Rotel receivers and speaker set up....

[madmac]

Hello all,

I notice that many people are setting up their Rotels with the fronts set to 'large' . I my opinion, this is a mistake. Unless you are using front speakers with 10in front firing drivers or bigger, the best way (Especially for the 75watt/ch Rotel receivers) is to have all the speakers set to small and a 80hz crossover to the sub/ subs. Most modern speaker systems are using 5-6.5 inch woofers and these types of drivers are simply not efficient at frequencies below 80hz so you are asking the Rotel to send them full frequency signals for nothing. Setting all speakers to 'small' frees up a HUGE amounts of power for the unit and lets the sub or subs do the power hungry driving of the low frequencies. At least try my suggestion and decide for yourself....

On a final note, have any of you tried to run their Rotels with the above configuration in the 5ch stereo mode?. All I can say is it's unbelievable what the Rotel does for music in this mode !!. I used to be a 2 channel 'purist' until I discovered this setting. Now, 2 channel is a big disappointment now. What I love about Rotel is their discrete amp sections. When you switch from 2 ch to 5ch stereo the units basically says..."sure no problem and the thing continues to chirp along at the exact same volume except with all 5 channels driven without so much as working up a sweat. Amazing !!.

[hurin]

My speakers are set to large because they are :twisted:

[Nuthed]

My speakers are set to large because they are :twisted:

Do you use a subwoofer? If you do you have your receiver or pre/pro set up wrong. The proper way, despite main speaker size, is to set all speakers to small and redirect all bass to a subwoofer.

The reasons are simple:

1) A subwoofer is better suited AND designed to handle the bass.
2) Placement for your main speakers to image properly is very seldom the best place for optimum bass response.
3) You won't be using power to have your main speakers try to reproduce bass. All the available power can be used for clean, undistorted, loud, dynamic audio reproduction.

[madmac]

I Agree totally with Nuthed!. If you have a powered sub or subs, you are duplicating bass management efforts and wasting power from the Rotel. Remember, you are not robbing the front mains of sound detail as it is only the bass frequencies below 80 hz that are being redirected to the sub. Bass is mono......imaging comes mostly from the mids and some high frequencies. If your mains have anything less than a 8-10 inch front fireing woofer, you owe it to yourself, and to the power reserves of you're Rotel to send the low bass to the sub.

[hurin]

No sub. I have a set of Vienna Mahler.

But it also depends on what you're listening to. When listening to music a sub is often more of a problem than a solution. Sure there are highend subs for that purpose, but if you can afford one of those, the money might be more visely spend on upgrading the fronts.

[mjb]

Subs are meant for the LFE, not making up for inadequate speakers. You might just as well have a Bose Lifestyle® system.

[hurin]

Also with sound often 'less is more'. As I upgraded, I have gone from a mid-level 6.1 setup to a high-end 4.0 setup, and feel that a simpler setup also meant fewer problems.

I look at that Kipnis guys setup, and can't figure out if it's a torture chamber or a home cinema.

[madmac]

Subs are meant for the LFE, not making up for inadequate speakers. You might just as well have a Bose Lifestyle® system.

Humm...I'm not sure what you are saying here?. LFE are for movies. Low frequencies are also present in music too!. Bottom line in my opinion, is that no matter what the quality of speaker, no driver or drivers in the 5-6.5 inch range will produce proper bass below 60 hz. Without a sub, you will not be hearing frequencies below that. Gone are the days of speakers with big drivers (woofers). For example, If I had a pair of PSB Stratus golds which have 10 inch woofers (One of the few available with large woorfers), I would then NOT use a sub.

[Nuthed]

Subs are meant for the LFE, not making up for inadequate speakers. You might just as well have a Bose Lifestyle® system.

If you have a sub, give what the OP and I suggested a chance. Give it an honest listen and live with it set like that for a while. I am willing to bet the increased dynamics will make you a believer. :T

Your mains will sound cleaner. Speaking of driver size, there are many speakers with large woofers that don't have the most extended bass response. Klipsch Horns and Heresys come to mind, there isn't anybody who can honestly claim those are inadequate speakers. They are built for dynamics and effortless high decibel sound.

[madmac]

If you have a sub, give what the OP and I suggested a chance. Give it an honest listen and live with it set like that for a while. I am willing to bet the increased dynamics will make you a believer. :T

Your mains will sound cleaner. Speaking of driver size, there are many speakers with large woofers that don't have the most extended bass response. Klipsch Horns and Heresys come to mind, there isn't anybody who can honestly claim those are inadequate speakers. They are built for dynamics and effortless high decibel sound.

Subs can be remarkable when they are properly equalized for the room they are in. As well, most subs are improperly placed. Most rooms have somewhere between a 40-60hz standing wave problem and when this 'peak' is fixed and controlled, the bass becomes fantastic. Deep and rolling with texture. No 5-6.5 inch woofer can touch that sound frankly!!.