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Why set towers to small?
Seems the consensus in this forum is to set front channels to small even if they're large tower speakers. Why is that? What are the benefits in doing so versus setting them to large?
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BUt what happens if you can set the mains as large and have the subwoofer set up as : Mains + LFE ? Keep in mind that in my example my avr-635 should be able to calibrate the setup to tame peaks so...wouldnt that be a good way of doing it?
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Disagree. The article is not complete and doesn't address AVRs which have "plus" type settings for the subwoofer. If you have towers that can handle bass below 80 Hz, doesn't make much sense to not use it. Just IMO.
| Originally Posted by soundlovr Try reading this . The article is a clear and complete answer for your question  |
I also think that it makes the sound coming from the front speakers "fuller". I agree that you must be careful not to over emphasize some frequencies though.
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Yep. Move the sub to the back and let the fronts do their job as large. Might not work in everyone's setup, but does for me.
| Originally Posted by Luis Gabriel Gerena I also think that it makes the sound coming from the front speakers "fuller". I agree that you must be careful not to over emphasize some frequencies though. |
>Yep. Move the sub to the back and let the fronts do their job as large. Might not work in everyone's setup, but does for me.
Question... If you set the front speakers to large, will receivers be smart enough to bypass some (or in the case of analog inputs, all) digital sound processing?
If I set the mains to small, I know the signal will go through a DSP to be stripped of low frequency content. If I have a fancy CD player and use it's analog outputs in order to get superior sound from the CD player's DACs, that advantage is then negated if I have set my speakers to small and the receiver is forced to digitise the signal again in order to process it.
But if I set them to large, will most receivers be "smart" enough to bypass the extra digital conversion (in the case of an analog signal, not reconverting it again for no reason)? Or have manufacturer taken the cheaper way out and process everything in the same way.
I have decided to be sure and use the 6/8-channel analog inputs for my CD player. The receiver is basically an amplifier then and even the balance and tone controls are bypassed. But I'm curious...
If I set the mains to small, I know the signal will go through a DSP to be stripped of low frequency content. If I have a fancy CD player and use it's analog outputs in order to get superior sound from the CD player's DACs, that advantage is then negated if I have set my speakers to small and the receiver is forced to digitise the signal again in order to process it.
But if I set them to large, will most receivers be "smart" enough to bypass the extra digital conversion (in the case of an analog signal, not reconverting it again for no reason)? Or have manufacturer taken the cheaper way out and process everything in the same way.
I have decided to be sure and use the 6/8-channel analog inputs for my CD player. The receiver is basically an amplifier then and even the balance and tone controls are bypassed. But I'm curious...
Read your manual to see if your receiver has a "Direct/Stereo" mode in which the input is subject to little, if any, digital processing.
Personally, I don't set any of my speakers to small. My speakers (surrounds as well as mains) are big towers with bass response to below 30hz, so I just let the sub handle LFE. It sounds great that way to me.
I have found for my towers, I set them to small with a cuttoff at 60hz. I set the rest of the speakers at 80hz. This is using Yamahas htr-5960. When I set them to large, the mains can't handle the bass. If I set them to small at 80hz, there is a horrible midbass gap. I think it depends on the towers and how well you can set up your receiver.
Dj
Dj
I just got the Yamaha RX-V1600 & when I ran the auto setup it set my Polk Rti-10's as large w/ the LFE going to both the towers & sub. I've experimented w/ tweaking these settings in the manual set up. Guess it's just a matter of preference. the speakers can definitely handle the bass. So I guess I'll just keep messing around with the settings until I find a config. that sounds best to me. I definitely prefer running them as large when listening to music in "pure direct" mode. When run as small in "pure direct" there is not nearly enough bass.
As pointed out in that article linked above, the common sentiment is that towers are being 'wasted" somehow if the bass is sent elsewhere. The advantage to towers with a sub, though, is not that they can make "more bass" together, but that the towers will have a much greater dynamic ceiling in general than small models. Feeding them bass will tend to merely compromise this dynamic range.
The "wasted" theory (well, really just a feeling) assumes that a tower and a bookshelf will perform identically if high-pass filtered at, say, 80hz...which is far from the case.
I'm talking about clean, accurate reproduction of what's input. Personal preference for a different sound may well dictate an alternate setup.
The "wasted" theory (well, really just a feeling) assumes that a tower and a bookshelf will perform identically if high-pass filtered at, say, 80hz...which is far from the case.
I'm talking about clean, accurate reproduction of what's input. Personal preference for a different sound may well dictate an alternate setup.
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Doesn't. The "Stereo" mode has the sub on when mains are set to small, so it has the potentiel to always do some DSP even when set to large. It's an h/k avr-325.
| Originally Posted by LeeLee Read your manual to see if your receiver has a "Direct/Stereo" mode in which the input is subject to little, if any, digital processing. |
Personally I found it sounds best in my 5.1 system to set all speakers to small, and then set the crossover for each (front floorstanders, center, surround bookshelves) to around 10hz higher than what they're rated to. In my case, that is 60, 90, and 70hz, respectively. This allows each to easily handle what it is capable of, instead of just setting them all to 80hz. YMMV.
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Wouldn't a true "pure direct" mode be unable to set them as small? (No DSP)
| Originally Posted by Amaury I definitely prefer running them as large when listening to music in "pure direct" mode. When run as small in "pure direct" there is not nearly enough bass. |
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In many cases, a bookshelf version of a floorstanding speaker will have the same drivers and crossover points for the higher frequencies, so in those cases they should perform identically , if high-pass filtered at, say, 80hz, shouldn't they?
| Originally Posted by Jack Gilvey As pointed out in that article linked above, the common sentiment is that towers are being 'wasted" somehow if the bass is sent elsewhere. The advantage to towers with a sub, though, is not that they can make "more bass" together, but that the towers will have a much greater dynamic ceiling in general than small models. Feeding them bass will tend to merely compromise this dynamic range. The "wasted" theory (well, really just a feeling) assumes that a tower and a bookshelf will perform identically if high-pass filtered at, say, 80hz...which is far from the case. |
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I was in a similar situation. When I used a Sony changer for SACD, anything but the "Pure Direct" mode (all large) was noticeably colored by the DSP. With my Denon 2900 universal, the BM is pristine and allows the advantages of the "small" setting without coloration from the processing.
| If I set the mains to small, I know the signal will go through a DSP to be stripped of low frequency content. If I have a fancy CD player and use it's analog outputs in order to get superior sound from the CD player's DACs, that advantage is then negated if I have set my speakers to small and the receiver is forced to digitise the signal again in order to process it. |
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Not necessarily, the midbass region is where the difference would manifest itself, just above and below the crossover. A filter is not a brick wall, of course.
This post goes into a bit:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&post8560050
Instead of "bookshelf" and "tower", I find "bass-capable" and "non-bass-capable" more clear. Size/height isn't the issue.
| In many cases, a bookshelf version of a floorstanding speaker will have the same drivers and crossover points for the higher frequencies, so in those cases they should perform identically , if high-pass filtered at, say, 80hz, shouldn't they? |
This post goes into a bit:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&post8560050
Instead of "bookshelf" and "tower", I find "bass-capable" and "non-bass-capable" more clear. Size/height isn't the issue.
I just use the speakers in my TV, they rock! J/k
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