60 or 80 hrs?

[musicguy]

I have seirra-1 as a surround speakers. I can't decided between 60-80 hz as a crossover setting.

1- Would 60 hz damage these speakers? I don't use high db settings. Just normal listening levels but dynamic.

2- Does DTS master audio or any hd audio really have any signals below 80 hz for the surrounds to begin with?

Thanks for any input

Musicguy

[natetg57]

1. I don't think 60hz will damage your speakers.
2. I'm guessing that it depends on the movie probably. Some would have content below 80hz for sure.
What sounds better to you? At what frequency are your mains crossed over? I would be inclined to set the crossover the same for the surrounds as the fronts and center. Not sure if that is really relevant...
Do you listen to multi-channel music? I think that would be a good test for what you like better.

[Dark Ranger]

Hi Musicguy,

Sierra-1 as surrounds, eh? Nice! I wish I had the space for that setup. Nate basically answered your questions and gave some good advice. Here's my two cents as well.


1) Using a 60 Hz crossover on the Sierra-1 will not damage them. The Sierra-1 can actually play lower than 60 Hz and the speakers are designed to reproduce more of the low-frequency range compared to Ascend's "SE" models. I actually use a 50 Hz crossover on my pair of Sierra-1 running as mains. No worries at all.

2) Nearly all modern surround sound codecs and matrix processing formats provide full bandwidth capability for every discrete channel. This includes codecs like standard lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 all the way up to lossless DTS-HD Master Audio. Even the surround channels offer full-range 20-20,000 Hz capability. However, it's up to the audio engineers whether they take advantage of that bandwidth. Some films might place general band-limited ambient sounds in the surround channels, while other films might take full advantage of the low-frequency extension with explosions, thunder, strong wind, or other effects. So to sum up this particular answer, yes, the surround channels can reproduce full-range sound, but not every movie will choose to do so.

I would say there is no "100% right" answer for #1. I personally enjoy surround speakers that can reproduce sound below the usual 80 Hz crossover. IMO, it gives the surround field more realism, power, and immersion. At 80 Hz, the effect is generally tolerable. Above that, it starts to sound very unnatural to me. If I had the space for Sierra-1 surrounds, I'd run 'em at the same crossover as the mains--50 Hz.

I say experiment with both 60 & 80 Hz. If the Sierra-1 is very close to a wall, you might prefer 80 Hz. If you can give the speaker some room to breathe, 60 Hz would be great. What crossover are you using for your main and center speakers? If around 50-60 Hz for mains, consider setting the Sierra-1 surrounds to the same.

[musicguy]

Thank you for your inputs. I run my fronts full range 20-20khz. Verified with REW. Im am new to HT theater since the beginning of the year. I use three Sierra's, surrounds and my center channel. Fronts are modified B&W 801 matrix series II. 2 LV12R subs.

I have selected 60 hz for the center channel and surrounds. I will give this a try.

Musicguy