Hertz level question?????

[point_and_shoot]

I was reading through my owners manual while setting up my home theater and I noticed something. It says "Set the frequency (Hz) below which the bass sound of the various speakers is to be output from the subwoofer" The default is 80Hz. Could someone tell me in laymans terms what this is talking about. Secondly, is one level better or worse? I am just trying to get the most out of my system.

Thanks,

Jason

[IndyKlipschFan]

ok do not shoot me in layman's terms here goes....

THX is one that really pushes this.

The "THX spec" is all frequencies at 80 Htz or below, should go to the subs... and left there for the whiz, bang, thumps, of explosions. Most of the THX spec 'ed speakers for then Left, Center, Right, and Surrounds then only need drivers to go down to 80 Htz. So again, the sub will take the heat and power of the thumps..

THAT SAID..........

=============================================

Ok, say you buy some great K horns or RF-7's. DO NOT set your left and rights to small just because THX tells you too.. You have wonderful full range speakers USE THEM!!!! Same goes for a La Scala, Belle, or Cornwall Center too.. full range here... also for the RC-7 too. (which has a very cool woofer system, too, if you read into it..)

Bottom line.. In simple language, use what you have if they are great full range speakers... If not.. yes 80 Htz and lower send it to your sub. Did that help?

[meuge]

The "crossover level" is what you're talking about, and essentially it is the point at which the amount of signal delivered to the subwoofer and your speakers is equal. Below the crossover point, the subwoofer will take over, and above the crossover point the mains will be the main source of sound.

The change is not instantaneous though, so at 75Hz the subwoofer will not be the only audible source of sound. The relationship between how quickly either speakers or the subwoofer take over on either side of the crossover point is called the "slope" of the crossover.

For example, a standard digital crossover that's found in most receivers has a 24dB/octave slope. Let's assume that the crossover is set at 80Hz (which is the THX recommended crossover frequency). At 80Hz, both your sub and your mains will be playing. However, at 40Hz (which is 1/2 of 80 or 1 octave below), the signal to your mains will be down -24dB. At 160Hz (which is 2X 80Hz, and is 1 octave above) the signal to your subwoofer will be down -24dB. At 320Hz (which is 2X 160Hz or 2 octaves higher than the crossover) your subwoofer will be down -48dB.

Slopes vary from the loose 12dB/octave to the standard 24dB/octave, to the ultra-sharp 36dB/octave.

For Home Theater, 80Hz is the recommended crossover, simply because all the DVDs will have been mixed for this particular setting.

For music, many recommed setting the crossover to a lower point, and thus relegating your subwoofer to essentially filling in whatever bass your mains cannot put out. This can also help enhance the sound if your subwoofer is boomy or inarticulate, and spoils the audible range.

I, after months of experimentation, settled on 80Hz as the ideal setting for both movies and music. My 15" Titanic III sub is precise enough to reproduce the audible bass, and putting the crossover at 80Hz allows it to add some punch to the music, while at the same time, freeing my mains from having to work hard at reproducing the bass.

The result is a cleaner midrange (because of the decreased load on the mains) and punchy bass.

But you may want to experiment with different settings on your equipment.

[point_and_shoot]

Thanks guys. That helped out alot!