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Hi all. General question regarding bass management and speaker configuration on the RSP 1068. I have 5.1 speaker configuration, with two full range fronts. I configure FRONTS as LARGE and CENTER and SURROUNDS as SMALL (with 100 Hz crossover) in the speaker setup. I then calibrate the system using SPL meter with built-in test tones. Everything seems fine. When I repeat the calibration using test tones off the DVE calibration DVD, however, the bass level sent to the fronts is off the charts high. It seems the "redirected" bass is just too much and throws off the calibration. When I set all speakers to SMALL, I can achieve an "equal SPL" calibration using the DVE disk, but then the sound seems anemic to me during movie soundtracks. There are obviously a ton of configuration options with regard to crossover points, speaker size, etc. I'm curious whether I should maybe set all speakers to LARGE (so there is no redirection) and then calibrate accordingly, which will allow my large fronts to actually receive a full range signal? Or should I play around with the calibration levels and crossover poinnts some more? Thanks!
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What front speakers do you have? There are very few speakers I would ever consider setting to LARGE. You would be better setting everything to small and then setting the crossover's accordingly.
Did you set your sub to MAX? That's the only way I could think the DVE tones would be drastically different then the built-in tones.
Kevin D. -
Hi Kevin,
Sorry, for the long winded response here, but I'll try to explain better.
Fronts are full range Wilson Audio WITTs. Correct me if I misunderstand how the bass management is supposed to work. I set the speaker size based upon the capabilities of the configured speakers, as I described below. I then use the built-in Rotel test tones which I'm guessing are band-limited pink noise, so there is no real bass present in any of the non-sub speakers when calibrating, not to mention that (I'm assuming) there is no bass redistribution going on with these test tones. I get everything to spec (+/- 1 DB, including sub). Then, I load up the DVE DVD and repeat the calibration process using the 5.1 audio calibration. The connection to the Rotel is optical, feeding a DD 5.1 bitstream signal. So now the bass management features kick into gear, and all speakers configured as SMALL will have their bass (below the specified crossover) redistributed to any LARGE speakers and the sub. I'm thinking that this effectively dumps a lot more energy into the LARGE front speakers, boosting their bass output and offsetting the balance that I set using the built-in tones (again, I'm assuming that bass is NOT redistributed using the built-in Rotel test tones). It throws it off to such an extent that I cannot even bring it back into proper calibration balance. So the first thing I tried was to set fronts back to SMALL. Repeating the calibration off the DVD now allowed me to get back to the +/- 1 DB range. My understanding is that now all bass would be redistributed to the sub (a HSU Research). But now the system sounds subjectively really "lean" to me. Dedicated LFE channel effects are there in full glory, but the rest of the bottom two octaves of tonal balance seems missing. So my next thought was to try one of three things: a) keep all speakers set as SMALL and muck with the various crossover frequencies and recalibrate as necessary, to try to find the "magic setting" to restore the proper tonal balance, or b) set front speakers to LARGE and do the same thing as in a), or c) set all speakers to LARGE, thereby preventing any bass redistribution, and allowing the fronts to function with the full range signal, calibrating the system accordingly. I guess my question has more to do with what I should "expect" the system to sound like. Subjectively, it sounds thin with all set to SMALL, but objectively if it measures ok, maybe my ears are just lying to me?Comment
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The wild card is what do you have the subwoofer setting at?
Is it set at max or yes?
I think that is the problem and what is causing the difference between the test tones and the DVE disc.
If it is at max try it with yes and see if it all balances out.Comment
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I would start at SMALL fronts with a 40hz crossover before setting to LARGE. It's most important to what sounds good to you though. I can tell you how I would do it, but might change my mind in your room with your speakers.
If you want to use the DVE tones, best bet is to unplug your sub and front when setting the center and rears. Then unplug your sub when setting the front. Regardless of what the bass is doing, the levels will be right. Then you can adjust crossovers listening to the difference until you find the best for you.
Kevin D.Comment
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Hi,Originally posted by Kevin D
I have B&W DM604 S3 fronts LCR 600 S3 center andASW650 sub using a RSX 1057 with a RMB 1075 for center channel and surrounds.The fronts powered by an Adcom GFA 555II.The dealer set everything up and the fronts and center are set to large,sub to max.Is this the best setting?There were alot of things that seemed rushed when my system was setup and the dealer hasnt earned my complete confidence or trust with some of the problems i've encountered.also,what are the correct settings for the controls on the sub itself?Comment
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To answer the question that came up, my sub setting is not MAX, just YES. Kevin, I like your idea of starting with a 40 Hz crossover on the fronts, but I think I'd still need to set the surrounds and center to LARGE (or SMALL with a very low crossover point) to avoid all the bass dumping that will pour into them. I think the Rotel manual even makes the point that this type of configuration (some LARGE, some SMALL) is not optimum due to the uneven bass distribution likely to occur. I'll try a few things over the weekend and report my findings.Comment
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I have read that it is best to take the electronics in the processor out of the equation if possible by setting the speakers that can be configured as large to large.kevin d wrote
There are very few speakers I would ever consider setting to LARGE. You would be better setting everything to small and then setting the crossover's accordingly.
I found the same thin sound when using the built in rotel xovers so I set up my system using the bypass option for the sub. The subwoofers built in crossover is set to 80 and the other speakers are set to large with the sub setting at max. The only time I feel the need to change this setting is for dolby digital or dts material in which case it is set to sub yes from max.
I have downloaded test tones and using a spl meter have these figures to report for both the subs and the main speakers at the same volume level setting on the preamp at the preset frequencies.
sub readings main speaker readings
20hz 70db 58db
25hz 82db 64db
30hz 78db 71db
35hz 73db 74db
40db 68db 74db
45hz 62db 74db
50hz 63db 74db
55hz 63db 74db
60hz 60db 74db
What I conclude from this information is that if I were to introduce some equalization to reduce the peak in the 25 to 30hz range I have reasonable flat performance between main and sub.
I would be interested to learn what other setups members with the 1069/1068 are using in regards to xover settings.Comment
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