|   Sub crossover settings for HT/Stereo listening? | fiji
Apr 22, 2001 11:33 PM | | Id liked to know what is the correct way to set the crossover setting on a powered subwoofer that is used in an HT/Stereo system. Ive read several theories, which seem to be either suited to Hometheatre (HT) or two-channel music systems.
One theory is to turn the sub crossover off, or to maximum (140hz), and use the cross over setting determined by the dedicated sub output of the amp. I understand this avoids having multi-crossovers, which can spoil the bass performance. This theory makes sense if your sub is used primarily for Low Freq Effects (LFE) channel and your speakers are set to Large. I presume this would also be the correct method if your speakers are set to Small and your sub is used to handle LFE and Bass from your speakers.
The other approach Ive read is to adjust your subs cross over (typically 70 Hz or lower depending on the speakers) so that the sub smoothly integrates at the point where your speakers bass frequencies begin to drop off. This seems like the appropriate option if you are listening to stereo music with your speakers set to Large. The problem with this option is the subs crossover is set lower (under 70Hz) which may limit the performance of the sub for HT use.
My system consists of the following components.
Yamaha DSP-A1,
4 x B&W602s2 speakers (Front & rear)
1 x B&WCC6s2 centre speaker
1 x B&W ASW1000 sub
Currently I set the amp settings for my front and rear speakers to Large and the centre speaker to Small. The sub is connected via the dedicated sub output on the amp. The Yamaha amp gives the option (Both/Main/Subwoofer) to direct the bass content (below 90Hz) not only from the main speakers but to the sub as well. Currently I have this setting to Both and adjusted the subs crossover to 70Hz. Generally this sounds fine, particularly with stereo music, but I feel I may comprise the performance of the sub (low crossover setting) for HT use. Perhaps it would be better to leave my speaker settings as they are and change the bass settings from the amp to Subwoofer instead of Both? This means the sub would output only LFE and the bass frequencies from centre speaker. I could then increase the crossover on the sub so that it doesnt interact with the amps crossover. The only problem with this option is that the sub will not activate when listening in stereo mode (effect off).
As I write this, the obvious answer is to compromise and make adjustments to what sounds best. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why experts say for serious music listening you need a dedicated system for stereo music. What do you reckon? |
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