Crossover Question on H/K 635 & Ascends

[Jake518]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading past posts regarding setting the crossover correctly for Ascends and a subwoofer. I've seen many people mention their crossover is set between 60-80hz. Does that apply to each speaker? The H/K 635 lets you set crossover for all the speakers. I ran the Auto/EQ program in the manual setting, so it would keep the crossovers I set. Currently, this is how they read in the onscreen setup program (all speakers are set to small):

Fronts - 60hz
Center - 60hz
Rear - 60hz
Sub - 60 hz (it was actually set at 120hz, I think by the Auto/EQ program, but I changed that, not sure if this was the right thing to do).

Also, on my Outlaw LFM-1 sub, I have the switch labeled "X-over" set to Bypass, which I read will allow the subwoofer to follow an external crossover (set by receiver?), and bypass the internal LFM-1 crossover. So, I'm guess that means the crossover frequency knob which goes from 40hz-180hz on the subwoofer is essentially disabled when I have it set to bypass. Is this correct? If not, where should I have the knob set? Right now, I have it turned all to 180hz (Sound & Vision DVD said to do this).

I currently don't have a SPL meter, but my birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so it's on my list of goodies. Will the SPL meter help calibrate this or is it just the decibel settings it helps you adjust?

Finally, I can go through and put all the receiver crossover settings at 80hz (instead of 60hz), but what should I be listening for in terms of sound to determine which setting is correct for the Ascend speakers?

If anyone can help shed some light on these questions, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks very much!
Jake

[FibreKid]

Sounds to me like you have everything set up correctly. I have my X-over set to 80 though. The crossover setting is a personal thing depending on your equipment (speakers & sub). I'm no expert but I would recomend that the X-over be set the same for all speakers. Leave your LFM-1 x-over set to bypass and also leave it to 180 like you have it. Since the x-over setting isn't a brick wall, having it set higher than where your mains start to drop off will provide a smoother freq response in your room. Again it's your choice.

The SPL meter will allow you to take in room measurements to make sure that your settings are the best for your specific room. Using a test CD you can check for dips and peaks for a seating location. Many times the spl meter and a test CD will tell you more about the room than attempting to listen to a sound track with your ears. I know that I didn't know what I was missing until I did a freq sweep in my room

[Lee Bailey]

You really should not need the SPL meter, since you used the Auto EQ and its microphone. You also didn't note what Ascend speakers you have. The rule of thumb on crossover frequencies is usually 1 octave above the -3db low frequency rating of the speaker. So, if your speakers -3db frequency is at 50Hz, your crossover should be set to 100Hz, in theory.

Having the sub woofer crossover disabled is the correct setting when using the receiver's sub out jack.

[Jake518]

I appreciate all your help. It's reassuring I'm able to these up correctly, without too many issues. By the way, here's what I have for speakers (if that makes a difference):
Left/Right/Center - 340's
Rear Left/Rear Right - 170's
Subwoofer - Outlaw LFM-1

From what I've read today on the Ascend forum through old posts, I see that I should probably have my 170's set at 80hz and my 340's set at 60hz (but should try 80hz). Where should I have my subwoofer set in my receiver... is 60hz right? I haven't seen that listed anywhere in the forum.

Thanks!
Jake

[BGHD]

I have 340LCR + 170 SR/SL but a VTF2 sub. All xovers at 80 mainly from what I've read, & sounds good to me. It should be pretty easy to flip the xover setting to test 'em out in your room.

As for the SPL, is it true that Radio Shack only sells the digital one now? People seem to have preferred the analog version (because it's cheaper?). Should the digital one work OK?

[curtis]

Where should I have my subwoofer set in my receiver... is 60hz right? I haven't seen that listed anywhere in the forum.

It should be in your HK documentation. You should set the sub crossover the same as your highest speaker crossover...in this case...80hz.