Sub Settings

[cuse4284]

I'm trying to figure out the best crossover setting to set my subwoofer at but am having a hard time figuring everything out. I've heard that most are set at 80Hz which keeps the bass non directional. Problem for me is that my receiver has xover settings of 100, 150, and 200 Hz. My subwoofer has an adjustable high cut between 50 and 150 Hz. I was thinking of setting my front speakers to small and having my receiver cross over at 100 Hz and my sub cut at 80Hz. But then i thought that i would be missing out on any frequencies between 80-100 Hz. So the other thing i was thinking was to set my front speakers to large, which i know isn't recommended when hooking up a sub (but my mains are decent, down to 45Hz with 8" cones). Then setting the crossover on the receiver to 100 or 150 to keep the surrounds from working too much and then setting the sub crossover down around 80Hz. This seems to be the best option to me since my mains can handle most of the bass at higher frequencies when the sound is directional and then when it dips below 80 my sub can kick in so as not to be placeable. Although the mains would still be trying to produce bass, the sub would mostly overshadow this. Anyways, i was just seeing if anyone had any input into my little dilemma and any suggestions.

 

[mfabien]

Suggest you first try:

- All speakers to small
- Receiver set to 100 Hz crossover

and see the results. My receiver has a fixed crossover at 90 Hz and the SVS remains omnidirectional.

If not satisfied with the above and you do what you are planning, you could set your mains to Large and the LFE to both Mains and sub. You then set the sub's crossover to 80 Hz. Once this is done, you may find the sub out of phase with the Mains in which case you should set the phase at 180 (instead of 0) and experiment from there. Use of an Avia DVD would help.

Others with more experience should provide good answers for you. The sub's manufacturer should also be addressed with your issue.

 

[zumbo]

I'm trying to figure out the best crossover setting to set my subwoofer at but am having a hard time figuring everything out. I've heard that most are set at 80Hz which keeps the bass non directional. Problem for me is that my receiver has xover settings of 100, 150, and 200 Hz. My subwoofer has an adjustable high cut between 50 and 150 Hz. I was thinking of setting my front speakers to small and having my receiver cross over at 100 Hz and my sub cut at 80Hz. But then i thought that i would be missing out on any frequencies between 80-100 Hz. So the other thing i was thinking was to set my front speakers to large, which i know isn't recommended when hooking up a sub (but my mains are decent, down to 45Hz with 8" cones). Then setting the crossover on the receiver to 100 or 150 to keep the surrounds from working too much and then setting the sub crossover down around 80Hz. This seems to be the best option to me since my mains can handle most of the bass at higher frequencies when the sound is directional and then when it dips below 80 my sub can kick in so as not to be placeable. Although the mains would still be trying to produce bass, the sub would mostly overshadow this. Anyways, i was just seeing if anyone had any input into my little dilemma and any suggestions.

Your thinking is right on. Try both. Go with the one you find works best.

 

[annunaki]

Unfortunately your receiver does not give you many options. I would suggest, to start, setting all the speakers to small, then setting the subwoofer's crossover to it's highest frequency. Evaluate the performance. Is the bass location very noticable? The next option would be to set all the speakers to small and the subwoofer at 80hz. Again, evaluate the performance, take notes if neccessary. The third option would be to set the front speakers to large, run the speaker wires to the subwoofer (from the receiver) and from the subwoofer to the speakers. This only works if your subwoofer has "high level inputs". This would allow you to use the subwoofer's crossover. The rest of your speakers would be set to small in the receiver's menu.

Note: Crossovers in receivers and subwoofers are not brick wall filters. They roll off frequency response starting at the frequency indicated. For instance, if your receiver crosses your speakers over at 100hz, at 80 hz the sound would only be about -5db less than at 100hz. (Most receivers roll off frequency response at 12db per octave. 50hz to 100hz represents one octave as does 100hz-200hz, 200hz-400hz and so on) The same goes for your subwoofer. If it is crossed over at 80hz it will be about -3db at 100hz. In this instance you should be fine setting all speakers to small and the subwoofer at 80hz. The sub would make up for the dip in response from the speakers being crossed over at 100hz.

I hope this helps and is not too confusing.

 

[cuse4284]

annunaki:
The third option would be to set the front speakers to large, run the speaker wires to the subwoofer (from the receiver) and from the subwoofer to the speakers. This only works if your subwoofer has "high level inputs". This would allow you to use the subwoofer's crossover. The rest of your speakers would be set to small in the receiver's menu.


I'm a little confused by this. I have my sub connected to my receiver by a mono cable that connects to the sub pre out on my receiver and the left channel on my sub (don't have a y adapter and the sub lists the L channel as the mono input). In this instance does that mean that the high cut control on my sub wouldn't have any impact on the frequencies coming in. I have the high level inputs on my sub, but i went with the interconnect cable because i heard that in almost all cases it produces better sound. Shouldn't the subwoofer high cut filter the frequenices no matter what input is being used?

 

[annunaki]

annunaki:
The third option would be to set the front speakers to large, run the speaker wires to the subwoofer (from the receiver) and from the subwoofer to the speakers. This only works if your subwoofer has "high level inputs". This would allow you to use the subwoofer's crossover. The rest of your speakers would be set to small in the receiver's menu.


I'm a little confused by this. I have my sub connected to my receiver by a mono cable that connects to the sub pre out on my receiver and the left channel on my sub (don't have a y adapter and the sub lists the L channel as the mono input). In this instance does that mean that the high cut control on my sub wouldn't have any impact on the frequencies coming in. I have the high level inputs on my sub, but i went with the interconnect cable because i heard that in almost all cases it produces better sound. Shouldn't the subwoofer high cut filter the frequenices no matter what input is being used?

In the "third option" you would NOT use the sub cable. It would be speaker wire from the receiver to the sub, and from the sub to the speakers. The subwoofer's crossover would definitely be in use here. It would be doing all of the crossover duties for the front speakers and the sub itself. the subwoofer's crossover is low pass meaning it only passes low frequencies and cut out high frequencies. None of this matters though unless you sub has "high level inputs" which would look like speaker connections on the back of the sub. I would suggest my second option as the one to choose in this case.

Again, I hope this helps you out.

 

[mwheelerk]

The First Thing

Does your sub have a "by-pass" setting for the crossover? If so you should use the by-pass setting on your sub. If you leave the sub crossover set and you are also using the crossover on your receiver you are sending your audio signal through a double filtering and could be degrading your signal. If your sub does not have a "by-pass" or "defeat" mode turn the level up to its highest level. As far as your receiver goes you are stuck with the 100hz setting. However if you set your main speakers to large and your main speakers are capable of reproducing down to at least 100hz (and regardless of your speakers I would assume they would go down to at least 50hz) you really lose nothing and you maintain use of use of your bass management via your receiver.

As far as "directionality" goes at 100hz it could be somewhat dependent on your overall system but I doubt it would be noticeable.

Good Luck