Should I be choosing large speaker setting or small speakers?

S

sokrman14

Audioholic
I am running a pair of Quad 12L bookshelf speakers and the Quad L center and was curious as what to set them as, and the difference between a large speaker and a small speaker. I am not using a sub, so I want to be able to drive my bookshelves as low as they can go. I am using the Marantz SR7400 receiver.
 
Z

zumbo

Audioholic Spartan
Not sure if it's safe to have those speakers set to large? You need a sub.

From Audioholics set-up tips:

Component Setup and Calibration

There are several things you must do to audio components after they’re connected. Most DVD players and A/V receivers have their own way of doing the same things and might even have a different name for certain settings. Consult your owner’s manual for exact instructions to apply this checklist to your system.



Receiver setup:



Bass management: Large/Small speaker settings. Set all speakers to small, let your subwoofer handle the low frequencies. Find a comfortable crossover setting, it might not always be THX’s recommended 80Hz.
LFE: Enable LFE (low frequency effects) to drive your sub. Your receiver might have an on/off setting for stereo.
Dynamic Range: Set to 100% (night mode, dynamic compression turned off).
DSP modes: Turn off all DSP modes. Only experiment with these when you’re ready to play with the sound.
Dolby Pro Logic II or IIx: Dolby PL II and IIx are primarily used for two channel (stereo) sources and PL IIx can also be used for discrete 5.1 sources to expand them to 7.1. Double check to see if the PL II or IIx settings are saved for each input selected. IE: Setup “music” appropriately for CD input, switch to VCR and see if your CD settings carried over to the other inputs. PLII presets and saved settings per input are convenient features and often overlooked when shopping for an A/V receiver.
Dolby Digital/DTS: Enable automatic detection of Dolby Digital/DTS for digital audio inputs. This should override any Pro Logic II or DSP setting you have chosen. There should be an indicator on your receiver’s front panel to let you know which audio format is detected.




DVD Player setup:



Bass Management: Large/Small speaker settings. Only one component should handle bass management. Receiver, DVD player or another specialty component such Outlaw’s ICBM. If another component is handling bass management set all speakers to large or turn off bass management.
S/PDIF: Use your DVD player’s digital audio output only (coax or optical). Do not use the RCA stereo output if you already have the digital output connected to the receiver.
Bitstream/PCM: Set audio output to bitstream. The only reason you wouldn’t want to use bitstream is if you’re not using the DVD player’s digital audio outputs. Almost all DVD players have PCM set as default, PCM will not send Dolby Digital or DTS to the receiver even if the DVD player is compatible with those audio formats. Countless new DVD player owners will listen to stereo PCM transmitted to their receiver over digital outputs, wondering why the receiver isn’t detecting Dolby Digital or DTS.
Audio filtering or effects: Disable any audio noise reduction, filtering, DSPs or any other audio effects your DVD Player might provide. The A/V Receiver can handle these. Experiment with these settings later, after you’ve heard the “true” sound of your system.
Aspect Ratio: Enable widescreen mode (16:9) assuming you have a compatible display for this aspect ratio. Disable zoom. Depending on your viewing preferences, zoom/stretch modes may be used on 16:9 displays when watching 4:3 program source material to utilize more screen area. There should be an independent setting on your display to enable these modes when viewing 4:3 program material.
Video output: Always use the best possible video output available on your TV. If your TV is High Definition you MUST use either Component outputs (R,G,B) or digital video such as DVI or HDMI to get a de-interlaced video signal to your TV. S-Video is your best option for non-digital TV.
Progressive Scan: Enable progressive scan if your DVD Player has this feature and your TV is Digital or HD.
Other Video Features: Black level, brightness, filtering etc should all be initially disabled on the DVD Player. In most cases all of the video tweaking should be done on your display. However, if you cannot achieve an accurate picture, you should then look at tweaking using the DVD player video adjustments
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
Ooops. Just saw that you aren't using a sub. Your settings should be sub=none, all speakers large. Large sends your speakers a full range signal.
 
S

sokrman14

Audioholic
Thanks for the input guys, I have another question though. My receiver has crossovers at 80, 100 and 120. My speakers can go down to 45Hz, is there a way to get a lower signal to my speakers for better bass response? If I am thinking correctly, setting my fronts as large speakers will allow for a lower frequency to get to the speakers, but how do I set the crossover, or bypass it?
 
MACCA350

MACCA350

Audioholic Chief
If you set your mains to large and subwoofer to none, then your mains will get a full range signal and the crossover setting will operate for any speakers set to small(in which case the bass for those set to small will be sent to those set to large)

cheers:)
 
C

corey

Senior Audioholic
You state that you're not using a sub, but there's a HSU VTF-3 MKII in your sig. If you're not using the VTF-3 as a sub, what do you use it for?
 
S

sokrman14

Audioholic
I just bought the sub, but havent received it yet. Its on back order.
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top