How important are L/R mains in HT?

[pearsall001]

I'm trying to get opinions on this question. I currently have floorstanders for both HT & 2 channel. I am now interested in & have been checking out monitors for the L/R mains. I think monitors do a much better job w/ 2 channel listening. Paired w/ a good sub ( SVS 25-31+ ) & receiver crossover set at 80 & all speakers set to small what is actually being sent to the mains during HT. Will I be missing anything using monitors instead of floorstanders? I don't really think so, but I've been wrong before. What do you guys think. I am running an NAD T773 receiver & a modified Jolida 502B integrated tube amp for both HT & 2 channel.

 

[deftech]

I have an svs 25-31 pci in my system. I am running a yamaha 7.1 reciever with large l/r mains. (definitive tech bp2002tl's.) My mains have 7 drivers per cabinet. I Like the way my system envelops the entire room in the sound track. I dont know that smaller 2 way monitors can provide the same experience. I have heard many fine monitor based systems (energy, boston accoustics, pinnacle) but to me it's just not the same.

 

[Sheep]

You should only run your mains large if

A.) Your fronts go down to 20hz at +/-3dB

b.) You have no subwoofer.


Does your 2 channel setup have a sub? If not, then run them large.

I assume your HT has a sub? If so, run your towers small.

I think monitors sound better for music, and I also think the blend better with a sub then towers do. Even when the towers are crossed out. Thats for music though. I like having towers for HT because of their dynamics.


SheepStar

 

[pearsall001]

That's the reason for the question. What dynamics would floorstanders deliver that monitors can't since my receiver is crossed over at 80hz & all speakers are set to small & I am running a good sub ( SVS 25-31+ ) How much of the floorstanders potential is lost when set to small?

 

[Sheep]

Towers have a larger sound. I swapped my rears (2 way bookshelfs) in up front, and I perferred the sound of the towers for HT. For music, the bookshelfs were better. More subtle(typo?), softer. Towers also have more drivers (sometimes) and bigger drivers (sometimes). That also helps create that big sound.


Its up to you. What floats your boat right....thats just my 2 cents.



Sheepstar

 

[Tomorrow]

You should only run your mains large if

A.) Your fronts go down to 20hz at +/-3dB

b.) You have no subwoofer.

And this seems to be the party line. Everyone says this is the way to go. But every time I try it, I'm amazed at how much fuller and better my system actually sounds with the L&R floorstanders left at large...with sub in, and all surrounds set to small. To my ear that setup is a far superior sound for music and HT.

It's all in the English you put on it.

 

[Sheep]

Its generally speaking.

But, you can make it work both ways. I perfer to let speakers "hand off" and keep the overlap to a minimum.


SheepStar

 

[mulester7]

Its generally speaking.

But, you can make it work both ways. I perfer to let speakers "hand off" and keep the overlap to a minimum.


SheepStar

.....Absolutely, Sheep, and keeping the overlaps to as minimal "as possible"....some have said they want their sub and speakers to "blend" together....that says phases are lying on top of each other, and that says confusion, thickness of sound at that level, and relates as mud....

 

[corey]

As with so many things, it's all in the details. Which floorstanders & which bookshelf/monitors? In general, I think the difference is in the mid-bass. Sub-woofers shouldn't be providing it, and 4 & 5 inch speaker cones, especially in low volume enclosures, have a problem making enough of it. Larger bookshelves tend to provide more & better mid-bass than smaller ones.

 

[3db]

You should only run your mains large if

A.) Your fronts go down to 20hz at +/-3dB

b.) You have no subwoofer.


Does your 2 channel setup have a sub? If not, then run them large.

I assume your HT has a sub? If so, run your towers small.

I think monitors sound better for music, and I also think the blend better with a sub then towers do. Even when the towers are crossed out. Thats for music though. I like having towers for HT because of their dynamics.


SheepStar

I respectively disagree with you on point A. There is very little information in the 20Hz region when playing music. Of course there are exceptions like pipe organs but its safe to say that 95% of music out there seldom dips below 30Hz. I own a pair of PSB T45s and I feel no need to augment their bass with a sub. I run my reciever in pure analog mode while listening to music and I can honestly say that I love what I hear. Now for HT, I do set my mains to small and let the sub do the work. hehehe..Nuffin like picking the paintings and hanging back on the wall after a good romp thru bass territory.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I'm having a hard time accepting the premise that a bookshelf is somehow preferable to a floorstander for music. That goes against everything I've "heard." I have yet to hear any bookshelf speaker (ones that generally consist of 2 drivers, a 6" woofer and a tweeter) sound anywhere near as full, deep, or spacious as a multi-speaker floorstander.

My current speakers, an old pair of Sansui 4-ways, go down to 30hz and that seems plenty deep for music. I've never heard them struggle and always get a full rich sound that I haven't heard from bookshelves alone. (In fact, I use them as my temporary home theater and even at 30hz it still gives me some good bass from movies -- with just a little struggle during explosions and such.)

 

[patnshan]

And this seems to be the party line. Everyone says this is the way to go. But every time I try it, I'm amazed at how much fuller and better my system actually sounds with the L&R floorstanders left at large...with sub in, and all surrounds set to small. To my ear that setup is a far superior sound for music and HT.

It's all in the English you put on it.

I agree that my fronts sound WAY better set to large. I guess it's because I have 10" woofers in the mains. My sub is also a 10. I have tried both with a variety of sources and the results are always the same. The sub + the mains at large gives me the best sound. I recommend trying it both ways, as well as at different crossover points.

Pat

 

[Nick250]

And this seems to be the party line. Everyone says this is the way to go. But every time I try it, I'm amazed at how much fuller and better my system actually sounds with the L&R floorstanders left at large...with sub in, and all surrounds set to small. To my ear that setup is a far superior sound for music and HT.
QUOTE]

If it sounds better to YOU setting your towers to large then thats all that matters. Audio is so subjective, do what pleases YOUR ears.

 

[markw]

For music or HT? Big difference.

For HT, the center is the key and the other speakers are second bananas. For music, however, where it's spread pretty evenly across (at least) the front half of the room they become more of an issue. A sub is great for filling in the low lows but, for anything above that, it's nice if the speakers can handle their own.

Your mains dont need to be able to go down to 20 hz. As long as they don't "fart out" when you're ok feeding them a full range signal. Many better speakers simply ignore whatever bass they can't handle. Of course, boosting the bass controls on the amp can exacerbate this problem.

Miy mains (Athena Audition AS-F1) are only rated to 40 hz and they handle a full range signal with no problems. Likewise, so does my matching center channel (AS-C1) and rear surrounds (AS-B2).

...and I DO have a subwoofer.

 

[edwelly]

Sheep, I always enjoy what you have to say but my system is set with the L/R to LARGE. I found I enjoy music and HT more than way. Now my sub x-over is set to 60 so that is lower than most.
I avave tried different settings - SMALL and my Sony allows me to change the fronts from 40 - 200 hz but I ended up with the mains set on LARGE.
My ICMB is also set this way. I played around with my audio portion a couple nights ago, after about 2 hours, I changed the ICBM and I could tell a huge difference.
HOWEVER, the loudest I ever turn my system is -30 (0 being all the way up) so I do not have to worry about my mains bottoming out.
This also sould be an issue with my sub not really perfroming the way I would like it too. I have a low end Paradigm, PDR-10 sub. I have been thinking about replaceing the sub with a SVS PB10-ISD but I am not sure if this would really help. Your thoughts?