Setting the AV Receiver Crossover, 80Hz?

[@frankeezee]

As I upgrade my sound system, I want to upgrade my knowledge. As I upgrade my knowledge, I come to this channel. Thank you!

[@elongatuspiranha]

Hey Gene, don't lose Matt. Love these discussions!

[@jamesproudlove1527]

Hi you two. Thank you for the indepth discussion of crossover for high quality HI-Fi AVR & speaker systems. But, I'm just a elderly guy who has a passion for HI-FI Stereo & 5.1 surround for Blu-ray DVD Collection. My speakers are book shelf size SONY 6ohms for left & right channel, a SONY Centre speaker, 8ohms & SONY rear speakers 4ohms, playing through a Pioneer AV RECEIVER. I have set the crossover for 80herts as you suggested, using the wee microphone to set the parameters for my listening room. The microphone set the crossover at 120herts, but, I manually changed it to 80herts at your suggestion. Can I say wow, what a difference the sound stage is expansive & clear. You can pinpoint the instruments in the orchestra or band. The vocals of the singers clear & crisp. Thank you for the help your channel provides for old timers as such as myself to enjoy

[@frankenstudio22]

I just added my 2nd Subwoofer, I have followed your recommendation of setting my speakers to SMALL then dialing the crossover on the Subs and the receiver.. WOW! Great Sound! Music and Movies sound amazing! Thank you Audioholics!

[@DEEJAYKLONE]

Franken Studio what settings are they?

[@frankenstudio22]

@@DEEJAYKLONE - In my Yamaha configuration screen (I believe many receivers have an option like this) I can select Speakers and set them to large or small. If I set them to large... then the receiver/amp sends the full freq range to any speakers set to large. (Which of course is probably to much low end for speakers that are not subwoofers.) When I set them to small... I also have the option to set the CutOff/crossover freq on my receiver/amp... which is basically allowing my receiver/amp to send that selected frequency to the subwoofers and only frequencies above the selected freq to speakers that I have set to small.

[@frankenstudio22]

I set my crossover freq to 100hz (I think the default for most people is 80hz) I feel my system sounds best at 100hz - This way there is much less "strain" on my amp and my amp only needs to send 100hz and below to my subs and it frees up my remaining speakers (7.1.2 configuration) to play only freqs above 100hz. you will be surprised on how much better your system will sound when you are not pumping low freqs through speakers that just are not meant to take it. (even if the manufacturers specs say it can go that low.) ~ Best of luck

[@coyote5.02]

Franken Studio so you leave all your speaker setting set to small or do you set them to small then set your subwoofer settings then set your large speakers back to large and leave your satalite speakers set to small.

[@coyote5.02]

Pho Tato thank you

[@audacious22]

My finding as one reason for using a sub up to 80-100hz range is it improves midrange control/purity, since the smaller drivers are no longer being asked to play to their design limits. Less xmax = quicker start/stop capability of the midrange driver and more detail in the midrange. I’ve also found that I prefer the sound of a sealed enclosure for tighter, faster, better defined mid-bass. Anytime I’m using a ported speaker engineered to allow the ports plugged with a foam port bung, I do it without hesitation, the bass roll-off starts at a higher frequency, yet extends deeper than the ported design.

[@sammcrae8892]

Okay, I love that you guys are putting great info out there for the more advanced audio video enthusiasts out there. I hope to be able to understand you in three or five years. In the meantime, as a favor to those of us who are still crawling up from the Quadrophonic days, to basic 5.1 with a mix of cheap new, and mix matched old stuff, such as my Sony DH790 I got at BB, because it was so cheap my wife let me buy it, hooked up with leftover Pioneer HTIAB, front, center, and rears, running as center, rears, side and the mains are some big RCA ported three ways with 12" woofers, 4" mids, and some kinda tweeters. The sub is a Pioneer 8" passive sub that is wired up to pass through the output from the Receiver through the sub, and then to the speakers. I'm sure you would have bad dreams from looking at it, and the room it's in is about as bad as it gets. But hey, it's pretty far down the budget priority, like last on the list, but I am trying to improve it. I have experimented with tilting my spare set of surrounds up as Atmos bouncies and set up as Atmos speakers with mixed results. So, I guess what I'm saying is, could you please do one of these for the largest group of people who are trying to kludge together an AV system with basic stuff mixed with older stuff. So, the main thing I got from this is if you want Atmos speakers, then knock holes in the ceiling, and if you aren't willing to do that, then, you are better off with an extra pair of surrounds, than fake Atmos. 😔, I knew it, I shoulda been born rich instead of good looking. Better luck next time.

[@AxnJaxn]

Hey bud, I'm kind of where you are in terms of a budget system being a necessity. I just can't justify spending $1000's on brand new state of the art speakers. But I'll give ya 2 pieces of advice that might be particularly helpful for ya. 1st off, a good receiver can help out mediocre speakers tremendously. 2nd, don't worry about the atmos setup. You can get a decent/newer receiver and run a 7.1 or 7.2 setup (using rears) that will blow your mind and you really don't have to spend much to do it. Lastly, check pawn shops for incredible deals on used speakers! As long as you can verify the drivers are good before you buy, you can get absolutely unbelievable prices on good gear because pawn shops get inundated with excessive used speaker inventory. No joke, I've looked up the msrp on my speaker setup and it's well over $6500+ and I've probably paid no more than $600 bucks just upgrading here and there over the years. It's not nearly as important as you might think to have matching brands or specs. It might not be ideal aesthetically, but placement and a good receiver with room eq can make budget speakers sound incredible these days.

[@robinround7314]

Me too! 👍

[@SwirlingDragonMist]

How could I have missed this episode! It's pure gold for me, as I've been toying with setting up a 7.1 of "35hz" towers. I think I was moving that week, and sadly the towers are still in storage, but my knowledge grows greater everyday! Thanks to you et al.

[@yogabyaakaash]

everyone recommends bass management and crossovers and setting speakers to SMALL. REL who has been in the subwoofer business for a long time or perhaps could be called the leaders, beg to differ. They always want all speakers set to LARGE while extending every channel with a separate subwoofer. How would you look at that?

[@SwirlingDragonMist]

@@yogabyaakaash I think it comes down to positioning in the acoustic environment, bass is just better produced in some locations. If the amplifier can feed multiple speakers full range, it doesn’t hurt to play around and experiment. But remember a crossover isn’t a dead stop, it’s a roll off, so even with them bass managed they’re still producing bass, and by producing less they gain fidelity in their active region. And you wouldn’t want to stress a speaker by having it reproduce signals outside it’s frequency response. That’s a good way to destroy a speaker. An octave above the frequency response is a good safe zone for a custom crossover. But 80hz has a bunch of advantages too, to many to get into, but mostly sound engineers mix for it so that’s fairly significant.

[@johnf517]

Folks... I have a Yamaha cx5200, klipsch 7.2.4, EMOTIVA x 2 and Panasonic UB82... I have been struggling for weeks... just simply changed everything to 80hz small... my SPL150 Klipsch subs to 120 hz and 1/o’clock gain and let me say... my jaw hit the ground... WOW... thank you...

[@Test-Pilot1194]

I think it’s still great that the Denon I use has separate settings for 2ch music listening vs movie listening, not that my main speakers are really musical, they are great for home theatre, but I can set different distances, levels and crossovers for 2ch, I think I can even set a specific pair of speakers in my room to play the 2ch audio...and it doesn’t effect the audyssey multi channel calibration. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Audioholics]

Yep Denon does some of the best bass management in AVR's out there. It's always been this way with them.

[@johnqpublic6228]

I watch your videos as much as I can and enjoy them intensely. Unfortunately, I can not categorize myself as an audiophile due to my limited hearing. Years of industrial environment has played its toll on me. I listen to your wisdom in these matters and where I can, I apply your suggestions and even I can notice some improvements. Thanks again and I hope you feel better from your bout with covid19.

[@kirkcunningham6146]

Awesome stuff Gene. I love the new direction you're taking now. Not only is this a good refresher course but you are updating information based on what you're seeing on the internet and keeping us informed as the technology advances and changes. I see so much misinformation on just about all of the forums. Its kind of sad. Allot of know it alls getting it all wrong. Look forward to the next video...

[@Audioholics]

Thx I like to keep a pulse on what is happening in the industry. There are a lot of sources now for home theater info but it's hard to know what's good or not sometimes. Hopefully we get it right most of the time. We try.

[@kirkcunningham6146]

@@Audioholics absolutely!

[@maxjasmine]

Spock is always watching and listening.

[@synthasia-5041]

I went to see End Games at the Marcus SuperScreenDLX this week and by force of habit I found myself reaching for the remote for the AVR to adjust the settings LoL.. the ground shaking LFE and end credits music sounded great but they didnt seem to take full advantage of the Atmos,, and the vocals sounded like they were coming from a giant old TV speaker.. In all it didnt quite impress me. Goes to show you all systems even in a commercial theater things always need tweaking depending on the source content and the mix intended for the final production by the audio engineers. Its a never ending process. At home I always go to a dynamic part of a movie where theres alot of vocal action, music and boom going on and make my sound level adjustments and then go back to start the movie, drives the wife nuts ..she is like what are you doing.?. I say something didnt sound right hehe ..each movie has its strong and weak points its not a set it and forget it one size fits all type of deal. But the basic overall settings as discussed in this video are the main rule of thumb platform to build on.. :)

[@johnpoo1662]

So to summarise: You should set the x-over where the transition between mains/sub is the smoothest (as measured by REW, assuming sub phase/distance with is correct), and not rely on the -3dB point as a "rule of thumb"? Sometimes speakers with an F3 of 50Hz transition to the sub smoother if crossed at 90-100Hz, than at F3+10Hz.

[@mrwilliamwonder]

I run stacked Paradigm studio 40’s as my mains, each getting about 200 watts because I subscribe to Genes view on a strong midrange and double tweeters. I add 2 300 watt 8” Paradigm sealed subs for music. I add another larger ported Paradigm sub for movies and loving it. Got my eye on Aura 3D and think the more speakers the better as long as they are all the same line.

[@DynamiteKid1224]

This is awesome seeing you & Matt, looking forward to seeing you both on all videos! Love it!

[@howardhdavidson]

I’ve been into home sound systems since the very beginning when only Dolby Pro Logic processing was available.Many years before this I used high quality stereo amps with quality speakers.I am a musician have a reasonable ear have had a recording studio in my home and have done some editing.Without exception most of my friends that have home cinema rooms in their homes pay way over the odds for their equipment and installation and most do not understand anything about how to get the best out of any of their equipment, it’s just bragging rights for them well that’s fine.The other side of the coin is that you can drive yourself mad with these few settings such as channel levels individual, crossover settings,distance,EQ,Speaker size,And in the end you are not watching a movie you are listening to you sound setup and your picture settings and probably find it difficult to watch a movie without fiddling with your settings.I have found if you buy a high quality AVR and expensive speakers you will need to do less fiddling as the sound is so much better anyway.You can’t make a silk purse out of a pigs ear comes to mind.You guys go into this like you think your astrophysicists,Just to listen to a star wars dvd or an old move remastered in a new sound format that would sound better on a high quality processor and individual amps anyway.These cheep all in one boxes are better than sound bars but and have improved but are limited in what they produce because of the way the amplifiers are made and the quality of the DACs and the heat they generate.You ramble on far to long about nothing much and use technical terms that most who buy these Denon and popular brands of AVR’s.most probably don’t understand and if they do the sound difference is indistinguishable to the untrained ear or average user today.From what I can gather the most important aspect of modern day AVR is younger people playing games on them, with the latest video standards.You’re overcomplicating the whole thing.Love to know what you guys watch as the mixing on today’s movies especially such as Netflix or even 4 K BluRay are really bad almost as bad as the cinematography.

[@terrycole2407]

Always nice to watch your very helpful videos here, Adam. Hope you’re feeling well.

[@bigpappi9342]

Thanks Gene for this discussion. I have been trying for the longest time to get a handle on the bass in my small room. I would love to see more in depth tutorials on REW, it is such a powerful tool and I have yet to see anyone but Audioholics do a detailed video that is understandable enough that even a nubbie like me could understand.

[@PoesAcoustics]

Big Pappi93 I’ve done a few for a variety of sites. You should see plenty more in the future. Bass integration is a topic I’m passionate about and it’s one that most folks really don’t understand that well. A lot of tutorials are either wrong, based on faulty rules of thumb, or incomplete. Gene has done a great job with his tutorials in the past and I hope to add to that going forward. I gave a talk at AXPONA on how to use REW wavelets to properly integrate the bass. It’s a visual approach that makes the process easier. Todd Welti has a look at my ideas before the talk and seemed to walk away intrigued without disputing any of my core points. After the talk a number of professionals, experts, and experienced forum folks emailed me to mention how impressed they were with this trick.

[@coachvelarde]

Great video!! I have a couple of questions. Here is my setup: Denon 4700 Klipsch R-625FA Dolby Atmos Floor stand speakers Klipsch RP- 504C II center channel Klipsch R-41M Bookshelf speakers Klipsch R-12SW subwoofer 1-What are your suggestions for the crossover settings? 2- What are your suggestions for the db level for all the speakers? This is where I am confused.

[@bloodcarver913]

Without watching the whole video yet; be aware that discs are encoded with information in the .1 channel up to 120hz. Therefore, set the .1 crossover in your processor/receiver to 120hz instead of 80hz to not clip away parts of said signal. You can set your surround speakers to 80hz anyway without issue if you want to. Same with center.

[@Audioholics]

Yes we essentially said that :)

[@adissabovic]

Normally, LFE channel is lowpassed @120 Hz (Dolby) at mixing/mastering stage, so you don't have to lowpass it again. But not all disks are mastered with LFE lowpassed @120 Hz... The Chronicles of Riddick, D.C. for example. :)

[@PoesAcoustics]

Blood Carver as Gene noted, we did cover this. Setting the bass management crossover to the mains and surrounds at 80hz isn’t the same as setting the LFE crossover differently. You can still cross over your mains at 80hz without clipping away any signal.

[@gereral1_jackofalltrades]

I set my crossovers to the satalights of 100hz. My fronts and sides are different. They are lower . I disabled crossover of sub. Covers all the base on all my speakers. Also takes pressure of the amp allow my 15inch sub to take the lows providing clean mids and treble to all speakers. Rule of thumb is set all speakers to small. Crossover on receiver to the highest speaker crossover in your speakers( look at specs on all your speakers crossover data. Use the highest stat even though your fronts go lower. Reason is you sub will draw the low out off all speakers. You now have 500w sub amp to provide current andto drive base and take huge load off amp. )dial on your sub crossover to highest setting to disable sub crossover if wired lfe. Done. I used sound meter to match levels with 7.1 white noise test tones at 70db on meter and measured with tape measure to listening position.

[@DynamiteKid1224]

Sealed speakers for me! My JBL. speakers set sounds awesome! Currently at 7.1 Thanks

[@bigmacfullerton7870]

I’m using a 10 year old Yamaha Aventage receiver for music only and the YPAO adjusted my front energy C9 towers to 40hz bass crossover. And it sounds better 😮

[@dewdorama]

Thanks Gene, absolutely awesome info..and eye opening as well...

[@AZRob.]

Outstanding! I just re-tweeked my system, and it does sound even better! Thank you!

[@grejdanmihai5456]

Liked and subscribed in the first minute :) This is better than school :)

[@isaacsykes3]

Regarding the comment you made about why you don't do hard recommendations of products being because you measure and want to make sure they sound good, frankly, that is the VERY reason why we come to you for your recommendations, is be because we know and trust that you measured the product. The people trust Audioholics evaluations which is why your opinions matter so much to viewers and readers like myself. The affiliate store is a great idea, but please don't just limit it to products sold on Amazon. I'm willing to go consumer direct if Amazon doesn't carry said products, so please provide links to those as well. Thanks again for all the great information. Also, I'm still waiting for the Goldenear Triton Reference, Klipsch RF7III's; and Tekton Double Impact review/head to head to head. Thanks!!!

[@sambaron1319]

Finally! I've been actively bi amp with 2 woofers since the early 90s. My crossover point is 120Hz.

[@arthurwatts1680]

REL set their 'crossover' at about 20kHz ;) OK - I'm being flippant - but I am interested in the approach they recommend for those of us who have speaker terminals and a subwoofer output on a 2-channel amp. Taking the fullrange signal seems like a simpler method of trying to integrate our main speakers with a subwoofer (or pair of subs - again, their stated preference) : happy to hear from any REL owners how that works out in practice.

[@matthewhilty4209]

The High lvl inputs work better than i expected. In the past I have hated adding subs to small speakers as they never blend well and volume discrepancies were always present when changing from quiet volume to loud volume , but the tiny T5i that I have blends perfectly with my bookshelf speakers on the high lvl inputs, in fact most of the time i cant tell the sub is on , it just sounds like my tiny speakers have bass. In reality i do NOT recommend this T5i , It only works for me because my room is very small. If my room was even 1 square foot bigger I would step up to the T9i or maybe the T7i , just my two cents.

[@arthurwatts1680]

@@matthewhilty4209 Thanks for the feedback - very handy. As I wouldnt be able to afford anything more than a pair of T5i anyway (and they all recommend a stereo pair over a single sub for music) its just as well I also have a small room ;)

[@PoesAcoustics]

Arthur Watts there idea works to get sound to the sub, but their rationale is dumb. Devoid of any scientific logic. There is no benefit to a high level input over passive. If anything the opposite is true, as high level inputs can be noisy. Their idea that such an approach leads to better bass is silly. While they finally have a few decent subs, many of their classic designs are not very capable. The newer high subs look to be good but cost a lot. It’s a brand that has rubbed me the wrong way for a while given their ridiculous claims.

[@gpower]

After watching a couple of your videos and, a couple others, I went a bit deeper into my Rotel RSX1056 setup menu and found the advanced setup, where I could adjust each speaker (lr Epos M12i, c Epos M8) and sub's (PSB Subsonic One) crossover. I didn't realize that even though I had the speakers set to small and crossover at 80hz, my lrc speakers were still at 40hz by default. Playing with the settings and using your overlap of 20hz, I settled on 60hz for the lcr and 80hz for my sub (80/100 seemed a bit muddy). Gone is the boom that was driving me nuts. Now it just sounds like my speakers are larger with good solid bass.

[@TysonHook-22-]

I beleive your misunderstood things slightly. your bass LFE (Low Frequency Effects) should always be 120hz (full signal) setting it to anything less and your losing some of the tracks low end detail/content. set it to 120 and forget it. The LFE is seperate and completely independent from your speaker to sub crossover settting... The LFE is how much of the source materials signal will be sent to your sub... which you want all that info to be sent. again set it to 120hz and forget about it. Now your speakers cross-over on the other hand is where you experiment with blending your speakers and sub together. This is done by setting the speakers crossovers (which again is independent of the LFE setting) Your speaker crossover setting should be 80Hz-120Hz.. regardless if the speaker manufacture or AVR room correction software states that the speakers go down to 60hz or even 40hz... in 98% of case's our speakers just ain't ever going to produce low end frequencies anywhere near as good as a dedicated sub, so why make them even attempt too if you've got a nice sub. Generally your settings should be as follows... bass "crossover" LFE at 120Hz and your speakers crossover at 80-120hz... from my understanding you have your system set up with a bass LFE of 80hz and your speakers (L-C-R) crossover at 60hz... which means your not getting the full bass source signal sent from your AVR to your sub and your attemping to make your speakers play as low as 60hz even though your sub can reproduce those 60hz frequencies much muchh better. Again set the LFE to 120hz regardless of everything else. and try your speakers set to crossover at 80hz or 100hz (120hz begins to become localized).... this should make your main speakers cleaner and crisper sounding as your no longer forcing them to produce low end frequencies that they just can't cleanly reproduce. with a higher crossover setting your speakers should be less muddy sounding and your AVR will have less heavy load put on its amps aka your AVR will perform better as well! If your bass is too overpowering and muddy sounding with your speakers crossover at 80--100hz then your sub likely is setup improperly and you likely have it running hot which means you need to turn the subs volume knob down to better blend the subs output levels with the speakers output levels aka SPL and depending on your AVRs room correction software level this may or may not mean buying yourself a dedicated SPL meter.

[@benjamindminor1983]

I have been into audio for 30 years and I used to worry about using the right things and all the quote correct methods for setting up audio none of that crap works, now I just let my ears tell me what sounds good no tools no software no more stupid techniques.

[@technology4617]

sound

[@filippiasec]

Not sure why you dont want to use dipol in atmos or 5.1, works great for me, where I sit close to one of them, and it I really like it.

[@pedrofmc0000]

They are nice for a 5.1 system but if you have a 7-9.2 system then you don't need them because you already have different speakers for every surround channel.

[@BenHittingGreens]

16 minutes in fellas. That’s it. This is for a self reminder to show my cousin who insists setting his r-260 klipsch towers at 40 hz crossover

[@maze400]

I would love some advice. Setting up a 5.1 Onkyo NR6050. Was using and very happy till it died Onkyo TX-Sr608 Room is my living room 12x20 Front speakers are Wharfedale Valdus 400se Center Sub and surround rear (side really) are Infinity. Front speakers are set to "full" Center is set to 100hz Surround is set to 120Hz LPF of LFE is set to 80% Double bass is "off"

[@troyevans3724]

Wow, this was an education for me. My home theater is our living room. The space is 14×20. There is no back wall as it goes directly into our dinning room. There is an arch on each side wall between the living room and the dinning room where I was able to mount my back channel speakers. Keeping my back/surrounds at about 3 feet above seated ear level. I've always felt this was less than ideal but it's the space I have. I enjoyed the discussion about crossovers but was really more enlightened by the REW software and acoustic microphone recommendation. My system, at times, seems lacking and I'm sure it's not the equipment.

[@anthonykeve8894]

Gene et al: if you’re still reading/answering questions... this for a 5.X* system; corner** channels set to Large, each** has its own dedicated sub. .1 channel handles the CC bass and of course the LFE *5 subs 1. Which channels output the lowest frequencies - LR or LFE? I recall one of you saying the LFE specific sound LPd @ 120hz(?) 2. I’ve studied the THX specs for Home Theatre. I understand all 5 channels are supposed to be full range my reason for 5 subs. That said, after I expand to 7.X, I plan to upgrade my LR & LFE. My question relates to #1: should the LFE or the LR be the “super” sub(s)? Thanks for all you do for us

[@Audioholics]

@lawrence09151 sorry I missed your superchat. You can run a Ysplitter to connect 2 subs to each of the 2 sub outs of your receiver. I don't recall if your receiver has parallel outputs or independent. Follow our sub placement guidelines. Time align them in groups if your receiver has independent outputs. Use REW to make some measurements to make sure they are all playing in phase. After it's all setup reasonably well, then run Audyssey and compare on/off. Audyssey tends to set bass levels a few dB low so you may have to adjust. Good luck.

[@deangale4496]

I so agree using speakers from the same range and if possible cross at the same or very close frequency . Found out the hard way.

[@San-jose-Ruussh]

What if I just want the treble to be clearer what setting is that under?

[@marcusrios8517]

This video blew my mind but makes so much sense.

[@williamtomkiel8215]

Matt Poes! A tremendously HUGE help / resource wrt diaing/ REW-ing my THTLP subs in about 100 ft^2. looking forward to see more . . and TY, again

[@Nallenbot]

I literally have a pair of tower speakers with response down to 40Hz and was going to set my crossover to 60Hz...so thanks. Saved me 5 minutes in to a 60 minute video.

[@PoesAcoustics]

NallenTV we are clairvoyant

[@astrotrance]

You should still try it and see how it sounds to you. Not all systems, all speakers, all rooms, all situations obey all the rules in "the book".

[@shinjiikari1989]

24 hrs late , glad it was saved

[@alexanderscott3790]

There's a couple of important considerations here that NEED to be addressed, to keep all this in context! Each system equipment ,mix and room is different, obviously.. And clearly, variations in settings DON'T have to be exactly what someone else tells you they NEED to be to have good sound and measurement! Equipment choices - EFFICIENT full range ACTIVE or even horn loaded loadspeakers likely will likely dictate a POTENTIALLY lower crossover sub integration setting, where as a lower efficiency- typically passive, low sensitivity- speaker theoretically might dictate a higher crossover setting requirement. This lets the active powered subwoofer potentially better handle the demanding bass more efficiently, reduces demand on amplifiers on front end, etc. Regardless, the subwoofer ultimate setup choice needs to not localize distracting vocals and lower midrange/ upper bass information. Tweeks, adjustments, concessions, compromises, or even alternate equipment considerations may be needed for best results , according. Another critical consideration is the whole seating, speaker, crossover setting balancing act, and the choices made there FOR EACH LOUDSPEAKER!! And certainly while i do agree with generally choosing the same crossover point for speakers and sub(s) in a setup, making sure the speakers and subs are all placed carefully to couple well AT THE CRITICAL CROSSOVER SETTING , can't be taken lightly! Put the speakers in a null at that setting choice will never yelled good sold bass results! And accordingly people will end ip charging the crossover setting to get stronger sounding bass, possibly causing issues or compromises elsewhere instead. In the end, like tweaking a racecar, this takes some knowledge, experience, and effort to get it all right. The number of subs , and their location(s) , cons and benefits, setup strategies vs seating and room modes, boundary and speaker to speaker interaction, phase vs speakers vs seating issues?...those are matters for a different conversation

[@PoesAcoustics]

Alexander Scott remember that we commented repeatedly that we are making generalizations to make things easier for folks who don’t have a strong background in this. That there is no single right answer. I was trying to make clear that acoustics can be complex and lots of options work. Rules of thumb aren’t absolute but they can improve the odds that a new person can have acceptable success in setting up their system. The single crossover point guide was chosen for two reasons. Some older receivers and processors had a problem with how bass was summed causing multiple crossovers to act idiosyncratically. This lead to suboptimal results. It wasn’t an acoustic issue but a dsp issue. Second was that dramatically different crossover points can make integration between the subs and other speakers less than idea. That doesn’t mean that’s always true, but it can be true and it can be hard to fix if using a typical consumer receiver. Your point about lower crossover points I don’t agree with for the reasons I gave in the video. A crossover point should not be chosen based purely on dynamics. Instead it should be chosen for acoustical reasons. The transition region of a room has very dense modal activity and as such tends to have the most significant acoustic problems. By either overlapping subs and mains substantially or using multiple subwoofers and a relatively high crossover point you maximize the number of LF sources operating over the critical region. This helps smooth and improve bass quality. The lower you cross the less optimal LF sources are operating in this key region. This is why I advocate for subs and for higher crossover points. For those looking for the most optimal acoustics and who are into the Greisingers stereo bass idea, I still advocate multiple subs but using them in laterally separates sets and operated in stereo. In general the optimal place for speakers is never the optimal place for bass and subs can be placed in more optimal locations. So while it is true that every room is different, it is not true to suggest these rules don’t apply well, even without context. Decades of experience across thousands of professionals and numerous studies have shown that these rules of thumb, while not absolutes, have merit. As I said in the talk, when I did my case study for my AXPONA talk, I went through numerous scenarios to integrate the subs and optimize bass. I measured no sub, sub with crossover, and sub with only low pass (mains full range). While I could make all of them work, the hard crossover at 80hz worked the best the quickest. Took less than an hour to get working acceptably. The no sub was never great and involved putting bass traps on the floor. The sub and mains overlapping worked the best after well over 2 hours of work and still had hours left to fully optimize. I just couldn’t spend any more time on it before the show.

[@midevil1980]

@@PoesAcoustics - Well said, Matt! 😉👍

[@midevil1980]

@@PoesAcoustics - Quick question... I currently have a 5.2 .0 RP260 Klipsch setup with 2 SVS SB2000 subs and a Marantz 7012 reciever. I currently run a global 80Hz crossover for the 5 speakers. If i'm understanding you correctly, do you think everything would sound better overall if I ran a 90 or 100Hz crossover instead, since i'm running duel subs? Thanks in advance! Ps. I could pick your brain for hours! LOL. Great information... 😊

[@PoesAcoustics]

midevil1980 it’s hard to say without measurements. The RP260f is a dynamically capable speaker so that is one where I might experiment with running double bass. Where by the towers run full range and the subs run up to 90-100hz. However you would want more than a receiver powering them to really get away with that. In the absence of measurements and more power, I would probably leave it alone. You won’t see huge differences between 80 and 90hz. You could experiment and see if one sounds better to you than another. What I wouldn’t do is run those speakers below 80hz. With two subs you would be leaving too much on the table.

[@midevil1980]

@@PoesAcoustics - Awesome, thanks! Yeah, I'll probably play around with a slightly higher crossover when I get home from work. And yes, I'd totally agree with you on the 60Hz. I've tried it a few times due to my auto calibration setting it there, and it definitely sounds noticeably worse. Ps. I listen to a lot of music in dolby surround, even though some people would wanna crucify me for admitting that. LOL. Not sure if that would influence your suggestion at all. Anyway, thanks again to you and Gene for all the great content!

[@AINSLEY1994]

I have some vintage Altec Lansing bookshelf speakers made in USA. They’re very neutral sounding. They go from 40 to 22,000hz. Their lowest useable frequency is 60hz @ +3db. I have them set to small. But what should I do in the bass management section? Should I set to LFE or LFE+Main?

[@ShaileshPatel-le8cq]

AVR - 5.1 Yamaha HTR 3072 All Yamaha Bookshelf. Speakers FREQUENCY. Center - 58Hz - 45Khz FS - 57Hz - 45Khz SS - 62Hz - 20Khz SW - 20-160Hz According to abv what crossover is to be set. Currently set 80Hz.

[@wa2368]

Gene, Thanks a mill for this discussion, MY FRIEND!

[@pjwillsr]

Ok, 5 yr old vid...but I have my REL 7TX sub set at 40 HZ, my Wharfedale Linton's (front L&R) set to Large and my 2 Elac bookshelfs surrounds at 40 HZ, set to Large. All distances changed(overwritten) from Audyssey settings. All by following the Head designer at REL on line article. Sounds great with some minor adjustments on crossover on the sub and level knob (down). Only don't know if they should be at the traditional 80 HZ for all.

[@OOnti-dz4jd]

I took the advice to set cross over alto my mains at 80hrtz and my receiver at 8 ohms. 👌👍

[@slimjim1104]

For me when you are talking about consistency among different source materials it seems to be most of the time. With music sometimes I'll drop my fronts to 60.

[@whoguy4231]

I always found using a high pass on the mains and filling the lower with a subwoofer never sounded as good as running the mains at full range and using the subwoofer to supplement the lowest octaves.

[@Cenkolino]

Because that is the best setting. If you have competent speakers set them to full range and the subwoofers to LFE + Main. Then set the subwoofer to 120 Hz and get a 40 Hz rollof to the speakers that can handle up to 40 Hz. The subwoofers take all the signals from 40 Hz and below, sent to the full range speakers, and reproduce them. The new Denon and Marantz AVRs have that option now and it is the best sound you can get. I experimented a lot and that is my definitive conclusion.

[@init4fun]

This is fine for movies, TV shows, but what about surround systems for home audio? Are the crossovers different?

[@jameshtx1965]

Def Tech BP9080x towers Dual SVS PB2000 subs Monoprice Monolith 5x200w amp Monolith amp powering towers With my setup, am i able to set my towers to large and subwoofer mode as LFE+Main?

[@bingobaz6402]

Sorry for another comment. I hope this is ok. I just wanted to say, Gene same here i listen to dvd audio (Queen a night at the opera and john Williams Ai etc) ..and I still listen some mutli channel super audio cds like jeff wayne war of the worlds too. For 2 channel music i usually set it to multi stereo out all the speakers. But when i have that going with my subs the bass is clearly way too much. P.s i didn't know you had a forum and been watching for a long time. Again i enjoyed listening to the conversation.

[@bingobaz6402]

Still miss Hugo. Mathew is very nice too, good speaker...pun intentional as i think it is hillarious. Anyway, i realised an issue I have with my crossover. I got big towers for my main left and right. But when i set them to small and set crossover it takes so much away from those speakers. I realise its better for cinema sound though as tsking as much bass from the mains means you can hear the channel separation much better as allowing the speakers to produce too much bass will drown out the mids and highs slightly. This is what you need to hear the most for channel separation. I come to the realisation that big towers or floorstanders are not the best type of speakers for cinema sound ...well it seems to me. One thing i also realised is the way i want to hear my music bass and way i want to hear my cinema sound bass are two very different things. One solution would be to have another sound system exclusively for music. Another solution imo is to set all spealers to large, no crossover and turn off subs just for music. But when watching movies set speakers back to small. I noticed my avr retains all my crossover avr settings when i return to small anyway so it is not a huge deal to swap speaker size accordingly. But i got problems getting my subs to blend with my other speakers. But atm is best i had it yet but still isnt quire right imo for crossover settings. P.S thanks for video i am in agreement with all said. Got to say too that i think using the big subs for bass in 2 channel music is far too deep. I think the bass sound from my mains sound a lot better than wirh sub. Unless i just have it set up incorrectly. I think tbh if i had all small speakers and set them all to small. Then set them all to 80. I wouldn't be having the issues i am having just now to get the speakers to blend with subs.

[@Steve30x]

I had the crossover set to 80Hz and my sub set to fill in the low end but it didn't sound right. It sounded like the front and center speakers were empty of some sounds. So I set the crossover for my front speakers to 50Hz which is 19Hz above the lowest frequency of the speakers and center speaker crossover to 70 Hz which is also 10 Hz above the lowest frequency of my center speaker. You can shout at me all day long for doing this but 80Hz on all speakers just don't sound right.

[@dalechalfont112]

I'm at that point now. My subs are amazing but when they are level matched to my ears music sound far better in pure direct mode with no subs at all so ai lowered the crossover to 60hz on my mains, I plan to try settiny my centre lower too as it's rated down the 40hz at -3db but I haven't had a chance yet.

[@dalechalfont112]

So after doing some reading I wanted to post back as you came to the same conclusion as me. I thought a crossover was a quick plummet before tbe crossover frequency but it turns out it is a gradual decrease, so if your speakers can play down to 30hz as mine can the setting it to 80 means that it is something like -12dB quieter from 80 down to say 40hz. Which means that at say 75hz the gradual downward slope of a crossover means that the mains are still producing -1db of the full signal, so the sub and mains are almost doubling up on that frequncy and at 70hz it might be -2dB down...so again close to doubling up and so on with the effect decresing as it gets lower but still in effect. I believe this is why it sounds deeper with pure direct mode and the subs disabled vs having it incorrectly set to 80hz, because the eq was skewed towards the higher frequency bass, so it isn't actually deeper but it sounds deeper because the lowest bass is not being burried hy a hump in response caused by the crossver being too high relative to the speaker frequency response. My receiver on lets me change the crossover in 20hz increments so it ia set to 60 now, as it has to be that or 40 but with my next receiver or processor it will do it in increments of 10 and I will set it to 50 also. Sorry to annoy you but I have had it at 80 for years and I think it might have been a mistake

[@techocrazy]

One thing I've observed is that if you play a 2 channel stereo music through a Sony Blu ray player, it sounds much more punchier and stronger compared to playing it through the Denon's built in media player.

[@usahakansahin]

I have the following system. In auto calibration it always set Large and it sets all 120hz. What should I do? crossover all 80hz? Premium ES 13.2 CH 8K A/V Receive Model : STR-AZ7000ES SS-CS8 Center Channel Speaker Model : SS-CS8 SA-CS9 Active Subwoofer with Bass Reflex. Model : SA-CS9 x 2 SS-CSE Dolby Atmos® Enabled Speakers Model : SS-CSE x 2 SS-CS5 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair) Model : SS-CS5 x 2 SS-CS3 Hi-Res Floorstanding Speaker (Single) Model: SS-CS3 x 4 BRAVIA XR 83" Class A90J 4K HDR OLED with Google TV (2021) Model: XR-83A90J

[@margroningen]

My Onkyo 5.1 speaker line up is set on 100 Hz Crossover. I can't set each speaker seperately on a Crossover level, so what would be your advice? Select 80 Hz, let it stay on 100 Hz or 120 Hz? My speakers are: 2 Monitor Audio floorstanding speakers (Front), 2 (small) surr speakers, a small center and (large) subwoofer speaker. Thanks so much in advance.

[@adisatope992]

Nice video. I just bought rx 385 yamaha and bose acoustimass 5 series v. I have been looking on KZbin to see better video on the combination of this two devices but all to no avail. Did you have any idea on the combination of rx 385 yamaha and acoustimass 5 series v? If you do what will u advice to get better sound.

[@chrisreynolds6152]

Great video. So Denon Audyssey automatically sets all my speakers @ 80-100hz and has LPF for LFE @ 80hz. I have dual SVS Pc2000 pro's. Should I manually change Audyssey to 120hz for LFE?

[@mark17840]

yes to 120hz on the subwoofer LFE the way to go.

[@Wmit79]

So I have SVS ultra towers with the side firing 9” (I think) drivers and they actually do really well with bass on their own. They sound amazing, to me, in 2 channel stereo mode. But basically when I run them 5.1 with the pb13 those side firing drivers are basically eliminated I would think. Do you agree?

[@Wmit79]

I apologize, I looked at the specs and the woofers are actually crossed to the midrange @160. So you’re still getting a little output from them. But I guess it makes me wonder if any towers are really worth having if the main benefit of them is generally below 80hz and we’re just gonna chop that off anyway.

[@darrylpinto3513]

Great detailed discussion. Just have a doubt though - if one is using multiple subs is it necessary to have them with the same sizes?

[@lgmnowkondo938]

Of course it isn't..not at all.

[@dougbulldog9947]

Great explanations, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I understand why I should set all my speakers to small and the receiver crossover point to 80 but... when I use ypao mic to setup my Yamaha RX V473 receiver it changes all the speakers (except the center channel) from small back to large and crossover back from 80 to 120. The Yammy receiver is connected to Onkyo SKF-4800 floor-standing front speakers, Onkyo SKC-4800 center speaker, Infinity reference 5.5'' bookshelf rear speakers on stands and Sony SA-WM40 subwoofer. Do you think I should change all the speakers back to small and crossover to 80?

[@pedrofmc0000]

I can't understand what you're saying. If YPAO set the speakers to large, you can't set or even see the crossover of those speakers and therefore you can't set them to 120. You can only see the crossover when the speakers are set as small such as your center channel. That's when you can change the crossover but never if it is set to large. You have to change that to small before you can change those crossovers.

[@DrAdd1999]

Yes change all to small

[@alexanderscott3790]

Unless i got powered subs built in (Def Techs) , considering passive speaker systems. I'm mostly always sticking to THX reconnected 80hz cross! - ENSURING that ea speaker n subs are in locations that dictate good response at critical crossover spots - unless using smaller satellites (up to 120hz cross to small 8" or smaller subwoofers). Even larger passive full range speakers aren't efficient enough, especially coupled with AV receivers, but even separates, to handle dynamics well enough. Just way it is

[@chrisj9008]

Great discussion. So much knowledge here!!! Learned so much here.

[@taica7598]

I have a question, on my 5.1 AV receiver I set front, center and surround to small, front crossover set on 80 Hz and center and surround set on 120 Hz (here I am not sure if I made the right choice). How to set my surround and center speaker crossover if in speaker specification say that: center and surround frequency range 150 Hz-20.000 Hz? 80 - 120 Hz isn't too low if the frequency range of the speakers is between 150-20,000 Hz?

[@avsolutions212]

Can i put 80hz subwoofer crossover in denon AVR X1400H? Is that right and is it handle ?

[@sadburai1]

if I set the crossover of my small rear satellite speakers to 150Hz, will the Subwoofer play up to 150Hz then, because it takes over from the satellites below 150Hz? I hope not, because that would make the Woofer locatable, right?

[@davidcrawford2498]

What about utilizing Wilson Audio speakers?

[@LA_Peres]

Always something to learn from you guys

[@boriscacciaguerra6459]

Thanks a lot for your videos. I read the about keeping the crossover of speakers from 20hz to each others. I think I remember another video where Gene was telling that we shouldn't set more than 2 different values. Because I would se my height Chanel to 120hz, my center and surrounds on 80hz and my towers Jean Marie Reynaud Euterpes Suprêmes on 60hz on my marantz sr6012. Do you think it's a mystake? (unfortunately I already have 6ohms and 4 ohms speakers in my system...) Thanks By advance 😉 Boris

[@PoesAcoustics]

Boris Cacciaguerra I don’t think think you are gaining anything by having the mains set at 60hz. I would say either run them full range with the double bass setting (and readjust levels to get it integrated) or switch to 80hz. As Gene noted the crossover issue of yore is mostly resolved and many modern processors handle bass management better. However there are other reasons to keep consistent crossovers. Namely it is simply easier to get full integration across all speakers. A shift in bass level at a crossover point can make for an audible change in tonal balance.

[@boriscacciaguerra6459]

@@PoesAcousticsthanks a lot for your help

[@boriscacciaguerra6459]

By the way, what levels should I adjust exactly to get them integrated if I set my towers to full range? Thanks a lot

[@PoesAcoustics]

Boris Cacciaguerra well it isn’t quite that simple. You adjust them so they integrate evenly in level at the crossover point. However typical room curves should have a rise in the bass toward 20hz. We perceive bass as being neutral or flat when it actually is elevated in level, increasing as we get toward 20hz. Think of the preferred shape as being like a wedge shape. So if at 80hz your speakers are run large and playing at about 90dB, then the sub should integrate at the same level. You don’t want the sub necessarily elevating that level much of at all. However you would want the bass to increase below that point at about 1-2 dB per octave.

[@boriscacciaguerra6459]

@@PoesAcousticsI have learnd a lot, Thanks a lot. I don't have mesurement equipement and I run audyssey sovi Will do some New tests with my towers set on large. For now my ears tell me that my system sound better with my towers crossover set to 60hz than 80hz, but the "large setting" parametter seem to be an interesting solution.

[@techocrazy]

Most of the AVRs aren't even powerful enough for sending low frequencies to the main speakers, so no point setting speakers to large. It just robs the dynamics and reduces the sound quality. Small is the way to go if you have a sub. Heck even my old Sony HiFi system pushes any speakers much better than my 2016 Denon X2300w avr.

[@MichelLinschoten]

Home Theater System Blog that depends I only use my receiver (anthem mrx) as a pre amp. Your Sony has better specs guaranteed , a mid low class denon, marantz, pioneer their specs are skewed . Tested 1khz 6ohm 1 channel and they use that wattage number on their sheets., Totally useless and untrue spec, power numbers are much lower when tested 20hz to 20khz 8ohm . I wouldn’t be surprised your old Sony produces way more power so you bet you ass, I can drive all my speakers full range no problem . There is 200 pounds class a/b 14 channels dedicated 300@4ohm available in my set up. I run with magnepans they require tons of current. In my case due to the speaker choice, I don’t let my magnepans deal with the low. Mine is set 120hz anything under my (2 front) subs will produce in conjunction with my magnepan. Basically I made it a hybrid system , in the rear are 2 corner loaded, down firing subs that produce down to sub level from 80 to around 25hz (which still fits in my space) set 180 degrees out of phase to displace itself in the room . The result is ridiculously good...

[@Chub4Chevy]

I never noticed how expensive amplifiers were!! What would be good for 5-7 ch that won’t set me back a couple grand? I was in disbelief browsing on Crutchfield and Best Buy. I have some old but good Yamaha loud speaker towers. And bookshelf’s to go with it. Any starting points you recommend? We love to jam and love surround sound. I’m just starting the learning process here.

[@stevehuff5433]

Find the sensitivity and power handling for your speakers first to see how much power you need. Speakers with 90+ db sensitivity only need like 60-70 watts to be really loud. As for great 5-7 channel amps that don't break the bank look at the Emotiva A500 / A700 or Outlaw Model 5000 / 7000. They're both great brands and great 5 / 7 channel amps under $1,000.

[@__________5243]

When I set my speakers to small and set the crossover, it seems to also limit the subwoofer. There is significantly less bass. I can hear there is almost nothing at the sub. But when I set it back to large, the subwoofer makes bass again. I have a Sony receiver. The subwoofer is powered and has speaker outputs on it with a crossover dial. Should I run the speakers from the sub?

[@pedrofmc0000]

Well if it's a self-powered subwoofer you could raise the subwoofer gain with its own knob...

[@cigardude7]

Gents, at about the 31min mark you mentioned that you either need to take the measurements or hire someone to do it for you. I'll spare my details but in general I've been a novice for many years trying to learn from your content. I'm to a point that my system should probably sound better than it is for my investment. Unfortunately I have had no luck finding someone to configure my system. Do you have any recommendations for someone that supports the Virginia region to make a house call?

[@Audioholics]

We do offer consultations and webinar packages if you're interested. Email: [e-mail]

[@brianchristopher4666]

80hz yes! (mostly). 4/multiple subs around the room??? ..madness and lunacy! (what kind of phase settings we talking about here for all subs, diff distances from seats and speakers, anyway?! Sounds challenging with compromises)

[@zman-ru3yf]

What about when your auto eq sets your cneter channel crossover to 40hz?

[@BrewReview]

You want to set it to your speakers’ room response, ideally. If your speakers play down to 40 hertz evenly and cleanly, leave it there. If not, you can always override that auto calibration to taste.

[@pb24dagrk]

Interesting to hear about keeping the speakers within 20hz of each other; never knew that. I have my front stage at 80hz (definitive technology bp9060 and cs9060) and all my surrounds and 4x ceiling speakers set to 100hz. Am I good with that delta from a Marantz SR7011?

[@Audioholics]

Marantz does bass management correctly. Height channels can be set higher than the bed channels, no problem there. I was mostly referring to the older products with Cirrus Logic chipsets.

[@PoesAcoustics]

pb24dagrk Gene answered this, but I’ll just add that other good reasons to keep them that close is General LF integration between speakers and subs. If the difference is too substantial you can get a disconnect or Bloat around the crossover region. If your sub is set to 80hz but you have Bose cubes as mains you get a gap between 80hz and 200hz where the cube has no significant output.

[@MrStatusqwo5]

@@PoesAcoustics set sub or LFE channel to 120 herz

[@avia4281]

Hi, Iam using MacBook Pro 2011, umik-1, Yamaha sub, 5 Polk audio bookshelf speakers and Denon avr-x540BT. I use REW to measure and a software called Menubus (no longer for sale) to add my eq nbandeq,s to each channel (width, q, and gains) per REW measurement. What system wide app program can I use on Mac to add my REW nbandeq measurements to each 5.1 channel like Menubus? I reached out to Menubus and designer is now with amoeba he made audio app named source 4 but only 2 channel audio system wide.

[@charlieshometheaterdemos7685]

The brand of my speakers (JTR) were mentioned... Yay!!! Too bad I can't afford the Noesis 215RTs.

[@savanp228]

Question - I have Klipsch In wall side surround R3650 - Freq response from 60hz -20KHS. What does it mean when I set that crossover at 80 vs 100 vs 120hz? Does setting at 100hz mean that it will roll off for anything below 100HZ? What is best setting for this speaker - would you say set it at 90hz which is 10 above recommended? It seems like I get more surround sound playing through them set at 120hz vs 100 hz.

[@DuzBee]

Fantastic effort Gents - The Golden Trapagon is that a legitimate principle - can the two of you do a live session about perfect room shape? I‘ll be building a home cinema room, you spoke about the importance of an acoustically balanced room, your thoughts on The Golden Trapagon with rounded / crowned internal corners to limited the meeting and interference of sound waves due to 90 degree room corners?

[@thiagodelgado3128]

How hard 60hz push the receiver against a 80hz?

[@user.1425]

What do you mean? Could you elaborate?

[@thiagodelgado3128]

@@user.1425 the crossover, how hard to receiver down the 80hz to 60hz?

[@philmccracken2012]

Wow I'm a little late to the party, but awesome video I learned a lot! Thank you, two years late but thank you.

[@JoshuaPeters3036]

Hey Gene I know you say a quality five point to set up is better than a cheaper 16 channel set up. I have my two towers, center channel and it two sites around bookshelves all in SVS ultra. I’m not really pleased with the output of the center channel. It’s nice but just doesn’t quite get it as loud as I would like. Do you think for the amount of money the Arendal 1723THX5 channel set up would be a big improvement especially when it comes to the center channel? Those duel eights being THX ultra certified are supposed to play quite a bit louder than the Ultra center channel right? I also have two rhythmic F-18s on the way to pair with whichever speakers I end up going with.

[@Fotoklasika]

I set all speakers crossover to 80hz, LFE 120hz. What about subwoofer manual filter setting? 50-150hz... I set 80hz on it too. Others set to maximum 150hz (or more if subwoofer support) .Thank you!

[@TysonHook-22-]

The low pass filter on the rear of subs I believe is for when physically wiring speakers to amps/recievers essentially a legacy format of subs... used for hooking up to old equipment pre LFE and the dedicated sub channel(s) and sub coaxial cables we're use to these days. When connecting your sub to a modern reciever your sub should have some kind of LFE bypass setting of the manual low frequency filter...If you dont have a physical LFE bypass on your subs low filter bypass, then I believe the general rule of thumb is to set it to 120hz.... Gene/audioholics def have discussed this in the past... some of the old vids with Hugo have discussed this for sure. In the setup you describe having right now your AVRs LFE setting is 120hz but you've put a physical filter on your sub at 80hz... so your not recieving the full 120hz signal information through your sub anymore... The AVR is sending 120hz information but the sub is filtering things out at 80hz now. Check to make sure your sub doesnt have a LFE bypass setting (for ex. SVS subs manual low pass filter has an LFE notch to set it to... you might have to check your subs manual to figure out the bypass setting) if your sub doesnt have a LFE bypass setting then set the low filter bypass to 120hz... just like your AVR LFE setting can also go above 120hz but should only ever be set to 120hz, the sub should be manually set the same way. So in summary. if your sub doesnt have the low filter LFE bypass setting just go with 120hz manual setting on your sub...done for the exact same reasons why you always set your LFE reciever settings to 120hz... you want your sub to recieve and reproduce the sources full signal infomation that's sent to it from your AVR.

[@vjhibbare]

Hi! I have Hooked up Elac Cinema 5 & Polk S10 with Denon AVR-S750H, Polk-S10 for front L&R channel, and Elac as a for L&R Surround and Top Middle.(5.1.2 atoms setup). what crossover I should use for all individual speaker including sub, do I need to set LFE+Main or not my speaker Frequency response is Polk S10 F.R = 67Hz to 40KHz (67 - 40,000 Hz) Elac (Front/Center/Surround) F.R=160Hz to 20KHz(160 to 20,000Hz) & Subwoofer F.R= 40Hz to 200Hz.

[@chisox32]

Hey Matt - would you be able to talk a bit more about the time delay/distance for subs and using your REW measurement trick? I don’t know if a private message would be easier or if you had anything up on the site already but would love to see that and try for myself.

[@rgemail]

a little sad they specifically mentioned Matt's video but then neglected to link to it. I don't even know where to find this guy's channel. lol.

[@dougbulldog9947]

@@rgemail www.youtube.com/@PoesAcoustics

[@troyrobinson4949]

I have a Onkyo receiver 949 2 polk S55 speakers one Polk subwoofer I don't know which hz to use

[@Samzep]

Fantastic video my mains specs are 44hz - 22khz +3db and senitivty is 90db so basically your saying still have them set at 80hz ?

[@San-jose-Ruussh]

What if I want my treble to be clearer what setting would that be under?

[@wisfanatic]

I'm running a HK AVR1710. Subwoofer crossover frequency is managed auto by the amp. will it set the LFE automatically to 120HZ or do I need to adjust the crossover on my sub to 120hz? Running DT SuperCube8000. Thank you, learning lots!

[@peaceandrelaxationwithgodscrea]

So are you saying that we should run our large speakers as small? Thank you

[@PoesAcoustics]

darryl austin possibly. It depends on the speakers dynamic capability below 100hz and the amount of amplifier power you have. In many cases this is preferable regardless of how deeply the bass extends. It’s a general rule that helps make integration and overall sound better.

[@techocrazy]

I tried large on my denon X2300w which is paired to ELAC debut 6.2, all it did was reduce the sound quality.

[@techocrazy]

Denon and most AVRs have weak amps and top of that unnecessary processing which makes the sound thin and artificial. I don't know if it's audyssey XT to be blamed or the HW, someday I will be getting XT32 version of audyssey to see if it makes any improvement. If it fails again then I might just skip audyssey and go for a Sony AVR over a Denon.

[@lokilou2010]

Hey there Gene, I was wondering if you’ve ever considered doing a actual receiver/speaker system setup??? I know that it would be time consuming, but you can release it as a series... Episode one could be proper wiring... Episode to could be proper speaker placement and so on... Most of us schmoes only understand 60% of the language. Lol!!! Great stuff you’re doing though 👍!!!

[@akaredcrossbow]

I would never buy powered towers and center speaker again, especially owning 2 HSU VFT-3 MK5 subs. If I didn’t have subs then powered towers are great. If you run the towers small you still get extra bass out of them that does make the system sound good. I’m currently running the towers and center unplugged.

[@exxorcet]

If the subwoofer mode was set to LFE as screenshot showed, doesn't that miss putting bass from small mode channels into sub?

[@acousticcohifi]

Hi, i have Bose accostimass 10 series 5 speakers, auto calibrated at 40hz and lfe 120hz it sets my Yamaha is nc600 ceiling speakers to 60 hz, i really want to know should i leave it as it is or should i change the atmos ceiling settings to higher crossover. i would really appreciate your help with this.

[@TerminatorJuice]

You guys mentioned not using Dipole/Bipole speakers for surrounds, but for me it's the only practical option! I had them set to "Dipole" but just switched them to "Bipole" after hearing you say that, but now I'm doubting my setup... I have a dedicated 7.1 Theater Room, but my ceiling height is only 6'8" and I have to walk past the surround speakers to get to my couch, so the 7-7/8" depth is crucial for me so that I'm not hitting my head on the speakers every time I go to sit down. I can't do in-wall speakers and book shelf speakers are at least 12" deep, so what can I really do? Also, I really want to go to a Dolby Atmos setup and add 2 ceiling speakers but I don't know if I'll gain too much since my surrounds and surround back speakers are already near the ceiling. Any thoughts?

[@Audioholics]

Bipoles for discrete surround is just fine though if you go Atmos, you will get better separation switching to monopole. With such short ceilings, I'd stick to regular 7.1.

[@TerminatorJuice]

@@Audioholics Thanks for the response. I was thinking that if I do end up getting a Dolby Atmos receiver(I'm thinking Yamaha RX-A3080) I would put 2 ceiling speakers in between my mains and my searing position and then set my Rear Surrounds to "back presence" speakers to have more of a 5.1.4 setup, but I'm not sure what that would do for Dolby True HD and DTS MA tracks... Any thoughts on that? It's been 10 years since I upgraded my receiver so I'm a bit behind the times with all the setup options. Lol

[@LifeAsISeeIt]

Place the bouncy house modules on the ceiling instead? Better?

[@dm17nc17]

I set my speakers and sub to 75db for calibration and am I crazy to say I can’t hear the subs? Certainly I have to boost the sub level 6db to get close to reasonable.