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Using the "Extra Bass" on Yamaha recievers

28K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  NewbieAudiophile 
#1 ·
Can someone shed some light on this topic because I'm seeing different answers online.

What does the extra bass (Yamaha) setting actually do? Does it set my fronts to Large?

Should I turn it on if my fronts cannot play down to low frequencies?
 
#2 ·
Try your luck in the Official Yamaha 1050/2050/3050 thread that's if you have one of these three models otherwise find your correct model then post in there.
I have the 3050 and I use extra bass 3db for my Subs. regarding switching your speakers to Large the answer is NO.
 
#3 · (Edited)
What does the extra bass (Yamaha) setting actually do? Does it set my fronts to Large?
Should I turn it on if my fronts cannot play down to low frequencies?
Extra bass makes 'small' (crossover engaged) speakers act like 'large' (full range signal) speakers.
Cannot = no. Other brands call it lfe+main or double bass which increases the confusion.
This pic is from the A3050 manual. How can large speakers get more bass when they already
receive the full audio signal? Some other brands have a separate lfe crossover setting, but yamaha
doesn't so this wording is misleading or flat out wrong.
The manual also states that large/small should be determined by the size of the midrange driver
and not whether there is a subwoofer attached and crossover filters applied. Insane.
 

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#4 ·
This thread is on the first page of the DuckDuckGo search for yamaha extra bass, so I guess it's a sensible place to necro-bump for future searchers. Anyway, I recently put into use a Yamaha RX-V383 I've had sitting around for a few years after my Denon X2100W started going into protect mode for unknown reasons. I always thought the Extra Bass in Yamaha units was the same as LFE+Main on Denon, but it is indeed an EQ setting, as the Yamaha manual implies. I took some measurements (details below picture) that show Extra Bass gives a ~3.5dB peak at 100Hz, with a fairly sharp dip around 30Hz (~4.5dB) and a smaller one (~1.5dB) around 200Hz. No subwoofer. Obviously it would be better to measure the signal at the speaker outs but my laptop has no analog in and I don't have a reliable USB sound card or an AP. Someone else is free to outdo me, or send any AP units you're planning to recycle my way.
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Details: UMIK-1. 3 REW measures at 1M length of my Klipsch P-17Bs playing swept sine waves with Extra Bass On, 3 measures with Extra Bass Off, time aligned and averaged each setting's measurements, and divided On by Off. Shown at 1/12 smoothing. Taken on a coffee table pushed up six inches or so from the speaker, aimed at the woofer, so I could measure quietly while my 2 year old napped. I may have shifted a cup between measurements.
 
#9 ·
I also always believed that "Extra Bass" = "LFE+Main" and I was surprised by your observation so I also got my UMIK-1 out.

When "use sub = no" (front=large), extra bass is indeed just EQing the signal as you also observed.
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Then I tried with "use sub = yes" and the front set to small, it seems to also be just EQing both the sub AND the front signal. The EQing of the sub seems problematic to me because if you have a good capable sub, you lose output in the 20-40Hz range.
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My last measurement was with "use sub = yes" and the front set to large, this is what I always expected from "Extra Bass". The signal to the front was untouched and the subwoofer either had the bass info or not.
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So my conclusion is:
1-"Extra Bass" does EQing in all cases except when "use sub = yes" and the front are set to large.
2-When "use sub = yes" and the front=large, "Extra Bass" send the bass to the subwoofer in addition to the front (no EQing).

Is that good or bad? Should you use it or not? The data is there so you can draw your own conclusions. In my system I set "use sub = yes", "front=small" and "extra bass=off".

Details:
I measured with REW and UMIK-1 approx 12 inches in front of the sub and the woofer of the right front. I disconnected the front while measuring the sub and disconnected the sub while measuring the front. Crossover was set to 100Hz. I have a RX-V581, Paradigm Studio 100 v2 as front and DIY subs with Dayton UM12-22.
Measurement at the front right woofer is green when "extra bass=off" and red when "extra bass=on".
Measurement at the subwoofer is blue when "extra bass=off" and purple when "extra bass=on".
 
#5 ·
Very interesting, I thought something like that was happening, because Yamaha indicates it can be used with speakers set to Small, even with compact speakers.

There should be comparative graphs with Large vs Small setting, also different crossover frequencies; maybe the peak point moves.

Also, is sound quality lowered by this?
 
#6 ·
It's possible, I can try it with different crossovers when I get a chance. The graph shown is with speakers set to large and crossover set to 40hz (but that crossover should be irrelevant with the speakers set to large).
 
#7 ·
As for SQ, it's impossible to say. Sometimes a bass boost will give a better sound, sometimes worse. I have it on right now but it's a bandaid, it gives a fuller sound but sometimes it thickens the sound too much, a little unnaturally. I haven't measured my speakers since rearranging the house a few weeks ago, but I'd bet it's giving me too much bass in some region and just the right amount in others.
 
#8 ·
Thanks dkfan9, I always had doubts about using the feature, because of risk to the main speakers. You know, everyone said it was like setting back to Large speakers, but Yamaha's manual is very specific.

And it's a good thing, because some TV shows are oddly adjusted, soundwise, and so, a bass boost works fine.
 
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