Def. Tech Fronts - LFE Question

[Big Daddy]

You have to distinguish between the LFE (.1) bass and the bass that goes to the other speakers. Theoretically, all 5 channels receive full range signals. What comes out of the subwoofer is the LFE (.1) channel (put there by sound engineers) plus the redirected bass below the high pass filters (crossovers) from the speakers that are set to SMALL.

It is also important to remember that the LFE (.1) channel has signals up to 120Hz. That is why the Low Pass Filter (LPF) of the LFE channel should be set to 120Hz in the receiver's menu.

Unfortunately, receivers do bass management differently, depending on the age of the receiver and/or the manufacturer. In general, we can make the following conclusions.

Case 1.
Set all speakers to LARGE
Subwoofer: NO

There will be not any sound through the LFE channel. The LFE (.1) bass will be redirected to the front speakers.

Case 2.
Set all speakers to LARGE
Subwoofer: YES (if the receiver allows this)

The subwoofer receives the LFE (.1) information. All other speakers receive their full range frequencies.

Case 3.
Set the front speakers to LARGE. All other speakers to SMALL.
Subwoofer: NO

The front speakers receive the redirected LFE (.1) channel plus the redirected bass from the other speakers.

Case 4.
Set front speakers to LARGE. All other speakers to SMALL.
Subwoofer: YES

The front speakers receive their full range signals. The subwoofer receives the LFE (.1) channel plus the redirected bass below the high pass filters (crossovers) of the speakers that are set to SMALL.

Case 5.
Set the front and all other speakers to SMALL.

In this case, the subwoofer has to be set to YES. Most, if not all, receivers will set it to YES by default.

The speakers receive the signals above the high pass filters (crossovers). The subwoofer receives the LFE (.1) channel plus the redirected bass from all the speakers, including the front speakers.

[JENKS]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

You have to distinguish between the LFE (.1) bass and the bass that goes to the other speakers. Theoretically, all 5 channels receive full range signals. What comes out of the subwoofer is the LFE (.1) channel (put there by sound engineers) plus the redirected bass below the high pass filters (crossovers) from the speakers that are set to SMALL.

It is also important to remember that the LFE (.1) channel has signals up to 120Hz. That is why the Low Pass Filter (LPF) of the LFE channel should be set to 120Hz in the receiver's menu.

Unfortunately, receivers do bass management differently, depending on the age of the receiver and/or the manufacturer. In general, we can make the following conclusions.

Case 1.
Set all speakers to LARGE
Subwoofer: NO

There will be not any sound through the LFE channel. The LFE (.1) bass will be redirected to the front speakers.

Case 2.
Set all speakers to LARGE
Subwoofer: YES (if the receiver allows this)

The subwoofer receives the LFE (.1) information. All other speakers receive their full range frequencies.

Case 3.
Set the front speakers to LARGE. All other speakers to SMALL.
Subwoofer: NO

The front speakers receive the redirected LFE (.1) channel plus the redirected bass from the other speakers.

Case 4.
Set front speakers to LARGE. All other speakers to SMALL.
Subwoofer: YES

The front speakers receive their full range signals. The subwoofer receives the LFE (.1) channel plus the redirected bass below the high pass filters (crossovers) of the speakers that are set to SMALL.

Case 5.
Set the front and all other speakers to SMALL.

In this case, the subwoofer has to be set to YES. Most, if not all, receivers will set it to YES by default.

The speakers receive the signals above the high pass filters (crossovers). The subwoofer receives the LFE (.1) channel plus the redirected bass from all the speakers, including the front speakers.

So big daddy I see you have a denon 4308 I have the 3808. I should set all speakers to large and subwoofer to yes as victor stated?

[JENKS]

What kind of y cable, and regular cables do you guys recommend?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by JENKS

What kind of y cable, and regular cables do you guys recommend?

Check post #2 of A Guide to Bass Management thread. There are links to basic and high-end Y adapters.

[JENKS]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Check post #2 of A Guide to Bass Management thread. There are links to basic and high-end Y adapters.

Will do.

[BluDroid]

Interesting topic!

I have STS towers and have been considering the pros and cons of using a seperate sub...

[J.H.]

Originally Posted by BluDroid

Interesting topic!

I have STS towers and have been considering the pros and cons of using a seperate sub...

Even though the STS towers have nice subs in them I would still recommend a dedicated seperate sub. the sub working with the STS towers should create an unbelievable deep low end for your HT. I'm thinking of getting STS towers,what is your review of them? How long have you had them? Thanks JC

[BluDroid]

Originally Posted by J.H.

Even though the STS towers have nice subs in them I would still recommend a dedicated seperate sub. the sub working with the STS towers should create an unbelievable deep low end for your HT. I'm thinking of getting STS towers,what is your review of them? How long have you had them? Thanks JC

Thanks. I've really enjoyed the STS towers, having used Klipsch bookshelf exclusively before this. Been a DT guy for a year now. The difference in sound has been night and day. DT is so clean and crisp it's amazing. I've had no problems with the built in subs, but have followed the various discussions on using a sep sub. I posted elsewhere a question about putting the STS towers on a sub riser. Any idea what impact (if any) this would have?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by JENKS

So big daddy I see you have a denon 4308 I have the 3808. I should set all speakers to large and subwoofer to yes as victor stated?

No, if you have a subwoofer that is properly placed in the room, all other speakers should be set to SMALL, regardless of their low frequency extension.

I own a pair of vintage Def Tech BP2000 from the mid 1990's. They are equivalent of BP7000's of today and some believe they sound better. They have two 15" powered subwoofers. Their low frequency extension is 15Hz. I also have 4 very powerful external subwoofers in the room. I set the BP2000's to SMALL with a crossover frequency of 60Hz. I have tried LARGE, 40Hz, and 60Hz crossovers, but decided that at 60Hz, the sound in the room is the best.

SMALL = The speakers are bass managed.
LARGE = The speakers are not bass managed.

The built-in subwoofers of my Def Techs are connected to the pre-outs for the front speakers. Two speaker wires are connected to the midrange and tweeter inputs. The two front receivers receive only signals from the front speaker outputs. The LFE chanel is connected to the 4 external subwoofers through the Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer equalizer/analyzer. I use external amplifiers for all my speakers. The Denon receiver only acts as pre-amp/processor. The back of my audio rack looks like a power station. You should see my monthly electric bill.

[PEEKABOO2K]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

No, if you have a subwoofer that is properly placed in the room, all other speakers should be set to SMALL, regardless of their low frequency extension.

I own a pair of vintage Def Tech BP2000 from the mid 1990's. They are equivalent of BP7000's of today and some believe they sound better. They have two 15" powered subwoofers. Their low frequency extension is 15Hz. I also have 4 very powerful external subwoofers in the room. I set the BP2000's to SMALL with a crossover frequency of 60Hz. I have tried LARGE, 40Hz, and 60Hz crossovers, but decided that at 60Hz, the sound in the room is the best.

SMALL = The speakers are bass managed.
LARGE = The speakers are not bass managed.

The built-in subwoofers of my Def Techs are connected to the pre-outs for the front speakers. Two speaker wires are connected to the midrange and tweeter inputs. The two front receivers receive only signals from the front speaker outputs. The LFE chanel is connected to the 4 external subwoofers through the Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer equalizer/analyzer. I use external amplifiers for all my speakers. The Denon receiver only acts as pre-amp/processor. The back of my audio rack looks like a power station. You should see my monthly electric bill.

Hey Big Daddy i would like to know your professional opinion on what i should set my speakers too i have the Denon 988 right now i have a 7.2 set up (L@@K my pics) with a klipsch 12 sub in the front and a yami 10 sub in the back the front left,front right and center are set to large and the sl,sr,sbr,sbl speakers are set to small should i set all the them to small and set to 60hz or leave i the way it is.and for the sub leave it as LFE + Main or just LFE your opinion will be greatly appreciated thanx

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by PEEKABOO2K

Hey Big Daddy i would like to know your professional opinion on what i should set my speakers too i have the Denon 988 right now i have a 7.2 set up (L@@K my pics) with a klipsch 12 sub in the front and a yami 10 sub in the back the front left,front right and center are set to large and the sl,sr,sbr,sbl speakers are set to small should i set all the them to small or leave i the way it is.and for the sub leave it as LFE + Main or just LFE your opinion will be greatly appreciated thanx

1. Set all your speakers to SMALL.
2. Set the crossover frequency of all the speakers to 80Hz.
3. Set the low pass filter of the LFE channel to 120Hz.
4. Set the LFE+Main to LFE only.

Read A Guide to Bass Management. Everything you asked is discussed in post #1 of that thread. There are also discussions on how to place and adjust two subwoofers.

[PEEKABOO2K]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

1. Set all your speakers to SMALL.
2. Set the crossover frequency of all the speakers to 80Hz.
3. Set the low pass filter of the LFE channel to 120Hz.
4. Set the LFE+Main to LFE only.

Read A Guide to Bass Management. Everything you asked is discussed in post #1 of that thread. There are also discussions on how to place and adjust two subwoofers.

WOW thanks going to do it right now lol i just saw your set up 10.4 thats all i have to say lol

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by JENKS

Thanks for the info! It's much appreciated. I checked out your home theater gallery and you have an amazing amount of excellent equipment. I can only imagine the kind of power you are consuming with all those components. That cinepro amp alone has got to eat you out of house and home!

Originally Posted by PEEKABOO2K

WOW thanks going to do it right now lol i just saw our set up 10.4 thats all i have to say lol

Thanks for your compliments. The electricity and water bill together was around $600 for the month of August. I could have bought another amplifier instead of paying the utility company.

[JENKS]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

No, if you have a subwoofer that is properly placed in the room, all other speakers should be set to SMALL, regardless of their low frequency extension.

I own a pair of vintage Def Tech BP2000 from the mid 1990's. They are equivalent of BP7000's of today and some believe they sound better. They have two 15" powered subwoofers. Their low frequency extension is 15Hz. I also have 4 very powerful external subwoofers in the room. I set the BP2000's to SMALL with a crossover frequency of 60Hz. I have tried LARGE, 40Hz, and 60Hz crossovers, but decided that at 60Hz, the sound in the room is the best.

SMALL = The speakers are bass managed.
LARGE = The speakers are not bass managed.

The built-in subwoofers of my Def Techs are connected to the pre-outs for the front speakers. Two speaker wires are connected to the midrange and tweeter inputs. The two front receivers receive only signals from the front speaker outputs. The LFE chanel is connected to the 4 external subwoofers through the Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer equalizer/analyzer. I use external amplifiers for all my speakers. The Denon receiver only acts as pre-amp/processor. The back of my audio rack looks like a power station. You should see my monthly electric bill.

Thanks for the info! It's much appreciated. I checked out your home theater gallery and you have an amazing amount of excellent equipment. I can only imagine the kind of power you are consuming with all those components. That cinepro amp alone has got to eat you out of house and home!