Question for Bigboss

[dirtydean]

I've just picked up my MA R225 HD for the center and wondering should I set the amp to small or large speaker? I've asked you because you as I've seen you are using the same speaker. Thanks Dean

 

[bigboss]

When you define a speaker or speakers as small, the low bass from that speaker is diverted to the sub. I've set mine to small for this reason. I leave my sub to do the job it's best at.

 

[dirtydean]

Thanks I've got my R270's set to large because there floor standing and the bass sounds good from them would you leave them as large or swap for small setting. Also just to let you know I connected my BDP 370 via analog to my amp for SACD and it sounds pretty sweet. I'm very happy with the player.
Dean

 

[bigboss]

That sounds reasonable. The R270HD certainly has better bass than my R225HD. What subwoofer have you got?

I'm glad you're enjoying the S370.

 

[Anonymous]

Extract from a informative website

Avoid setting your speakers, even if they are towers, to the "large" setting in your receiver's setup menus.

Receivers
and preamp/processors typically have two settings for your speakers:
"small" and "large." You need to get past what these words actually
mean in English, as they are a very poor choice for this feature of a
processor. This setting actually has nothing to do with the size of the
speakers, and everything to do with the range of the speakers. This
setting determines when low frequencies are diverted from your front
speakers and into your subwoofer (the crossover frequency). In other words, it has a tremendous effect on the bass you'll hear in movie soundtracks.

Very
few speakers should actually use the "large" setting. Even most of the
big, powered towers should not be used with the "large" setting because
they can't produce these low frequencies (or they produce them without
power and depth). What you should be thinking is that "large" means you
have a truly full-range speaker; use "small" for everything else. If
your speaker can't put out more than 100dB at 20 Hz, set it to "small."

There are three main reasons for avoiding the "large" setting.
The first is that crossovers aren't brick walls; they have slopes in
both directions. The rule of thumb is that with typical bass management
crossovers, your speaker should be flat to 1 octave below the crossover
point. So, with an 80-Hz crossover point, your speaker should be flat
to 40 Hz. Lots of speakers can do this. Only a few speakers are flat to
30 Hz (even though manufacturers' specs will try to tell you otherwise,
there really are only a few, at least within a reasonable price range),
and even fewer speakers are flat to 20 Hz (and below) at the levels a
home theater will be asking for. The large setting on a receiver
doesn't filter any low frequencies from a speaker to the sub. If the
speaker isn't capable of the really low frequencies, they simply will
be lost. Set to "small," however, these low frequencies will be
filtered out and passed to the subwoofer, which is capable of
reproducing them.

The second reason for using the "small"
setting is that when you relieve a speaker of low bass duties, that
speaker becomes a much easier load for your amp, and the midrange
quality of the speaker often improves. The third reason for using the
"small" setting is that bass frequencies have the greatest interaction
problems with a room. Multiple sources of low bass in non-optimal
places cause all sorts of sound wave problems. The best place for your
main speakers is almost never the best place from which to produce low
bass. Being able to produce all the bass from one spot in the room
gives you the best chance of optimizing your room's bass response.

A
final thing to note is you have to be wary of processors that allow you
to set different crossover points for different speakers. With the
exception of some very high-end processors, you should not use this
feature. The vast majority of processors with this "feature" high-pass
each speaker's signal at the frequency you specify, and send it to the
speaker. This is good. However, to feed the sub, the processor will sum
the full-range signals from all the full-range channels and the LFE
channel, and then low-pass this signal at the lowest crossover point
you set. So, if you have your surround crossover set to 100 Hz and your
main crossover set to 40 Hz, there will be a 60-Hz hole in your
surround channels' responses. This is not good. THX chose 80 Hz as its
bass management crossover point for a reason; trust their research and
experimentation. "

Bottom line - if you have a sub, your speakers are "small"

 

[bigboss]

 

[dirtydean]

barnsleydave:
Extract from a informative website

Avoid setting your speakers, even if they are towers, to the "large" setting in your receiver's setup menus.

Receivers
and preamp/processors typically have two settings for your speakers:
"small" and "large." You need to get past what these words actually
mean in English, as they are a very poor choice for this feature of a
processor. This setting actually has nothing to do with the size of the
speakers, and everything to do with the range of the speakers. This
setting determines when low frequencies are diverted from your front
speakers and into your subwoofer (the crossover frequency). In other words, it has a tremendous effect on the bass you'll hear in movie soundtracks.

Very
few speakers should actually use the "large" setting. Even most of the
big, powered towers should not be used with the "large" setting because
they can't produce these low frequencies (or they produce them without
power and depth). What you should be thinking is that "large" means you
have a truly full-range speaker; use "small" for everything else. If
your speaker can't put out more than 100dB at 20 Hz, set it to "small."

There are three main reasons for avoiding the "large" setting.
The first is that crossovers aren't brick walls; they have slopes in
both directions. The rule of thumb is that with typical bass management
crossovers, your speaker should be flat to 1 octave below the crossover
point. So, with an 80-Hz crossover point, your speaker should be flat
to 40 Hz. Lots of speakers can do this. Only a few speakers are flat to
30 Hz (even though manufacturers' specs will try to tell you otherwise,
there really are only a few, at least within a reasonable price range),
and even fewer speakers are flat to 20 Hz (and below) at the levels a
home theater will be asking for. The large setting on a receiver
doesn't filter any low frequencies from a speaker to the sub. If the
speaker isn't capable of the really low frequencies, they simply will
be lost. Set to "small," however, these low frequencies will be
filtered out and passed to the subwoofer, which is capable of
reproducing them.

The second reason for using the "small"
setting is that when you relieve a speaker of low bass duties, that
speaker becomes a much easier load for your amp, and the midrange
quality of the speaker often improves. The third reason for using the
"small" setting is that bass frequencies have the greatest interaction
problems with a room. Multiple sources of low bass in non-optimal
places cause all sorts of sound wave problems. The best place for your
main speakers is almost never the best place from which to produce low
bass. Being able to produce all the bass from one spot in the room
gives you the best chance of optimizing your room's bass response.

A
final thing to note is you have to be wary of processors that allow you
to set different crossover points for different speakers. With the
exception of some very high-end processors, you should not use this
feature. The vast majority of processors with this "feature" high-pass
each speaker's signal at the frequency you specify, and send it to the
speaker. This is good. However, to feed the sub, the processor will sum
the full-range signals from all the full-range channels and the LFE
channel, and then low-pass this signal at the lowest crossover point
you set. So, if you have your surround crossover set to 100 Hz and your
main crossover set to 40 Hz, there will be a 60-Hz hole in your
surround channels' responses. This is not good. THX chose 80 Hz as its
bass management crossover point for a reason; trust their research and
experimentation. "

Bottom line - if you have a sub, your speakers are "small"

That has to be one of the best responses I've seen on here. I'm going to set the amp up tomorrow as I've not change anything since replacing the front 3 kefs.
Thanks again
Dean

 

[dirtydean]

bigboss:
That sounds reasonable. The R270HD certainly has better bass than my R225HD. What subwoofer have you got?

I'm glad you're enjoying the S370.

Hi bigboss I've got a KEF Kube 1, I'm saving for the R90s for the rear now. What do you think to this, Dave at Hifi4less where I got my MA's from, said when I've replaced my rear speakers, rather than saving to replace my sub (which at the moment I'm happy with) why not save to replace my AV first. I really respect his opinion as his advise has saved me from wasting a lot of money witch I've been able to put into my speakers. But would like to know what you or anybody thinks to this idea...
Dean