subwoofer crossover- lowest is best almost always?


In my experiences with subwoofers, I have found that lowest setting has always given me the least colored bass response as well as the tightest.  I have found in almost all cases that anything remotely close to crossing over at the speaker frequency seems to overblow the bass almost every time and have a negative effect on the overall sound most noticible with digital.  It seems that any other setting is just trying to compensate resulting in sound that does not sound right. Albeit some may think that systems that do not crank the subwoofer as being thin sounding. Well, I think that depends ultimately on placement and setup of speakers and sub.  Just curious to what others think.
tzh21y

Showing 1 response by martykl

Personally, I'd always try to cross a sub at somewhere between 70hz and 80hz or so.  Note: I use an active cross-over and this observation may not apply at all to those who don't.

Getting the kick-drum fundamentals (typically 50-60 hz) directed to the sub has two great benefits, IMO:

1) A decent sub is typically much better suited to moving this volume of air and will do a better job of it than even an outstanding main loudspeaker.

2) Relieved of moving that much air, most main loudspeakers will sound better thru their entire bandwidth.

Per Erik's recommendation, using Room EQ Wizzard (or a variant) will help you dial in smooth response - that's true even if you're crossing higher.  Even better, IMO is digital room correction and bass management (Audyssey, etc).  Not audiophile approved, but a great solution for integrating a subwoofer IMO.