A Little Help with Crossover settings

[MichaelHans]

1-I'm not sure what my crossover settings should be in my Processor, at the moment everything is set to full but my processor will go from 20-120hz in 10hz.

Stats on my Speakers-

http://www.klipsch.com/cf-2

http://www.klipsch.com/cf-3

http://www.klipsch.com/rsw-15-subwoofer

http://www.klipsch.com/rsw-12-subwoofer

2-I'm getting a slight hum from all my speakers hooked into my 2nd amp which is a Parasound 1205a when no sound is playing, but my first amp a Parasound 3500 is silent. The 3500 is hooked through XLR and the 1205a RCA.

My set up is the following.

Pre amp- Lexicon MC-12 Processor

Amps- Parasound 3500 X1, Parasound 1205A X2

Front Stag-Klipsch CF-3 Version 1 X3, Klipsch Rsw-15

Rear Stage-Klipsch CF-2 X4, Klipsch RSW-12

Thank you any help would be appreciated!

[mustang guy]

Answering question 1:

All the LFE (low frequency effects) are sent to the subwoofers unless you tell the pre you don't have a sub. LFE is sent to the other speakers if you say you don't have a sub. I believe the sub also gets what the speakers can't produce as defined by your settings here.

You may be best off them as full or making the setting 40Hz or so. They can go to 35 and 36Hz at +/-3 dB, which is terrific. Your subs will then get all the LFE _and_ the regular channel sounds which you say the speakers can't do so well.

[cornfedksboy]

The XLR is designed to prevent that hum I believe. It is a ground loop feedback and it can be a nuisance. For crossover settings, you should set your speakers to the non-full setting. This should send the LFE to your sub. Some avrs are different. 80 Hz is a good starting point. Your center has no need to push anything under 75, but you could push your other towers lower if you preferred the sound.

[SuBXeRo]

XLR is designed to help reduce the chances of ground loop hum. XLR is known as a balanced connection where RCA is known as an unbalanced connection. Grounds are funny, just by unplugging connections to test wont necessarily eliminate a ground loop. How do i know this you ask? I had this happen to me the other night. It was as if as soon as the hum started i had to disconnect everything and let themamp make the first electrical connection with all the others following. Loops are annoying as shit!

Every system is different, there is no wrong answer as far as crossover goes. Sometimes dedicating 80hz and below to a sub helps the mains perform better and clearer since they arent working as hard. You need to play around with the settings and see what sounds best to you.

Your setup is very nice, i wouldnt hesitate to leave everything on full range. Those 10's should be able tohandle good wattage. If you want them to be more responsive, trying turning up the crossover to 60-70-80hz and see if they make them sound cleaner. That rsw-15 will hit very hard, i had one in my possession at one time as well as that rsw-12.

[CECAA850]

Set your speakers to small in the bass management section of your receiver. Set your crossover 1 octave above the lowest flat spec of your speaker. In other words, if your speaker is flat to 30 Hz, set the crossover to 60 Hz. The theory is that your crossover is not a brick wall. It will still send frequencies below the crossover point to the speakers, albeit at a reduced volume. Your speakers will always be operating in their usable, accurate range this way. Tweek it to taste from there.

[Heritage_Head]

I have tried everything and i like keeping them at full

range. Not so much for how it makes the 7s sound but how my subs sound with

this setting. I seem to get to much mid bass and vibrations when the subs get a

hotter signal from going the small route. Might be because I run 3 subs in a

small room. I would try all these ideas and whatever sounds best to you keep. But

I wouldn’t just A B it I would try one way for a few days then another and see

how you like it. A B can start to all mesh together for me.

[MichaelHans]

Thanks for the responses guys, really appreciate it!! I played around a little and it sounds a LOT better, thanks!! I think the rest will be a little fine tuning to taste.

I do have another question, my mids are kind of flat. I was wondering what this could be, I'm in a 25' long X 17' wide room with domed ceiling and hard hood floors. Could this be the acoustics of the room and or maybe too many big speakers in a small space. Maybe the Lexicon?, it dose not have a lot of room calibration options, like EQ.

My movie play black is a little forward but sounds great but still too forward, my 2 channel playback is lacking bad in the mids. The drums and symbols in rock are really flat. I have all my CF-3s Bi-amped nicley, I have just noticed they preform much better with Bi-amping.

[cornfedksboy]

I don't think you have too many speakers. It's likely the room accoustics. That can take some time to get balanced out and I'm not an expert so I'll let others speak to it.

[MichaelHans]

Thanks, that's what I am thinking. The room is not ideal also the walls are made of 3" thick plaster over wood slats, I have to use concrete screws to hang art, mix with the wood floor, domed ceiling not ideal in any way.