Managing the bass is an important part of setting up your home theater’s audio system. The crossover adjustment on your subwoofer is crucial for achieving a balanced sound. If you don’t do it properly, your speakers won’t blend together. To assist you in making that choice, this article will discuss the pros and cons of setting the Subwoofer Crossover 80 Hz or 120 Hz.
Significance of Subwoofers in Your Audio System
A subwoofer is essential to any home audio system. Using this method, you can breathe fresh life into your audio setup that even the greatest speakers can’t match.
There are speakers on the market that highlight their expert bass handling. However, at the present time, not even speakers with integrated subwoofers can match the frequency response of a dedicated sub. The addition of a subwoofer can greatly improve your home theater and music listening experience.
It may be argued that some people have better speakers than others, and that these people can get the thumping bass and other elements they desire in their home theater
That’s why setting up a subwoofer isn’t on their list of priorities. That’s true to a certain degree, but a subwoofer with the proper crossover configuration is essential for fully appreciating the richness of high-definition music.
About Subwoofer Crossover
This is the crossover point between the lower and upper-frequency ranges produced by your subwoofer and speakers. If you’re hearing to music and the system transmits a signal to create low frequencies, your primary speakers will fade away until just your subwoofer is left to do the job.
When the music calls for higher notes, the subwoofer will gradually fade out so that the main speakers can take over. As a result of this smooth changeover, the resulting sound gives the impression of emanating from a single source.
A subwoofer crossover is a seemingly essential setup that must be made to guarantee that all speakers in your system are in sync with one another. Before you begin adjusting your subwoofer crossover, it is essential to have a firm grasp on how a correctly built audio system should perform.
Set Crossover to 80 Hz or 120 Hz?
It’s worth experimenting with crossover points that are higher than “typical” if your speaker setup includes smaller “satellite” speakers. Many different factors suggest that 80 Hz is the optimal frequency for most setups. However, considerably lower than 120 Hz or even 150 Hz, smaller speakers may frequently tend to sound strained or unpleasant. As the volume increases, this becomes more apparent. If you can get your hands on some reliable frequency responsiveness measurements for your speakers, you’ll have a good starting point for adjusting the crossover frequency. Let’s take this as just one illustration.
One can notice a precipitous drop in frequency responsiveness beginning about 200 Hz, as seen by the purple line. But the manufacturer says they can handle up to 80 Hz.
Most certainly, a crossover frequency of more than 80 Hz would improve the sound quality of them. It’s possible that 120 Hz will suffice if your volume levels are usually rather low to medium. Nonetheless, 150hz is also an option. The subwoofer, in regards of both positioning and frequency range, is a crucial component. If you’re utilizing a higher than usual crossover for the full-range channels, you should also make absolutely sure the subwoofer’s wavelength is high enough to meet (preferably overlap a little with) the crossover point selected. Therefore, if you wish to play about with a 150 Hz crossover, your subwoofer should go up to and even slightly beyond 150 Hz without experiencing any significant distortion.
Likewise, the subwoofer’s positioning could require some fine-tuning, too. If the subwoofer’s crossover position is high enough, placing it in the front audio stage (between the primary left and right speakers) would usually provide the greatest results. When the subwoofer is generating higher frequencies, this will reduce the likelihood that those frequencies will be locally amplified.
Tips for Setting Crossover Frequency for Subwoofer
The point at which the speakers begin to attenuate and the subwoofer begins to provide low-frequency effects and bass is known as the crossover frequency. You’ll find some helpful hints for determining the best crossover frequency down below.
- Once you’ve determined the lowest frequency that your speakers can reproduce without distortion, you may adjust the crossover point to be around 10 Hz above that.
- Crossover frequencies range from 20 Hz to 80 Hz, with 80 Hz being the THX standard.
- Crossover frequencies may be tricky to determine, but with the SVS Subwoofer Matching Tool, you can find the perfect SVS subwoofer to complement your speakers.
- Check for a seamless transition between the main speakers and the subwoofer. It would be ideal if the bass couldn’t be pinpointed and everything played in harmony as a whole.
- Increasing the volume until it’s in line with the output of your primary speakers may help eliminate the bass spike at the crossover frequency.
Conclusion
One must have a full-range subwoofer in any decent sound system. It may enhance your musical enjoyment to a whole new level, but only if you set it up effectively. In order to get your speakers to blend together and prevent distortion, you must adjust the subwoofer crossover. Because of this, this essay on whether to use a subwoofer crossover 80 Hz or 120 Hz might be useful.
