FAQ for the forum

[BradJudy]

Gary,

I would go ahead and do 80Hz on the 340 also. None of the dialog will be that low and there's no point in making your dialog speaker handle explosion level sounds. Otherwise, I think 80 and 100 are good choices for the 170 and 200 respectively.

[GaryB]

Thanks, Brad. Actually, I was considering the 60 Hz crossover for the 340c more for music than for movies - does the center channel in DD or DTS soundtracks even carry information much below 80 Hz?

Intellectually, I guess I would like to fully utilize the capabilities of the satellite speakers, keeping in mind that their required output will be reduced by 6 dB at the chosen crossover point.

Glad to hear you concur with my choices for the other sats. []

[GaryB]

Further to the above, this is from the man himself, and I'm posting it here since I think it would be of general interest:

"Hi Gary,

You can pick my brains all you like

>So, in summary, would you agree that the optimal crossover points (for both movies and music) from the available options offered by the h/k receivers, are 100 Hz for the HTM-200 surrounds, 80 Hz for the CBM-170 "mains", and 60 Hz for the CMT-340c center?

Yes... exactly. Should sound great!

Take care!

Good Sound To You!
ASCEND ACOUSTICS, INC.

David Fabrikant"

[Allen42]

So what to do if crossovers can't be set per channel?

If I'm using 340c, 170's and 200's, but can only specify a single corssover, should I go with highest denominator so nothing is missed?

Saying that, I'd cross at 100 for the 200's. But then aren't my 170's and the 340 being robbed of precious 60-100 hz ranges?

Is a good compromise 80hz for this combination of speakers?

[bikeman]

Is a good compromise 80hz for this combination of speakers?

It's probably not a compromise. One reason I choose the 340's is people have posted they perfer the 80hz setting. My receiver is set at 80hz so that worked well in their favor. Building a speaker that didn't preform great with an 80hz setting would not win so many favorable reviews. It would be great to have base management but lots of us don't so the speakers have to strut their stuff with the defacto setting.
My speaker stands are in LA harbor. Curtis, you know any long shoremen? :->

David

[curtis]

Actually David...I used have friends that worked on the docks.

FWIW....I have the crossover set for 80hz all the way around. I used to set the 340's at 60hz....but in my room, 80hz seems to work better.

-curtis

[GaryB]

Allen42 - I would agree, and I bet David F. would too, that if you have only one crossover frequency to choose from for all three models, 80 Hz would be best, especially if the HTM-200s are wall-mounted and benefitting from some bass reinforcement.

Theoretically, an 80 Hz crossover for the CMT-340s is slightly suboptimal for the following reasons. The bass management in most processors/receivers high-passes the satellites at 12 dB/octave and low-passes the sub at 24 dB/octave. In the case of the CMT-340, which is nearly flat between 60 and 80 Hz, a crossover setting of 80 Hz will result in the 340's output rolling off by 12 dB/octave in the 80-60 Hz range, while the sub's output will be rolling off at 24 dB/octave above 80 Hz. This will result in a slightly excessive summed output in the 60-80 Hz range, which may be sonically pleasing, but is not necessarily accurate. In the more lengthy correspondence I had with David F., he considered 65 Hz to be the optimal setting (sonically) for the 340s, but since few of us have such fine control over crossover frequencies, he figured that 60 Hz would be close enough not to matter.

Curtis, in what way does the 80 Hz setting work better in your room? I've been reading your posts in various forums for quite some time and I certainly value your opinion. []

[curtis]

Gary...I just have some kind of room anomaly that makes the bass below 80hz sound better from where the sub is located when compared to where the mains are located. Some kind of resonance. I don't hear it at my Parents' place with their 340's running fullrange with the same material.

-curtis