Home Speaker Setup/Receiver Config

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DMZ6
Home Speaker Setup/Receiver Config

Ok, here's my setup: Fronts - Def. Tech ProMonitor 1000s, 4 surrounds - Def Tech ProMonitor 60s ProCenter 60 and ProSub 60, Receiver - Pioneer Elite VSX-80-TXV. I recently read an article that indicated I may have had my speaker wired incorrectly to get the best sound ( I had them wired direct from receiver to speakers). The manual and some sites suggested that I should wire the receiver to the sub, sub to the fronts. I did that (with mixed results). So, my question is this, with this current setup, how should I be utilizing the crossovers? Should I set my receiver all the way up to 200hz and use the sub low level crossover, or turn the sub crossover all the way up to 150 hz and use the receiver? I am now using the first scenario and it seems like the highs out of my fronts are really dominant. Not sure what to do. Thanks.

Matt Whitlock
This is a really great

This is a really great question. Considering your receiver has a low-level sub pre-out, I would use that rather than wire the sub up like it was passive. This gives you several benefits, but most importantly:

1. Allows the receiver to perform bass management in the digital domain prior to amplification.

2. Allows the amplifiers to work more efficiently by not having to amplify full range audio.

Given the speakers, I can't see any real compelling reason to hook it up any other way.

Go back to wiring the receiver directly to the speakers, then hook up the sub to the low level pre-out. Set the receiver crossover around 80Hz, then set the sub around the same mark. Set all your speakers to small and your sub to yes in the bass management setup, and you should be all set.

DMZ6
Matt, thanks for the quick

Matt, thanks for the quick response.  I had played with the configuration some more last evening and realized I was missing mid range frequency loss.  There just some sounds that were being produced and it was weird to not hear them.  I went back to the old way and then back again to the suggested wiring.  The only way I can get clean bass without muddying it up is to have my receiver at 80hz and my sub at like 60hz.  It doesn't make any sense that way but that's where it sounds the best.  But, if I turned the sub x-over all the way up, the bass is way too much and jumps around.  Thanks for the insight and I think I will go back to the old way.  I am a few days away from receiving my new Def Tech C/L/R 2002 center channel and most likely I will pick up the one-level up ProSub 800. 

Matt Whitlock
Glad I could help. Don't

Glad I could help. Don't forget that speaker volume calibration is also very important to getting a good surround experience. Check out this article for more on how to do it: http://www.techlore.com/article/10037/How-To-Calibrate-Your-Surround-Sytem-Us...

DMZ6
Matt, I got my new center

Matt, I got my new center channel today and ran the Auto Calibration on my Pioneer.  Now, when the calibration is done there is no sub in my speaker set up.  The only way I can see the sub is if I change the front speakers to large.  Am I better just doing everything manually?  I read that using an analog meter is better than a digital.  Radio Shack only seems to carry digital now.  Any special tricks for the digital meter I should know about?  Thanks for any help.

Matt Whitlock
I haven't always had the best

I haven't always had the best luck with automatic calibration systems. Some work better than others, but there's nothing like doing it yourself. I'd opt for manual if you have the gear, but you will need a SPL meter to do it correctly.

On those meters, I have a full article on how to use one. I DO prefer and recommend analog over digital. If Radio Shack no longer sells analog meters, you can still get them at Amazon. Here's the NADY Analog SPL Meter. Never used it, but it looks like it will work nicely.

You can see the article on how to use it here: How To Calibrate Your Surround Sytem Using an SPL Meter

 

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