Clearing Up Confusion On Bass Management & LFE On Your AV Receiver

[@BlaqViper]

After watching too many videos to try to understand LFE configurations, this is the first that kept it short, to the point and in plain English. Thank you.

[@Ibhenriksen]

Please listen to the entire video. I had bass issues until I finally understood what the LFE settings were on the receiver. You can do all of the room treatment in the world, subwoofer placement, bass adjustments on the sub. But if you don't understand the LFE sittings on your receiver, you just won't have the optimal bass. Either too much (boomy) or too little. (thin)

[@circrna]

This channel should be more popular.

[@gjman1972]

Great job I just finished setting up my system and running all the speaker wire (12 gauge) and I’m very happy and was glad to see you saying things I did. I have a Sony A90J and a Denon 3700H receiver. I have two Klipsch RP-8000F Towers along with two Dolby atoms R-41sa’s up on the wall on either side of the screen. I’m currently using the TV as a temporary center channel until I get my dedicated center speaker. Finally I have two RP-600m bookshelf speakers as the rear surround speakers. I set all the speakers to small and then set the crossovers to 20 above the frequency response and I’m using LFE + main. I’m still tinkering but it’s sounding pretty good so far.

[@CrochetNewsNetwork]

Really good video Gene. However you specifically ask for comments (which is good for KZbin algorithms) but I’m not seeing very many answers from you to questions. There are a lot of decent questions I wish I could read your response to as you are a brilliant guy. More cowbell please:-) aka more answers please

[@bommareddybrijendrareddy9301]

I like your T-shirt sir, besides as always loving the content and everything that you do in the AV world for us enthusiasts! In my personal opinion, it is safe to say that you are the beating heart of the AV consumer product reviews!

[@mwrightinsurance]

Perfect explanation/clarification! I like that you also talked about lowering the crossover, and when multi-sub is done properly is not the way to go. I did however do this when running a single sub to help with localization, lowered to 60 Hz and it seemed to smooth things out a bit.

[@xavdeman]

Exactly, if you don't have multi sub (unfortunately), but a single sub in maybe not an ideal location. Lowering the crossover helped me as well.

[@Cenkolino]

@@xavdeman But that is wrong. If you set your speakers to 80 you need to set the crossover to 80 as well. Otherwise you have a large gap of 20 hz between where the sub starts to roll off too early and your mains only go down to 80hz. The subwoofer crossover MUST match the cutoff range of your mains. You lose a lot of bass energy with that gap. 80 Hz is my cutoff too for subwoofers. Although some people argue you should set them to 120hz, which is imo way too high and makes the subwoofer easily "visible" to my ears. You should never be able to localize the subwoofer. That only means its placed vey badly or the crossover setting is too high.

[@xavdeman]

@@Cenkolino There is no serious main speaker made in the last decade that 'cuts off' above 60Hz. You can easily set the crossover to 60Hz, or even 40Hz (of course you limit the dynamic range somewhat because mains won't play as loud at 40 Hz as your subwoofer but most people don't listen at 100dB all the time anyway).

[@perrysmiles60]

@@xavdeman You lowered the crossover where...? Which speakers?

[@xavdeman]

@@perrysmiles60 Wharfedale EVO.

[@merwynvincent]

Waiting for this clarification for a long time!!!!

[@fredmccarroll3476]

I have a 7.2 Yamaha RX-V665 A/V receiver with a 7.1 Klipsch Synergy speaker system with F3s being the main front speakers. I purchased the system in 2012 and it is still going strong. The receiver has a 2 channel mode for listening to music but I never use it. I use the 7 channel Enhancer mode for music and movies. I always use the YPAO Optimizing mic for calibration of my speakers and sub. It seems to work for me and the easiest way to do it. I set the mic on a tripod and placed it in my listening seat at ear level. I also did the subwoofer crawl for my sub. But this was a nice video with lots of good info.

[@filmses]

I have never seen anyone know more than you guys. There are many reviewers who doesn’t even know half of your knowledge 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@fubartotale3389]

Not only am I confused about bass management, I have a Denon receiver so their owners manual has me confused about where babies come from!

[@electronash]

Well, when a Denon and Marantz receiver love eachother VERY VERY much... they spawn extra speaker outputs. lol

[@gabrield8902]

Babies come from their mother's belly. 😂

[@marct9587]

Thank you, Gene! For your comments about running large speakers full range. I have very large towers for my front mains, and mid size towers for my surrounds. I like to run both the front L/R and surrounds full range because I only have one sub(on the front wall by the mains). I can hear tremendous bass coming from my front L/R speakers and also from the surrounds behind me. If I crossed those speakers over at 80Hz, I would lose a lot of that and all that bass would be coming from my one sub. Now, before you tell me to run more subs, know that this system is in our family room and I am doing well from a WAF factor to have even my one sub. Of course, I am sending the LFE channel to the sub. I have experimented with my center speaker( which is pretty good sized) between setting it to LARGE and SMALL, but I have not yet settled on a preference.

[@ricktaylor27]

Wrong , If you set your front speakers to large and use the LFE + Main setting your front speakers get the full range regardless of crossover setting . You set the crossover of the front speakers to 80HZ then the sub will play everything below 80Hz . Your fronts will still get the full range .

[@garym6843]

​@ricktaylor27 What happens when L/R are set to small and LFE+Main is engaged?

[@K24Dryvr]

As someone who runs DefTech BP9080x's for LCR and BP8060's for Rear L&R with x2 HSU VTF-15H Mk2's this is exactly what I've been looking for! I could never find information where someone clarified this specific setup until now and it turns out I setup mine correctly at least for LFE+Main :P Thanks!

[@number1pappy]

I was literally just doing a Google search for this very topic! Your video popped up. I'm running my large tower mains as full range. For two reasons....one , audyssey keeps setting my mains as full range. Two....it just sounds better to me. Lol! Anyways I was looking for an answer as to what to do with the settings. Your advice to run bass management, LFE+Mains sounds good to me. Thank you so much 🙂

[@ScarletEyeMoon]

Thx Gene, I'm still running an Old Onkyo HT-RC430 1080P, and it displays LFE+Main as Double Bass and in the manual doesn't really explain what to do and how to set it, so thank you for this explanation. I watched this other video where this guy explains how to set the crossover in your AV receiver and the crossover on the sub itself. He said some interesting things like how you don't want them set the same. I know I got some old ass equipment but my TV still works great, I can't wait to upgrade though but I'll wait till it totally dies.

[@seriouslyaye]

Much appreciated Gene. Glad to have this finally cleared up. I'm going to change my settings now

[@chrishewitt5826]

Thank you! I was just stumbling through this setting on my Marantz for my new speakers

[@bigcrackrock]

80Hz was the way to go for all of my past setups but there's a clear difference on my current one with 50Hz sounding a lot fuller. The problem is I'll listen to music for 15-20 minutes or be half way through a movie sometimes and realize I didn't even even turn on the amp for my subs. My floor speakers are all Solstice "DIY" speakers from PE set to small.

[@audiofrik]

Excellent video. This video answers all the questions I had. Thanks.

[@christopherwilson6825]

Hi Gene that is great clarification 👍 I know your busy , but can you a video on avr's and connecting to amplifier and how to set them both. If you have the time. Thanks Gene keep it up .

[@nickdavis8652]

It amazes me how poor of a job the manufacturers do of explains some of the more important features of their products. Thanks for a clear explanation.

[@JesusMartinez-mk6fc]

Great video Gene. Contains really usefull clarifications on a topic that is often murky.

[@josephfranzen5626]

Hey Gene, I’ve followed the site and KZbin channel for years now and I’ve found that even when I’ve used full range towers, some with integrated powered subs, for home theater crossing everything over in my specific room sounds best at 80hz. I’m currently using Mirage HDT-F’s for LCR and HDT surrounds with 4 Mirage OMD-5’s for heights. My subs consist of a pair of Mirage BPS-400’s and SVS SB1000’s in an L shaped room. Using REW and MiniDSP 2x4HD I’ve been able to determine 80hz is indeed the optimal crossover setting and have -/+2dB from 17hz-180hz. Your videos pertaining to multisub setup and the series you did on bass with Anthony Gramaini were instrumental in getting me to where I am today! Keep it up man!

[@izzymonsanto9460]

This information made me subscribe to your channel. I've been watching you for a while, but this question was always on my mind. I have a pair of vintage ADS 1980 loud speakers a huge woofer and 2 tweeters. I love the full sound of the speaker set to large in 2 channel audio but I was running them small with 2 subs. My Yamaha v6a has the extra bass feature which I love, but until you recommend that I use the extra bass feature I was reluctant to use it. Thanks for the info you gain a new subscriber. You guys rock.

[@martinolson761]

Appreciate you Gene! I've got a pair of REL T9X's arriving in a couple days....Psyched to integrate them into my system. B&W 803's in the front (set to large) and 805's in the rear (set to small)...Rotel 1095 multi channel power amp with a Marantz AV7703 processer. I'll hook up the RELs with the High Lever connection to the Mains connection on the ROTEL....LFE to the Marantz....after properly breaking them in I can't wait to listen to my Genesis SACD's with that house shaking low extension bass pedals!....if you ever get to the SF area, LMK...we'll go to gym and lift, come home and grill some steaks and listen to Peter G. and the boys.....cheers.

[@TheAlifurqan]

The only video giving you precise answer to a precise question... Loved it. I've boggled with this setting (sub/main, main, sub) on my sony avr for 3 years and now I know what i want to do with it. Which is, all speakers SMALL 80Hz crossover and Sub/Main.

[@bingobaz6402]

What do you set the actual sub to?

[@texeast8680]

Thanks for the video. I have a Yamaha RXA-3080 I use with my Klipsch front main towers that can go down to 32 HZ along with a Klipsch center channel, Klipsch 14 inch sub woofer and rear surround speakers. So for multi channel playback with the Yamaha AV I have set all my speakers to small with a crossover of 80 HZ and I set the sub woofer to LFE. When I want to use 2 channel playback from my turntable and cd player I use the front pre-amp jacks connected to my 2 channel Mcintosh MAC-7200 that is actually connected to my Klipsch front main towers and I use a different Klipsch 15 inch sub woofer where I do not use the LFE setting but rather I set the crossover to 45 HZ. The Mcintosh has a home theater pass thru function and this allows me to share the front main towers with both receivers. When I want to watch movies or listen to multi channel audio I turn on the Yamaha which is connected to the Mcintosh with a trigger cable and both receivers power on and the Yamaha powers all the speakers except the front mains where the Mcintosh handles them. When I want to playback 2 channel music only I just turn on the Mcintosh by itself and it only drives the front mains from 45 Hz and above and the 14 inch subwoofer handles all the bass below 45 HZ. This setup is more expensive but I find it to work so much better because AV receivers cannot match the 2 channel playback of a dedicated 2 channel amp like the Mcintosh MAC 7200.

[@jazzman9469]

Hello, thank you for the video. Question, I have the Bower & Wilkins ASW608WH 8" subwoofer. The question is, I can barely tell I have a subwoofer working. I have it setup with my 9.1 Atmos surround system, but for the life of me I can't get that deep base. Do I have the wrong subwoofer (space is an issue is why I have the 8")? I have the B&W series 700 center channel and bookshelf speakers followed up with 6 of the B&W M1 speakers all running off my Denon 11.2 receiver. I was playing an Allman Brothers bluray DVD called All My Friends and I had great sound through the speakers, but barely anything from the subwoofer. Then when I started playing with the dials in the back of the sub, all I was really getting was static and a weird cracking sound. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

[@libation14221]

Thanks Gene.....My Yamaha YPAO RX-v479 changes the speaker settings on my Klipsch towers to large and bookshelf surrounds to large but leaves the center Klipsch to small. Sets the crossover to 100 and places my SB3000 18 feet away. Sub is actually about 14 feet. Weird. so I changed the speakers all to small but did not change anything else. I'm just starting to learn REW to further fine tune the bass and find your videos super informative. Thanks again.

[@mrronenza]

Great Video ! According to all details ( In video and replies ) I'm a bit confused. Can you please explain in SIMPLE WORDS what is : LFE+MAIN or LFE , When to use each of them ? Thanks.

[@mohandeventhiran5314]

Thanks for making these short videos Gene. 👍🏼

[@giuseppevitucci4641]

Gene, Grazie mille!. Much appreciate your expertise. It has been very helpful with finishing of basement. I added in wiring for four subs, two front two back per your recommendations. For now I plan to "decouple"the subs of my Def-Tech towers running them + the rear subs, Velodyne through a Mini DSP for bass management. Again, Thank you.

[@isaacsykes3]

Thanks Gene, but I do really wish you would have included those of us that have powered subs in our towers.

[@K24Dryvr]

Watch it again, I believe he does. I also run 4 subbed towers with 2 dedicated subs.

[@brainguynyc8729]

@@K24Dryvr where? Time stamp?

[@K24Dryvr]

@@brainguynyc8729 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYGkZ6esp9arbKM I interpreted him saying "full range towers" as towers like mine (bp9080x front & bp8060 rear) with "subs" in the tower as this. Maybe I am misunderstanding on second thought as all 4 of these towers and even my 9080 center channel have LFE inputs on them that I'm not using. Maybe ​​Gene can elaborate on this specific setup as I think you and I are in the same boat.

[@shaneducholke364]

With powered subs in your towers, connect your LFE channel to the sub and it will disconnect it from the speaker cable signal. Then set your speakers to small and it is like you added two additional subs to your system. When I finally figured this out, the bass sounded way better at all the seating positions. It can also give you more flexibility to positioning your other subs, especially of you have 2 or more as you can have dual subs in front and rear ( as long as your tower subs have decent output and gets down to around 20 Hz Powered towers like this used as rear speakers sound amazing with dual subs up front either in the corners or 25% in from each corner

[@busdriver850]

Thank you. Didn't realize what this meant. My Yamaha receivers manual just says the extra bass boost the amount of bass output but didn't explain what was going on. I listen to music in two channel , I went in and set my fronts to large and put on the extra bass. Much better bass sound. Fuller and more even bass sound in the room. Luckily I can save two speaker sets , so I can keep all my settings separate for movies and music.

[@donlew8222]

This rabbit hole goes deep.

[@francisking5164]

I am using my sub on a 2 channel system (only) and the bass that I enjoy is only a helper to reach down that 1 octave. The speakers I have do not have so much energy below 50Hz even tho they are rated for 40Hz My room is 20ft deep and 12 feet W. by 8ft. My experience has been that when I added the sub, my high frequency improved in clarity and fullness.

[@sutraleticsssutraleticss5001]

For LFE + MAIN what crossover do you use for fronts that are set to Large? Do you still go with 80hz?

[@galactusgalan4233]

I have an older Denon 3805 I am still rocking. If I set the front to Large and sub to LFE, i DO get bass from the sub? Changing to LFE plus Main doesn’t seem to change anything. FYI I am speaking for 2 channel music. Am I crazy? Not that it should matter but speakers are Psb status gold sub svs pc13ultra….

[@victormuriel7266]

Hopefully this will answer my questions. 👍🏼

[@donaldgervais1836]

Noticed your LPF set to 120. Everything I've read suggests 70 to 80. What am I missing?

[@darrenkeogh3321]

Excellent as always Gene 👍🏼

[@yogabyaakaash]

For pure cinema purpose only, would LFE + Bass would be a good idea, having large towers?

[@andynonimuss6298]

I'm still confused. If your subwoofer crossover is set to 80Hz and the typical LFE (Low Frequency Effects) are coming out as 120Hz or less... how does the LFE properly come across when the subwoofer is ONLY taking on 80Hz or less?

[@mauricecatayan3406]

I guess you will have to set both high pass for your mains and low pass for your sub at 120Hz then, if you favor 120Hz LFE from your sub rather than "regular" 120Hz from your mains.

[@sjsphotog]

Good tips. Common sense but many don't know this. Thanks.

[@briguy6868]

Ya I have 2 polk hts 12 sub with plus polka s60 towers using off plus main at 80Hz. Had the ausessy program set the receiver set up the entire home theater set up and it all sounds amazing! Plus I'd like to fine tune it up with spl soon. Thanks for all the home theater advice Gene! Especially the review you did awhile back on denons x8500ha well the h model anyway. After watching that video yup I was sold and it's a totally awesome avr.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Does LFE + Main do anything when all speakers are set to small & SW Yes?

[@Lowkey_nxthxn]

Yes you can set your speakers to small and set the subwoofer to LFE+main

[@ShamuXEagleDriver]

That set of settings is allowed, but results in no difference from "LFE" only. "LFE + Main" only routes additional bass signal (a copy) to the sub from speakers set to Large (generally the L/R in actual practice).

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

@@ShamuXEagleDriver That's what I always thought, and if it is in fact accurate, then I think Denon should design it so that LFE+Main is un-selectable when all speakers are set to small.

[@aboltabol73]

@@ThunderStruckMTB your are absolutely right! When setting all speakers to small, there is no point keeping the subwoofer mode selectable as LFE or LFE+Main!! -It's just meaningless. Denon/marantz definitely should modify the setting through a firmware update.

[@ShamuXEagleDriver]

Great idea ThunderStruck, sure would alleviate a LOT of confusion!

[@itsJoshW]

Going to be honest. Tries this "Set all speakers to small" thing. It basically just made my Polk XT20's sound like they're from a 1950's radio era and my 8" sub just sounded like it was taking the "punch" it typically has and brought it to be more muted. It felt like there was "Less bass".

[@pa420]

Thank you for this clarification Gene, you're awesome! I've been debating this topic in different forums for quite a while. I currently have 2 Martin Logan Dynamo 1100X subs and AV10 preamp. B&W 702 S3 mains, so I have it set on LFE + Main and crossover at 80hz. My question is what should the Crossovers be for my Center Channel which is also a B&W 700 series, and my surrounds, B&W bookshelf speakers?? Thanks in advance!

[@tahirhameed-mth1530]

I am using Kodi and setting for stereo upmix to 5.1 give me awesome sound with large speakers and LFE only. AVR recognized it as multi channel PCM 5.1. It likes a punch to your body.

[@Analyzer52]

Do you know that kodi will do 5.1 and atmos when setup correctly so you don't need to upmix with a good source from real debrid.

[@MikeMargolis-j8f]

My 5.1 system is only used for multichannel cinema content - as such, I always keep my front Polk RTi12 towers to 60Hz because they're huge and I want them to be able to "flex their muscles" a little alongside my sub. The other channels - center and in-ceiling surrounds - are kept at 80, with LPF of LFE on 120Hz. I have always kept Double Bass off (with Onkyo AVRs) and used LFE (with my current Denon), not LFE + Main.

[@sawolaja65]

Hi Gene. Firstly thank you for this video. This is a topic that's been on my mind as I'm new to the hobby of audiophile. I've recently purchased the Marantz cinema 50 as I'm building a home cinema set up around it. I have two good quality front tower speakers from Piega and two smaller satellites. My question to you is: should I set all my speakers to small, set the subwoofer up on the Marantz as LFE only and the crossover points of all speakers and sub to 80Hz? I'm also going to put another sub diagonally opposite the first, in the back left corner of the cinema room. There's a setting in the Marantz AVR when you go from one sub to two/three or max to four that becomes available: should I select standard or directional for the SUB output settings in this case? Love your channel keep up the great work.

[@nomorepictures7673]

What setting do you recommend for lfe crossover setting, after calibration it’s on 120hz

[@Rockhurst22]

Great video. I wish Sound United would put these details on the GUI screen when switching settings. It shouldn’t be that hard for them as it is just text and they have plenty of room for the details.

[@Audioholics]

in their defense, nobody makes this stuff clear in their GUI's.

[@gregarioussolitudinist5695]

thank you, clicked all the correct boxes as requested.

[@mikekershaw2433]

Great info. One area I don't think you are considering is the quality of the towers vs. The sub(s). I have RP-8000s and 2 R-12SWs. Movies are great, but music with the LFE+main the sound stage just collapses to the left and right speakers. Bass is only slightly better and the listening experience has less impact. For a lot of music with no bass below 40hz you can't even tell the bass changes. A lesser sub detracts from the listening experience if you don't have subs at the same level as the mains.

[@riverwarts9084]

Man I'm struggling with my new reciever an this exact setup. Recently purchased a Denon, have the RP8000's for L/R, RP504c center, RP5000's as sides an 600m's for my rears all paired with two 12SW's. My problem is mother of God the bass is heavy an very present even at low volumes. All speakers set to small an crossovers at 80hz, my subs in the Denon are set to just LFE/120hz an dialed all the way back to -12.0db! Where have I gone wrong here?

[@Foreverjazzfan]

You need to adjust the speaker levels. They should be 75DB matched across your system. I run my subs at 78DB and the same for my center channel. Placement is also crucial. Should be 8-12 inches away from the wall and not exactly in a corner. Set the gain on the subs to 50% and test their level with an SPL meter. Then, in the tuner turn all the extra add-ons to the off position. Now you’re ready to tune your speakers.

[@Foreverjazzfan]

I should also mention. People don’t understand how to adjust the speaker level. You need to turn the volume all the way up to 0DB, which is reference level. That is how you correctly. Adjust the speakers to the 75 DB placement.

[@ganesang5537]

The term "double bass" clears up a lot of confusion. That's used in Onkyo and Pioneer AFAIK. Mine has it and I toggle it on when listening in stereo, with crossover set to 80hz.

[@philwinster1922]

Great advice, as always.

[@jmmontegnies9311]

Thank you Gene for this very intereting clarification. To be sure , does the setting "LFE + Main" only work when you listen to 2 channel content or are the bass "copied" on the subs in multicannel configurations too (5.1, 7.1 etc). Thank you once more for your fantastic vids.

[@Audioholics]

Bass is always copied from the mains set large to the subs if you use this setting for all modes of operation. The only way bass from the other channels go to the subs is IF you set them to small.

[@jmmontegnies9311]

@@Audioholics Thank you very much

[@circrna]

@@Audioholics Important point.

[@Wootts007]

Extremely helpful 👍👍👍👍 thanks

[@MiccaPhone]

Meanwhile Denon (X*800H series) has introduced the additional optional possibility to route LFE to front main speakers. The OSD includes meaningful drawings that are virtually self-explanatory.

[@chrisd6736]

Thanks. I still get confused on this stuff.

[@alessandropepe1381]

Thanks for your knowledge and time as usual! Quick question . If my front speakers can go down to 45 hz ( surrounds also are towers) should I set their crossover to 60 instead of 80 ? Or do you still recommend a 80 hz crossover regardless ?

[@Audioholics]

In most cases 80hz is the right setting. Most speakers don't have significant output at the last half octave of bass even if rated to play down that low.

[@alessandropepe1381]

@@Audioholics 10-4. I will do that. Thanks for getting back to me! You are the best!

[@alessandropepe1381]

Actually they go down to 32 hz ,,but im still set crossover to 80.

[@shaneducholke364]

Question: since you are setting speakers to small, does it make sense to buy a larger bookshelf or smaller towers that are 2.5 way for your main speaker? I only listen to movies and it seems a waste to buy $5-$8k towers of youbare just going to set them up as small

[@aardvarkansaw]

Thanks for the video. I have two subwoofer phono outputs on my elderly Onkyo TX-SR500 5.1 A/V

[@khairulamilin9687]

hi , im using this setup . i find it better to set towers to large and lfe+main. the bass is louder n better, its like having multiple sub pumping at your face.

[@mohamedahmed1023]

I run powered front studio monitors with 8" woofers. These are set to small with an 80Hz crossover. I then have two 12" subs set to LFE+main at 80Hz.

[@garethmorris2042]

Hi Gene - If I use LFE + Main for 2 channel music listening (could keep it on for movies as well). Is there any difference for having my front L/R set to large or small if I keep the crossover consistent and set to 80hz?

[@frankloaf9510]

Nice Revel speakers in the background

[@cgm246]

Gene, has this changed with the 800 series denons and new marantz models? Are the same settings applied or has it changed?

[@johndennis3181]

I have my mains set to large and my REL subs are connected with hi level and LFE

[@monroethegreat7539]

Have have the Denon AVR-X3700H, I am running 11ch, I purchased the 5ch Rotel 1585 External Amplifier, Off the External amplifier am running my Center speaker, My front LR and my Front LR Surrounds, I notice in my Pre out section I only see The from LR speakers highlighted Preout not my Center and from Surrounds speakers, Not sure what am doing wrong.

[@Edward135i]

Gene if i'm using a MiniDSP to do all of my crossovers and EQing, should I set the LPF for LFE to 250hz?

[@Analyzer52]

Any over 120hz will be fine to keep it from messing with your subs. Not much bass at 250hz but having it hight won't affect anything. Having it below 120hz and you will lose bass and you don't want that.

[@cemsengul16]

I can not find LPF for LFE on my Yamaha Aventage receiver.

[@marcgoldstein2957]

MOST USEFUL! Techno Dad suggested lowering towers to 60khz and....the sub just wasn't kicking in unless it super low frequencies were present. And the JBL towers are no subwoofers, and Extra Bass (on Yamaha) is just that: extra UMPH with no definition. Thanks for righting a great wrong!

[@mortenhennyng-heckmann7856]

Hi Gene! Just wanted to start out with saying that I really appreciate your videos, especially since I kind of a noob. I have an SR8015, front speakers set to small in order for the sub to kick in. Do you recommend the LFE+Main (If so what frequency should i set it to, default is 120Hz) Or should I just have the speaker settings as is, small?? I am using an Arendal 1723 1V sub. Sorry if this seems like a dumb question!

[@michael-4k4000]

Hey Gene, is using one ported sub and one sealed sub ok to do?

[@ZiadCh]

Thx for the video on this topic. Why my bass is too loud, it shakes the entire floor? I have a 12inch sub.

[@ddcrocky3831]

So LFE+MAIN with speakers set to small is ok providing I also have a subwoofer

[@MrPninja]

Now at the back of my subs, the have LFE and hertz as well what do I set the back of my subs at

[@mikeschannel-85]

I have a new Sony ES3000…but I don’t see an LFE + Main setting or an equivalent. Do you know what it’s called on this Sony?

[@pablosarti1216]

Hello! Thanks for the video. I have Dali zensor 7 and also Dali vokal centre speakers. I just bought a Dali E12 subwoofer. Should I set all speakers to small and crossover set at 80 on the receiver and on the subwoofer? Thanks!

[@welderfixer]

Hi Professor D! Gene, would you kindly tell us how best to set the distance/timing of a sub. I have mine set a couple of feet further away from the mains in the AVR. I did that to remove the boomy bass. Now it seems to blend well with the mains and is "tighter". Thanks a million for all that you do for us!!

[@D1Calderon]

Thanks for the clarification Gene. Klipsch RF7 IIIs and SVS SB 16 Ultra for my mains. Will LFE+Main be good for music this way or just 80HZ + Sub or Full Range 2Ch no sub for music?

[@brainguynyc8729]

Does this also apply to built in powered subs like def tech and golden ear?

[@curtissanjenko285]

Yes, looking for your thoughts on this Gene. I have from main as GE triton ones, and have two Martin Logan subs I’m using in rear of theatre. The GE have powered amps for low end….so question is : do I run speaker line into tritons snd run large/full range snd an RCA cable from Sub out of receiver to my rear subs? Or, if I split signal from sub out, and run rca into tritons ( like a front sub) and set AVR to small as well as the split rca low freq to rear subs? And in this case, should I leave cross over at 80 hz? Just feels like I’m not using full potential of powered tritons if running them as “ small” front mains , but are they good enough to use them as a front subwoofer , if sending LFE to them? And yes, in two channel stereo, my subs do not come on? ( onkyo AVR) which means I am not using the tritons powered sub channel at all, snd low end is very lacking in two channel stereo music . ( only using the mid range in the tritons ). I’m very confused on how to maximize sound quality/bass with all this horsepower and quality . I am currently running LFE from AVR to tritons and rear subs, all speakers set to small, and have good bass for movies, but two channel stereo is weak. I don’t see a setting for LFE + Main on my AVR. Disclaimer- by playing with settings in my ML rear subs, ( phase, volume, etc) I’ve lucked out with minimal cancellation and such and yes, have a mini dsp 4/2 on order to tweak it, but it’s not bad as is. Just feel I’m not using potential of tritons. Thanks for anything you can suggest in connecting the tritons in best way possible , and suggested settings. Love the channel snd keep up the great practical use posts!

[@joshfoss7407]

That's a bummer about the LFE+Mains setting on the Denon. I was hoping to use my towers (Tekton DI) as a multisub solution to smooth out my bass response. I was actually able to do that with my previous pioneer receiver setup because everything came from a PC and routed to the receiver as Stereo. My Room EQ graphs were quite a bit cleaner below 100HZ after calibration & Peace EQ with that configuration. Now I route through an NVIDIA Shield, with a Denon x3700h, so I'm probably going to lose the faux-multisub and the system-wide EQ. That was the tradeoff for Dolby Vision and a generally better video experience. Could I merge the LFE if I passed PCM to the receiver or would it maintain or drop the .1?

[@izzymonsanto9460]

Should run the speakers small with extra bass. Or large with extra bass? Small with extra sounds good.

[@fv7584]

Hello great video, so i am running Kef 105/3 and SVS SB2000 sub. My question is what is the best way to hook up the sub.

[@anandshah71]

Very important point clarified thank you. I am trying to explore a full range 3 way or 4 way tower in stereo that should satisfy my hunger for music snd movies. I don’t want surrounds and sub boxes

[@redkh2017]

On my denon 4400 reciever, there is a different crossover setting for multi channels and 2 channels

[@desipetrolhead]

Hi Gene. I have a pioneer vsx lx51 avr. I am unable to find this feature of LFE + Main together. Can you guide me how to enable this feature with my avr. Thanks

[@NURU-dm8cc]

I was using LFE+ MAIN, and every time an explosion scene, subwoofer would cut off, ,iso I set to LFE now it won't cut off

[@JoeWilly69]

Hey Gene, so if I set to large for the front towers then just turn the settings to lfe and main? And that won't have a bad affect on the rest of my system 7.2 ? Thnx Gene, long time listener, love you videos

[@maze400]

Thanks for this video. One thing it cleared up is LFE does not go to the mains, ever. If my fronts and center measure down to 35hz where should I set their crossovers to? Sub (LFE) is set to 120hz. If my three front speakers are set to 70hz that would mean they roll off there and the sub handles the bass? This would be easier on the amp because the sub is powered, right? But, if the three fronts are able to drive down lower than the 70hz crossover would that not be better? Say setting the front pair to 40hz and keeping the center at 70hz? Or would it be best to keep the front three the same since they (all three) measure down to 35hz?

[@vishalmudliyar3737]

My DN8 gives red light sometimes and doesn't work...its stopped working suddenly.

[@pa420]

Gene, thank you for your clarification. I have the same processor as you, the Morantz AV 10. I cannot find a setting in any menu to change the speakers from large to small? just the subwoofer setting for LFE +main [which I have set currently]. I currently have 2 Martin Logan 1100X Dynamo subs and my two main fronts are Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3. I hope you can clarify and confirm what settings I should use as well as the crossover settings. Thank you so much. Love your channel!! Phil

[@JohnSmith-qi6co]

Denon for sure (and I think Marantz) got rid of the lame small/large terminology in their menus. Now we have frequencies and crossovers specified.

[@smanuta]

Integra drx 4.3, how did you setup the front speakers = full or small and extra bass function

[@DCfocal]

Have you tried and tested the REL 3D approach? They recommend attaching a min of three subs all set full range. One for the LR, one for the centre and one for the rear. All connected high levels. The LR sub and the rear also have LFE simultaneously connected. They have a variation where the LR and the rear sub are run with their HT series of subs so rca only. But I believe still with low level input and LFE.

[@Sc2God724]

Rel 3d works very good when you run a sub on high level you have to have your speakers set to large if not you won't get proper sound but it works best with 5 subs two life subs one in back one up front and 1 subs for left 1 for right 1 for center run everything set to large and you could crank the gain super high since your sub will only being doing 40hz and lower

[@angussmall]

What about the typical recommendation I hear to plug your bass ports when crossing over towers as small at 80hz. Is that even still necessary if it’s crossed over at 80hz?

[@GenX_US_Marine]

What's your outake on the dynamic compression setting in a Marantz receiver. I have the 1711 and I don't know if I should set the dynamic compression setting. If I leave it off I have to crank up the volume to get any volume. If I set it to low I don't have to turn it up that loud.

[@johngaines8791]

Thanks much. Which Revels are those?

[@junior-OG]

f328be

[@johngaines8791]

@@junior-OG Thanks brah!