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Hoe would you set up my new upcoming speakers?


FocusR

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In a few days I expect my new speakers to arrive:)!

after a long research I went for the next set that’s recently ordered;

 

R-625-FA floor standing towers as fronts and Atmos front

R-52-C center

set of R-41-SA’s used as surround speakers

 

(keeping the KSW-10 sub for the moment)

 

now, since I always used Audyssey for setting up my system, and I’ve always had the feeling that my (recent) speakers could sound a lot better and somewhat louder, I want to manually set my upcoming system, instead of letting Audyssey do the work.

 

my local dealer has the floor standing speakers set up ‘large’ full range, and the other speakers ‘small’ with a crossover to protect them, and let the sub (I’m keeping my KSW-10) for the moment, do the lower end heavy lifting. But reading on google, forums, etc, many people advice to also set the towers as small and crossover at 40 or 60hz. Also for the other speakers the opinions of different crossover settings vary much.

 

This is when I decided to ask you guys Klipsch pro’s and fanatics how you would set up this speakers(small, large, advisable crossover settings) to get the maximum quality and volume of them and enjoy everything they’re made for!

 

additional info; the amp is a Denon AVR-X1400H.

 

i hope to get some advice what settings you would use for starters, to be sure I won’t use the speakers ‘only for a bit’ but also to not overload them.

 

thanks in advance! And yes, I did search the internet, but that’s where I got lost: everyone seems to think a bit different about this... and that’s where I trust Klipsch enthusiasts in here!

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On 4/30/2019 at 10:17 AM, FocusR said:

This is when I decided to ask you guys Klipsch pro’s and fanatics how you would set up this speakers(small, large, advisable crossover settings) to get the maximum quality and volume of them and enjoy everything they’re made for!

 

@FocusR

Don't give up on Audyssey.  Yes, most people ask "where has my bass gone?"  Most people are used to bass peaks due to room modes, and miss them when Audyssey removes them.  The solution, after Audyssey takes the kinks out (essential), is to turn up the bass, setting it by ear.  1) Turn up the subwoofer 3 to about 6 dB -- that will boost the bass below crossover.  For maximum clarity, don't use DEQ (unless you really love it).  With DEQ off, the bass control becomes usable (look for "tone" on the menu).  If you turn it up about 6 B, the mid/high bass above crossover will rise to match the sub's bass.  Since you mentioned "somewhat louder," I inferred that you like it loud.  That's good because you won't need DEQ if you play loud, since the loudness itself overcomes the Fletcher-Munson roll-off.   Don't blow your speakers, though.  Setting your mains to small lets the sub do the heavy lifting, and gives the mains some protection (indirectly).

 

Set all speakers (except the subwoofer) small, for clarity and protection as advised by nearly everyone (except your local dealer).  In most cases, setting them on large will cause phasing problems and comb filtering, due to too much overlap with the sub.  Also, in your case, your Denon provides only 80 honest watts per channel into 8 ohms with only two channels operating.  With more than two channels operating, each channel will get less.  This doesn't mean your AVR is bad; almost all AVR manufacturers have misleading specs.  When the same companies provide separate power amplifiers (at much higher prices), their specs tend to be much more honest.  To help guard against underpowering (which can cause clipping and speaker damage), definitely set your mains to small, and use a crossover of 80 Hz or higher to provide more headroom for your main channels.  If at any point you hear distortion, turn it down.

 

Audyssey will measure the 3 dB down point of all your speakers and send that info to your AVR.  Even if your 3 dB down point is as low as 40 Hz or 60 Hz, don't set the crossover there; set it at 80 Hz, as THX recommends.  But, if the 3 dB down point is higher than 80, set the X over where it tells you, or you will be both losing bass and stressing your mains.  The 3 dB down point (also known as the F3) depends not only on your speakers' capability but the amount of  boundary gain you get from the location of the speakers in the room.  Against a wall or near or in a corner generally provides the most bass.

 

There are two crossover-like adjustments to make.  One is a true crossover from your main channels to the sub.  Set that as discussed above.  The other one is LPF for LFE (Low Pass Filter for Low Frequency Effects).   The movie people create a special effects track that starts out life as a totally independent source, full of deep bass booms, thunder, etc.  It contains frequencies from 120 Hz down to 20 Hz, usually, and in a few films as low as 5 Hz.  The usual advice is to set that one for 120 Hz to reproduce all of the frequencies the filmmakers include.  A minority suggest that for cleaner results, the LPF should be set for 80 Hz.  After the LPF filters the effects channel, and the X-over crosses over the soundtrack music, dialogue, etc., to the main channels or the sub, as appropriate, your AVR mixes the two together, and shoots the combined signal out of the subwoofer output jack in the AVR, and off to the sub.

 

Here is an excellent link I strongly recommend reading before setting up Audyssey the next time.  Setting up Audyseey correctly is  painstaking but rewarding task.  IMO, no one should give up on Audyssey until reading this link.  Audyssey, plus bass boost, has made my Klipschorns, Belle center and surrounds sound better and clearer than ever.  "Audyssey FAQ Linked Here"

 

Here is the curve Harmon found that most people prefer. 

image.png.cf7b678fd46f6d0b72bc3c0a59bf5ad7.png

I more or less agree, but I wouldn't cut the treble.  Don't use the virtual sliders to EQ by hand; they limit your control to those few virtual sliders, whereas Audyssey has hundreds of automatic compensation points. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Everyone thanks very much for the replies!

its truly appreciated and gives me more then enough things to try out. In fact I applied crossovers like mentioned and it’s all coming together now and starts sounding much better!

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