subwoofers with stereo speakers

[matengawhat]

what do most ppl set the high frequency crossover to is it best to have a good bit of crossover or set it just slightly higher than where your speakers stop?

 

[Anonymous]

After many hours of playing I've found that there isn't a standard solution to this. In theory set the sub roll-off to overlap the speakers by about 10Hz or so, but in reality it depends on too many factors. If I follow the config rule for roll-off then it sounds dreadful. Set the volume a tiny amount louder than where you can't hear it, set the roll-off to whatever sounds best and enjoy. On a different CD you might find that new settings sound better! Tweaker's nightmare.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, agree with that. I spent days and days mucking around. Even bought a sound meter and used a laptop to measure frequency sweeps of room.

In the end did what Igglebert said. My mains end at 28hz. I set my sub to start at 40hz (Which is the lowest setting).

The only thing I would advise watching for is: -

• Don't set too high because I found this could affect vocals. I had it set to 90hz, and I could detect a small effect on Johnny Cash.
• Watch out for room modes. Some rooms ring out at certain frequencies - mine at 40hz. After reading the experiences of others, 40hz is a common frequency for many rooms
• Test with lots of electronic music. Most acoustic instruments can't go below 40hz (including kick drums), and you may not hear all of your tweaking on non electronic music.

good luck, and I hope you find peace a lot quicker than I did.