good speakers, better sub. where do I cut it off?

[evac311]

I recently purchased an Infinity SW12 rated +/-3db down to 28hz and +/-6db down to 20hz.

I have always been under the impression that a proper speaker/sub setup is supposed to have the sub crossover set to 80hz and the speakers set to "small" which set's my Infinities to cut out at 100hz on my pioneer elite vsx14.

My Infinity RS5's are rated +/- 6db down to 35hz. It seems to me that cutting out the Infinities 65hz in front of their bass limit is not taking full advantage of their range, and also would be limiting to the response quality of my subwoofer.

What do you guys think I should do?

[chimera128]

Try it both ways and keep the way that sounds better to you.

[kbethune]

kudos to another Infinity owner. I love the RS-5's. Using them w/ Overture 2's is a dream when watching movies. I need a better sub that can go as low as what you have.

[evac311]

yeah I bought them a few years back when I was in middle school. It seems like they keep sounding better every day. Let me know if you can get a lead on some overtures.

[kexodusc]

First, depending on the receiver, your options for crossing over the LFE to the sub may be limited. You claim your Pioneer Elite cuts the LFE off the speakers at 100 Hz? This could complicate things.

Does the receiver have an adjustable LFE cutoff? If you can, set it to 80, 70, or even 60 Hz (the lowest point where your speakers still boast +/-3dB). Make sure when you have your speakers set to "small", that the crossover dial or "LFE cutoff" dial on the subwoofer is at the highest possible frequency...having it set lower could cause some uneven response (the xo's on the plate amps aren't always accurate, and you don't want 2 crossovers working at once anyway).

If you're stuck with a fixed crossover in the receiver of 100 Hz, you're going to have to do more trial and error. You can still run the LFE out of the receiver to the sub, but I'd recommend first setting the speakers to "Large", then getting some test tones from 20-60 Hz and an SPL meter to find a good balance, and then manually adjust that dial to one that works best. I'm assuming this would be around 40-60 Hz...as the speakers roll-off you want the sub to gradually take over so that the total bass is even...we'll worry about phase issues later, hopefully your sub is very close to one of the main speakers.

Alternatively, you might find you prefer the 100 Hz cutoff (which might tend to make the sub give itself away). Depending on the quality of the subwoofer vs speaker woofers, this might still be the better option.

Take your time and try a few things out...give each a few days, sometimes quick a/b's don't always work.