High Passing bookshelves...opinions?

[vr6ofpain]

what do you all think about running your main's high pass(>80hz) and your sub low pass(80hz and below). this is how my setup is running right now out of my Lexicon CP-3.

the one positive I noticed from this setup is that I have much more "volume" with minimal distortion, because the signal my bookshelves are being asked to produce, 80hz-20khz, doesn't have the more difficult lower octaves. At the same time I worry there may be a window of midbass missing, but I am less inclined to think this now after listening to my friends Grado RS-1's, which obviously produce the whole range of human hearing with good results.

I'm mainly interested in any negative aspects of running my system this way, but I am open to hearing the positives. Keep in mind this system is used to produce only 2 channel music(no home theater).

[MikeyBC]

What are your mains/sub combination?, personally i'd run the crossover point lower than 80 Hz if the mains can produce lower frequencies. This will keep the sub from sounding too boomy and directional. A properly set up sub will disappear meaning you should not be able to tell wher the sub is located if you close your eyes.

[vr6ofpain]

Well actually with my setup now, the bass seems to come from in front of me, though the sub is located ~5ft. to the left of my left bookshelf.

I have MB Quart QLC200's for my mains. They are a front ported bookshelf, with a 6.5" poly woofer, and 1" metal tweeter:


My sub is a Velodyne VA-907.2. It is an 8" front firing, 10" downward firing passive radiator, 100watt rms/250watt peak Class A/B amp.


Do you run your mains highpass?

[vr6ofpain]

probably not, you dont have a sub listed.

[Feanor]

[QUOTE=vr6ofpain]what do you all think about running your main's high pass(>80hz) and your sub low pass(80hz and below). this is how my setup is running right now out of my Lexicon CP-3.
...QUOTE]

Given you main speakers are small, they can't handle the bass dynamics as well as your subwoofer. The 80Hz high/low crossover is the ideal choice in under these circumstances. There is very little directional information below about 80Hz, so that crossover will give you the best compromise stereo content vs. bass dynamic.

I had my Magneplanar MMGs and sub set up that way. The MMGs have quite limited bass dynamics and this approach gave them a very effective boost at higher volumes. But as a matter of interest, I no longer use this setup since I mainly listen to chamber music. For that purpose I chose to trade off bass dynamics for the more precise, controlled bass that the MMGs deliver; (note: this has nothing to do with content,). Currently I have my sub low-pass set at 50Hz while the MMG are used full-range, i.e. without high-pass to the main amp.

[vr6ofpain]

Thanks for the information. Much appreciated.

[markw]

[QUOTE=Feanor]

what do you all think about running your main's high pass(>80hz) and your sub low pass(80hz and below). this is how my setup is running right now out of my Lexicon CP-3.
...QUOTE]

Given you main speakers are small, they can't handle the bass dynamics as well as your subwoofer. The 80Hz high/low crossover is the ideal choice in under these circumstances. There is very little directional information below about 80Hz, so that crossover will give you the best compromise stereo content vs. bass dynamic.

I had my Magneplanar MMGs and sub set up that way. The MMGs have quite limited bass dynamics and this approach gave them a very effective boost at higher volumes. But as a matter of interest, I no longer use this setup since I mainly listen to chamber music. For that purpose I chose to trade off bass dynamics for the more precise, controlled bass that the MMGs deliver; (note: this has nothing to do with content,). Currently I have my sub low-pass set at 50Hz while the MMG are used full-range, i.e. without high-pass to the main amp.

Maggies are polite enough to simply bow out silently of whatever they cannot reproduce, thereby negating the need for using a high pass filter.