienced it. I have no reason to believe that summed bass from surrounds would go to mains, except the aforementioned experience of having a bit of LFE-material go to mains.

I still believe its none of the above. LFE = LFE, and I guess for nomenclature's sake it does not matter if the material is similar to what is found in the mains. Therefore, I could foresee arguments depending on the actual souce track. Coming full circle, I vote:

None of the above! pssst, when does the lesson begin?

 

[Tomorrow]

How about option D

LFE + speakers set small + mains is only routed to the sub channel. The mains set large will only produce bass for the mains channel. This is usually how manufacturers do their bass management. They typically don't send LFE to any channels but the sub b/c of potential of overload

If you are running no sub in your system, than all bass of speakers set small gets recombined to the Mains channels as well as a lowered LFE signal.

Hey! I said "no admins"...you...you...you spoil-sport, you.

It was not a trick question, but there is a small caveat in the answer that the mains must be set to large...sometimes. It was done to emphasize the confusion that typically raises its ugly head every year or so around these parts.

The correct answer was 'B' with that caveat I mentioned. Some processors have the default setting of 'bass out to mains', even when all speakers are set to 'small' (including the mains)...LFE is then still sent to the mains. Otherwise, no LFE is ever sent to any other speaker except when 'bass out' is set to 'mains'. And as Gene pointed out, that isn't such a good idea for most setups. It's the low frequency (below crossover), non-LFE signals that are shared with mains and sub.

For those interested, this Sticky thread was reserected from the dead this morning. Not a bad refresher piece from Clint. http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8033

You all can move on to Audioholics 1B now! Thanks for participating.

 

[Tomorrow]

I thought it was none of the above. Sounds like a trick question. Assuming that "bass" equals "LFE".....

If its NOT "none of the above", I would blindly guess C, but perhaps with a very attenuated signal for the mains. I know that the mains can get similar info as the LFE, both having read and experienced it. I have no reason to believe that summed bass from surrounds would go to mains, except the aforementioned experience of having a bit of LFE-material go to mains.

I still believe its none of the above. LFE = LFE, and I guess for nomenclature's sake it does not matter if the material is similar to what is found in the mains. Therefore, I could foresee arguments depending on the actual souce track. Coming full circle, I vote:

None of the above! pssst, when does the lesson begin?

Not quite, Meat. LFE is a purely digital channel used in Dolby Digital and DTS signals. (It is the .1 part of 5.1.) It is completely different from the "low frequency" main-track signals being sent to the general speaker population. "Bass Out" for most processors refers to the latter low frequency, not the LFE channel. Thus the source of the confusion and the question I posed.

As stated above, LFE is only directed to the mains when there is no sub during a DTS or DD source playback.

 

[MDS]

The answer is 'none of the above'.

LFE (as in the .1 channel, NOT a generic term for 'bass') always goes to the Sub unless you set subwoofer=No, in which case LFE goes to the Mains (which are by default now 'Large').

Bass below the xover frequency for Small channels goes to the sub.

IFF you have a 'LFE+Main' or 'Double Bass' (Onkyo term) setting on will bass below the xover from the main (Large) channels ALSO go to the sub. Hence the term 'double bass' - the sub AND the mains are playing the bass for the main channels.

 

[Tomorrow]

The answer is 'none of the above'.

LFE (as in the .1 channel, NOT a generic term for 'bass') always goes to the Sub unless you set subwoofer=No, in which case LFE goes to the Mains (which are by default now 'Large').

Bass below the xover frequency for Small channels goes to the sub.

IFF you have a 'LFE+Main' or 'Double Bass' (Onkyo term) setting on will bass below the xover from the main (Large) channels ALSO go to the sub. Hence the term 'double bass' - the sub AND the mains are playing the bass for the main channels.

Again...not quite, MDS. I asked which is true..A,B, or C? 'B' is in fact true.

However, what you describe is correct.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

C is true.
So, what do I win?