Can someone please describe to me what the lfe db control is under the level button. I read a little so have an idea of what it is but what exactly is lfe if someone would be kind enough to explain and when should I adjust it. Why does it only go down as in the negatives and not the positives also?
LFE = Low Frequency Effects. It is the ".1" channel in "5.1" or "7.1".
The regular speaker channels can carry Bass as low in frequency as the authors care to include, but each channel can only carry volume up to a certain level before clipping. So the ".1" channel was defined as an extra place to carry LOUD Bass. For example, explosions. This works because it is recorded 10dB down from the regular speaker channels to provide the extra headroom. (With boost applied in the signal path during playback to get it back up to where it is supposed to be.)
The Subwoofer plays the LFE content, and it also plays the Bass content from the regular speaker channels "steered" from those channels to the Subwoofer by the Crossover processing in the Anthem.
The temporary Level adjustments available via that button on the remote provide adjustment for the Subwoofer and also for LFE. The Sub adjustment applies to EVERYTHING going to the Sub -- both LFE and the steered bass. The LFE adjustment on the other hand only applies to the LFE (applied before it gets mixed with the steered bass going to the Sub). The Sub adjustment goes up and down, but the LFE adjustment only goes down because LFE content may already be recorded to the limits of what it can carry.
If you lower the LFE adjustment, then that component of the Bass going to the Sub will be reduced in Volume, but the steered bass from the regular speaker channels will not be altered.
Playing with any of these temporary level adjustments is purely a matter of taste -- and will typically depend on how you like the mix in the content you are playing. I.e., you do
NOT use these adjustments to calibrate your system for proper playback of well-mixed audio. The temporary adjustments do not change the Level settings found in the Setup menu (typically uploaded into your system as part of its ARC setup).
Also note the "Reset On The Fly Settings" choice available in the Setup menu. You can use it clear ALL of the various temporary settings in one go in case you are not sure which ones you've played with.
--Bob
