HT Setup

[newb]

Greetings....
I'm finally starting to set up my HT. I'm posting here because this goes across a couple categories. I think I'm good on speaker layout but still have some questions:
I have Aperion:
633T's for the Mains, 38Hz to 20KHz
533 VAC for the center, 80Hz to 20KHz (budget constraints)
533T's for the Surrounds, +/- 3 70Hz to 20KHz, +/- 6 42Hz to 20KHz
S-12 Subwoofer, 20Hz to 180 Hz
Yamaha 663 AV
Old Sharp CRT(till I can afford more, or the magic smoke goes out of it)

I'm thinking of a 50" Plasma, would love a Pioneer Elite 1150 (sitting 7-8 ft from screen, I think the res would be OK) or a 5010 for 1080p, but it's about 700.00 more and I don't know if I'll need that res (plus I lose out on the expert calibration features of the 1150).

So here are my questions:
1. Do I set all my speakers to small w/ a 60HZ crossover (as suggested in the articles here for setup), and is this crossover just done on the receiver or at the sub or what (I'm still hazy about setting the crossover properly) or do I set my 633's to Large to take advantage of the greater range?

2. TV's: I like the idea of a 50" and I'm fairly set on a plasma, and while I love the Pioneers, some of the Panny's, Samsung's, and Toshiba's look good and are more affordable but I don't know what models to look for. I would like something closely resembling the quality, PQ, and feature set of the PIO's, without blowing the budget too much ($2400-3100(stretching it)).

I know if I'm not looking to buy right this instant, some newer sets are coming out, prices may go down, etc... but I would like to get some advice on where to start with these other brands too. Also, any advice on Rear Projection sets would be helpful.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for the help.
Happy Listening

 

[Seth=L]

Set ALL speakers to small, and set the receiver's x-over to 60 or 80 hz. Try different x-over points to see what sounds best to you (you might benefit better from using an SPL meter and some frequency sweeps). Bypass the x-over on the subwoofer itself by turning its x-over all the way up.

 

[Midcow2]

Nice TV choice

1. Set to small The cross-over to the sub will be for lower frequencies. See page 91 on your manual the default is 80 Hz which is probably fine for your speakers. The Asperion 63s have a frequency repsonse as low as 38Hz, so you could lower it to 60 Hz or even 40Hz. The speakers have an average sensitivity of 90dB and a nominal impenace of 6 ohms. The Yamaha AVR should be able to drive them fairly well.

2. The Pioneer Elite Plasma is supposed to be the best; make sure to get the 1080p. Very Nice choice; however from what I have seen the pricing is higher than you are planning, around $6,000. Panasonic is a good second choice. I think either plasma or LCD are better than rear projection for PQ.

 

[newb]

TV choice

So, just to provide some more info...
I have an upscaling DVD, not great, I think 720 p or 1080i?, but standard DVD collection (BD way, way out on the horizon if at all).
The Elite 1150 (768p) is about my budget (w/ the elite goodies) vs the non elite 5010 (1080p and still good features just not ISF cal-able) pushing the limits of budget.

And thoughts (read model numbers) on other brands. Panasonic would probably be first choice.
Thanks

 

[darien87]

Although your fronts are rated down to 38Hz, the limiting factor is going to be your center channel. It's only rated to 80Hz, so I would advise against setting your X-over point at 60Hz. Try it and see, but you run the risk of your center channel distorting, trying to reproduce frequencies lower than it can handle.

 

[newb]

Clarification

So if I set the crossover at 80 with the speakers set to small, 81HZ and above goes to my center and mains and 79HZ and below is output by the sub?

I can see that preventing distortion on the center which I appreciate but doesn't it cut out some freq range of the mains (in which case wouldn't setting them to large to get a greater range be preferable?)

 

[darien87]

So if I set the crossover at 80 with the speakers set to small, 81HZ and above goes to my center and mains and 79HZ and below is output by the sub?

It's not quite that simple, but that's the basic gist of it. Actually, it's a slope defined by the crossover. So if it's a -12db per octave slope, then each octave below 80Hz becomes 12db quieter than the one before it.

I can see that preventing distortion on the center which I appreciate but doesn't it cut out some freq range of the mains (in which case wouldn't setting them to large to get a greater range be preferable?)

Probably not. What a lot of people get confused on is that when you set your fronts to "Large", they get sent a full-range signal, (20Hz to 20Khz), REGARDLESS of the crossover point. So what would be happening is that your center would play 80 and above, and your sub would be playing 80 and below. But your fronts would be playing the whole frequency range.

When you set your fronts to "Small", then they get crossed over at the crossover point that you set.

If the speakers are designed well, they should just naturally roll off below their usable frequency range. But chances are that they will start to distort when they try to play those frequencies below 30Hz or so. Plus, you will be asking your receiver to generate the power for those low frequencies, (sub frequencies require the most power to produce). This will cause your receiver to generate a lot of heat. You're better off having your sub play those frequencies, as it is designed to do.

 

[bandphan]

I don't know if I'll need that res (plus I lose out on the expert calibration features of the 1150).

yep i agree unless your sit on top of it. 1080p sources going into the 1150 look sweet. And the caibration features are nice