How to set center speakers


Am running the new Mac MX 135/MC 207. am planning on running a set of Oddyseys for R/L, a Theater i for center channel, and shamefully an M&K 350 THX for the sub.

Dolby labs will tell you to use the exact same speaker for all of the front three. Am curious if there is any way to configure the electronics such that bass below 80hz is only sent for the center and rear channels? If I am reading the tech data right, it's an all or nothing (i.e. if any of the front speakers is chosen as small all bass effects below (150hz or as specified) are sent to the sub.

Appreciate your comments/suggestions.
maybrfd
If this is true, the (shamefully) should be placed on the Mac...not the M&K. I'll try to dig-up some info. on your gear..I have no first hand experience with it.

Dave
I found your manual, your factory defalt settings are small speakers. Page 26/27 tells you how to change these settings to large/small/none along with sub on/off/delay and X-over settings.

That is a very big manual and you will need to read it over several times to fully understand it I would think.

Very nice setup you have there but complicated for those with little experience. You should be very happy once you figure it all out.

Dave
Dave,

Thanks for the shot of confidence (I do so love to read the manuals more than once:)). I guess the biggest problem is with the Theater i, not having the same dynamics as the Odysseys. It is really no problem changing the settings, but if I go small, everything (L-R_C) below 150Hz (or as set) heads for the sub, if I go big, the way I'm reading it is, I'm going to lose out on everything below 35Hz (LFE gets routed to the large speakers). Way I'm reading it, unless there is some way (which the answer is probably not - see note 1, pg 25 of manual) to just send LFE from the center below cut off for the center only, I'll either have to rely on boomy/muddy/non-responsive bass of the M&K (nothing against M&Ks they are great sub-bass for a lesser system), or loose the center channel LFEs (should be routed to the MLs if set on large - will see if bass response of MLs will be good enough). Of course other potential solution (and probably the right one) is to loose the M&K for something better and go small.

Again really appreciate advice - the manual is a very large and system is full of nice suprises. Can't wait to test the "pure analog" by-pass on the system in the stereo mode. I do love the engineers at "Mac", they think of just about everything.

Thx!
Scott
Scott

Something to remember: LFE is always there as long as the sub is set to on..it has nothing to do with your other speaker settings. Any speaker set to small will have it's bass freq's below the X-over point you have set sent to the sub in addition to the LFE.

Speaker (size) settings is only a bass management tool for those that do not have full-range speakers in every position. LFE (.1) is a channel of discrete information that is recorded into the soundtrack as are the others.

You can e-mail me if you need any help

Dave
Scott

In response to: see note 1, pg 25 of manual

That only will happen if the sub is turned OFF, you will have it turned ON. Take another read. Also read page 27 (MC Bass Mode), defalt is OFF but could want to try ON also for the heck of it. Also, your unit has bass/treble controls...the bass control could be of some use if you need to add some role-off to your large mains.

Nice unit, I wish I had it here to play with!!

Dave