Speakers set to large

[RMK!]

I know that most “experts” recommend setting HT speakers to small in an HT application unless they are running large full range speakers. I have been playing with the large vs. small speaker settings on my Denon 3805. I have Monitor Audio GR 60 and GR 20 floor standers paired with a Velo DD-18 sub and find that I like setting both the fronts (GR60's) and rears (GR 20's) to the large setting much better. It seems I get a better more even distribution of the low frequencies (confirmed by the Velodyne PEQ's FR graph and my ears) with the large setting. The receivers Bass Management is set to LFE only and the Xover is 80Hz.

My question/concern is that if when the speakers are set to large, the full signal is sent to them regardless of the Xover setting and that I might damage the speakers when playing the system at high SPL's. Should I be concerned?

 

[RMK!]

I know that most “experts” recommend setting HT speakers to small in an HT application unless they are running large full range speakers. I have been playing with the large vs. small speaker settings on my Denon 3805. I have Monitor Audio GR 60 and GR 20 floor standers paired with a Velo DD-18 sub and find that I like setting both the fronts (GR60's) and rears (GR 20's) to the large setting much better. It seems I get a better more even distribution of the low frequencies (confirmed by the Velodyne PEQ's FR graph and my ears) with the large setting. The receivers Bass Management is set to LFE only and the Xover is 80Hz.

My question/concern is that if when the speakers are set to large, the full signal is sent to them regardless of the Xover setting and that I might damage the speakers when playing the system at high SPL's. Should I be concerned?

Update: I neglected to mention that the Denon is a pre processor only. The speakers are being driven by a Sunfire CG 400W 5 channel amp, so clipping is not likely.

 

[Audioholics]

Should I be concerned?

Probably not unless you hear clipping or distortion. Note: This is not a blanket statement so that you can play them so loud that they pop and you blame us. lol.

 

[RMK!]

Probably not unless you hear clipping or distortion. Note: This is not a blanket statement so that you can play them so loud that they pop and you blame us. lol.

Good to hear (no pun intended). Thanks

 

[pearsall001]

I also like my AAD 2001 monitors, AAD S3-C center, & Polk LSiFX surrounds all set to large w/ crossover set to 80. I tried both small & large setting & the sound on large really did it for me. They really blend well w/ the SVS 25-31PLUS sub. I have a NAD T773 receiver used as the prossesor & to power the surrounds. The center is powered by a Behringer A500 amp in bridged mono, & a VanAlstine OmegaStar440EX powering the mains.

 

[Geno]

I did the same with my setup after wading through all the posts on Audyssey EQ. I set my LFE to Mains + Sub, and really like the extra punch.

 

[gene]

know that most “experts” recommend setting HT speakers to small in an HT application unless they are running large full range speakers. I have been playing with the large vs. small speaker settings on my Denon 3805. I have Monitor Audio GR 60 and GR 20 floor standers paired with a Velo DD-18 sub and find that I like setting both the fronts (GR60's) and rears (GR 20's) to the large setting much better. It seems I get a better more even distribution of the low frequencies (confirmed by the Velodyne PEQ's FR graph and my ears) with the large setting. The receivers Bass Management is set to LFE only and the Xover is 80Hz.

My question/concern is that if when the speakers are set to large, the full signal is sent to them regardless of the Xover setting and that I might damage the speakers when playing the system at high SPL's. Should I be concerned?

You probably need to spend more time on optomizing your subwoofer placement and finding the right crossover frequency for your system. None of the speakers in your system are full range and by setting them large you are likely smoothing out a null but at the expense of doubling up bass at certain frequencies below the xover frequency. Check all of your primary seating areas to see if setting your speakers to large really did improve your systems bass response or if it was just limited to the money seat.

At loud listening levels you can suffer some dynamic range loss from your speakers if they are tasked to produce frequencies below 80Hz they aren't well suited for.

You may wish to consider adding a second sub to smooth out room modal response and again work on finding the right location for your sub, shifting your listening position away from the null, and using some passive room treatments to help out.

 

[RMK!]

You probably need to spend more time on optomizing your subwoofer placement and finding the right crossover frequency for your system. None of the speakers in your system are full range and by setting them large you are likely smoothing out a null but at the expense of doubling up bass at certain frequencies below the xover frequency. Check all of your primary seating areas to see if setting your speakers to large really did improve your systems bass response or if it was just limited to the money seat.

At loud listening levels you can suffer some dynamic range loss from your speakers if they are tasked to produce frequencies below 80Hz they aren't well suited for.

You may wish to consider adding a second sub to smooth out room modal response and again work on finding the right location for your sub, shifting your listening position away from the null, and using some passive room treatments to help out.

Gene,
You make some good points but I do not have other sub placement options in my family room HT. I have moved the sub as much as I can in the rear corner placement and the current location is the best compromise. My speakers are capable of significant output in the upper 20Hz region so an 80Hz Xover hardly seems too low. My original question that has not been answered is do I defeat this Xover by setting the speakers to large on the 3805?

Actually my goal all along has been to optimize the sound throughout the room, not just a sweet spot. Setting the speakers to large has given me the best FR across several seating positions in the room. I have considered adding another sub or upgrading but I am pretty near the top of the sub food chain with the DD-18. I believe adding another collocated sub would only provide more SPL and not do much re the rooms FR.

These are the compromises we make with our multi-use HT rooms. Overall I'm very happy with the current setup and just added a projector (AE900U from Visual Apex being a good site citizen ) and that is an interesting story that I will tell here once I'm finished with the install. Thanks again for your comments.

 

[gene]

You make some good points but I do not have other sub placement options in my family room HT. I have moved the sub as much as I can in the rear corner placement and the current location is the best compromise. My speakers are capable of significant output in the upper 20Hz region so an 80Hz Xover hardly seems too low. My original question that has not been answered is do I defeat this Xover by setting the speakers to large on the 3805?

Actually my goal all along has been to optimize the sound throughout the room, not just a sweet spot. Setting the speakers to large has given me the best FR across several seating positions in the room. I have considered adding another sub or upgrading but I am pretty near the top of the sub food chain with the DD-18. I believe adding another collocated sub would only provide more SPL and not do much re the rooms FR.

I am intimately familiar with your speakers and despite that they have output in the 20Hz range, they are NOT full range speakers. They cannot output high SPL's in the 20-40Hz range like good dedicated subwoofer can, nor are they supposed to. Yes if you set the speakers to large, the receiver will output fullrange to the speakers and thus will bypass the receivers bass management but the subwoofer output will still have the LPF engaged. You should use the LPF of the receiver and not your subwoofer to avoid filter cascading issues.

Its great that you have a solid sub, but 2 subs are always better than 1 and it goes far beyond providing more SPL in your room. I suggest reading many of the articles on our site on the benefits of multiple subs as well as the teachings of Dr. Toole. Its great to believe in things, but not so great when they are the wrong things. I would take 2 DD-12's properly placed in your room over 1 DD-18 any day of the week!

The Place for Bass - Subwoofer Calibration

HAA Level 1 Training - Course Overview

Bass Management Basics

Overall I'm very happy with the current setup and just added a projector (AE900U from Visual Apex being a good site citizen

Thanx for the support. Much appreciated!

 

[Nick250]

Gene,
You make some good points but I do not have other sub placement options in my family room HT. I have moved the sub as much as I can in the rear corner placement and the current location is the best compromise. My speakers are capable of significant output in the upper 20Hz region so an 80Hz Xover hardly seems too low. My original question that has not been answered is do I defeat this Xover by setting the speakers to large on the 3805?

I checked back to your original post and based on the description of your receiver settings your speakers are already set to large with the subwoofer inactive except for LFEs. The 3805 will not let you have a setting of LFE only and mains set to small, so they are large by default.

So to answer your question "do I defeat this Xover by setting the speakers to large on the 3805?" is that there is no crossover to defeat (except a possible 80Hz LFE crossover), the crossover is inactive except for LFEs and your speakers are set to large by default.

Nick

 

[RMK!]

Thanx for the support. Much appreciated!

You are welcome; your site is a valuable resource for those of us attempting to implement AV systems in our homes and thank you for the links to the articles.

After reading the articles I will experiment again with the 80/60 Xover and small speaker settings. Not much I can do about the room or the placement due to the space and WAF issues.

 

[rynberg]

I would not run those speakers as large! You are missing out on a lot of material and severely stressing your mains to boot (assuming you watch movies other than period dramas). Work on your sub integration better.

Either that or try to run LFE+Main in the sub channel. At least you won't be missing content, you'll just be stressing your mains.