Speaker and Crossover Settings

Starnzy

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Hi, I have just been reading through one of the very helpful topics on here re speaker and crossover settings which has helped clarify some things for me (I'm a newbie that's just bought a new surround sound setup), but there were a couple bits I am still unsure about so wondered if someone might be able to advise me.

I have a Yamaha RX-V671 Receiver, KEF HT1505 Surround Kit (which consists of the C4 Subwoofer and HTS7001 satellite speakers). I have replaced the front 2 of these satellites with 2 Mordaunt Short Aviano 6 Floor standing speakers.

Here are the specs for each of these 3 speaker types:


Mordaunt-Short Aviano 6 Floor Standing Speakers (Fronts)
Frequency response: 38Hz - 22kHz
Sensitivity: 88db

KEF Sub (C4) (Centre and Left / Right Surrounds)
Frequency Range: 29Hz - 140Hz
Maximum Output: 108dB
Low Pass Filter: Variable 40Hz - 140Hz, 4th-order

KEF Satellites (HTS7001)
Frequency response (+/- 3dB): 120Hz - 22kHz
Crossover Frequency: 2.8kHz
Sensitivity: 85dB
Maximum output (SPL): 106dB

Based on the article I was reading on here, I figured out that if it wasn't for the 2 Aviano 6 front speakers, I should be setting my crossover to 120Hz - 140Hz.

However, because the Aviano's have a range of 38-22000 Hz, I wasn't sure how this should affect the ideal crossover range - should it remain 120Hz - 140Hz?

I originally had the Aviano's set as 'Large' in my Receiver settings but after reading the article on here, I think that was a mistake - can someone please confirm that 38-22000 Hz is classified as 'Small'?

Finally, there are settings for crossover on the rear of the KEF C4 sub, which the instruction leaflet that came with the KEF kit, said I should set to 140Hz. Is this just saying that 140Hz is the highest frequency that the sub should handle (and is correct to be set at this maximum frequency)?

Thanks for any advice & clarification on this.
 
Yamaha AV amps use a universal crossover setting so you cannot set individual speakers with differing crossover settings. The KEF sat speakers are your weak point because you cannot set your crossover below 120Hz without creating a hole in the frequencies going to the KEFs. One alternative is the set your fronts as being full range by using the LARGE setting for them. You'll still lose some of the lower frequencies destined for the front, but this is a better scenario than using 120Hz for all your speakers. There's only really 10Hz difference between your front speakers and your sub anyway, but subs tend to better handle bass regardless of the rated handling.

You should ultimately try to replace your surround speakers with speakers with lower frequency handling abilities (80Hz at least) if possible.
 
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That's a tricky one because of the massive disparity between the speakers.

I'd be inclined to leave the centre out of the equation and run a phantom centre (or 4.1 system).

Then I'd set the speakers to small and because the kefs are only doing rear duties, I'd set the crossover on the amp lower, say 100hz or even 80, if you can get away with it.
The x-over on the sub should always stay full up.

Basically, it's about experimenting to see what you think sounds best.
It's worth a try.
 
Thanks for the replies.

@Dante01: OK, if I go with the approach you've suggested re setting the front Avianos as Large, to confirm, will this mean that the sub will basically just be handling from 29Hz to 38Hz, then the Avianos will handle frequencies above that?

What should I set the crossover frequency to on the amp in this scenario?
 
Thanks for the replies.

@Dante01: OK, if I go with the approach you've suggested re setting the front Avianos as Large, to confirm, will this mean that the sub will basically just be handling from 29Hz to 38Hz, then the Avianos will handle frequencies above that?

What should I set the crossover frequency to on the amp in this scenario?

No, all it means is that full range frequencies already embedded in the discrete L and R channels will be sent to the front speakers and not filtered by the crossover.

Still use 120Hz, but this will now only effect the surrounds and not your front two speakers. The crossover only applies to speakers you designate as being SMALL.
 
Thanks for the clarification, really helpful.

Just one other quick question as you've been so helpful! I've noticed that sometimes the dialogue is fairly hard to hear with other sounds (backing music, ambient noises etc) going on and am finding myself having to keep increasing the volume to hear dialog, then decrease it when things start kicking off! I've increased the levels to the centre speaker to the max (+10dB) and dropped the front L & Rs by 1dB (to +4dB) from what the 'auto calibration/configuration' tool set up earlier, I think this has helped a bit, but it could still do with being a bit more balanced - do you know what might be the issue, or best way to resolve this?

Thanks again...
 
Thanks for the clarification, really helpful.

Just one other quick question as you've been so helpful! I've noticed that sometimes the dialogue is fairly hard to hear with other sounds (backing music, ambient noises etc) going on and am finding myself having to keep increasing the volume to hear dialog, then decrease it when things start kicking off! I've increased the levels to the centre speaker to the max (+10dB) and dropped the front L & Rs by 1dB (to +4dB) from what the 'auto calibration/configuration' tool set up earlier, I think this has helped a bit, but it could still do with being a bit more balanced - do you know what might be the issue, or best way to resolve this?

Thanks again...

I'd suggest you run the auto calibration again and start from scratch. Your speakers will be way out of calibration by now and with the alterations you've made. Once you start trying to do it by ear it is hard to stop yourself :) Once you've run auto cal then try turning Adaptive DRC on. You'll notice a jump in volume level, but you can then turn down the main volume and the dialogue should be slightly louder in comparison to the otherwise overwhelming action scenes.
 
Thanks, I'll give that a go.

Just out of interest, if at some stage I wanted to get a centre speaker with a bit more range, as its currently the same as the other satellites that come in the KEF 1505 kit, and I feel its lacking a bit for dialog, would I benefit from getting a centre speaker on its own with more range, or will it not benefit properly all the time my other KEF satellites are in use?
 
Thanks, I'll give that a go.

Just out of interest, if at some stage I wanted to get a centre speaker with a bit more range, as its currently the same as the other satellites that come in the KEF 1505 kit, and I feel its lacking a bit for dialog, would I benefit from getting a centre speaker on its own with more range, or will it not benefit properly all the time my other KEF satellites are in use?

It is advisably to try match all three front speakers if at all possible. The approriate centre speaker would be the Aviano 5 centre speaker:

Mordaunt Short AVIANO 5 Walnut | Single Centre | Richer Sounds
 
Thanks a lot for the info. So if I get this, it doesnt matter too much that the 2 surround satellites behind are higher frequency, and the aviano centre will provide a much more prominent fuller sound than the current KEF centre? If so, I'll drive to my local store and get it this afternoon! Is it a quite well rated centre speaker?

Thank again for all the help...
 
Thanks a lot for the info. So if I get this, it doesnt matter too much that the 2 surround satellites behind are higher frequency, and the aviano centre will provide a much more prominent fuller sound than the current KEF centre? If so, I'll drive to my local store and get it this afternoon! Is it a quite well rated centre speaker?

Thank again for all the help...

The Aviano centre will be a far better tonal match for your Aviano 6 floorstanders. The centre speaker should also have more presence due its size and wider frequency handling (70Hz - 22kHz).

You'll still have an issue with the front 3 speakers being able to produce lower frequencies than the rears and there would still be the crossover discrepancy.

If you want to go the whole hog, here's what would be better as surrounds:
Mordaunt Short AVIANO 1 Walnut | Speakers Per Pair | Richer Sounds

If you replace them all then you can safely use a crossover of 80Hz without any holes in the range.
 
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OK, I'll have to leave the surrounds for now, so assuming I get the Aviano 5 centre this afternoon (just phoned the store and they have it in stock), would you still recommend I leave the crossover at 120Hz and the front speakers set to Large or would I be able to bring that crossover frequency down a bit & change the fronts from large to small or..? My main concern is getting things up front sounding great - if the surrounds lack in some areas due to configuration of the front/centre speakers, I dont mind at the moment.
Thanks...
 
OK, I'll have to leave the surrounds for now, so assuming I get the Aviano 5 centre this afternoon (just phoned the store and they have it in stock), would you still recommend I leave the crossover at 120Hz and the front speakers set to Large or would I be able to bring that crossover frequency down a bit & change the fronts from large to small or..? My main concern is getting things up front sounding great - if the surrounds lack in some areas due to configuration of the front/centre speakers, I dont mind at the moment.
Thanks...

I'd set the speakers all to SMALL and give 90Hz or 100Hz a go. You will lose some bass from the back, but as mentioned by Badger0-0, the surrounds tend not to have many low bass effects so the hole wont be overly apparent.
 
Thanks a lot. I'll go get that Aviano 5 now and try it out later on with the updated settings. In hindsight I should have probably bought everything individually rather than the KEF speaker package, though the surrounds do sound much better than the old sony kit that I used to have and I need low profile speakers for wall mounting in my current living room - the sub seems fine too. Hopefully the addition of the aviano centre speaker will fill the gap im hearing in dialog and keep me happy for 6-12 months :)

Thanks again, I appreciate the help.
 
Just to update - I got the Aviano 5 earlier and it's all sounding infinitely better than before! Thanks for the help.
 

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