Is 80 Hz the Best Crossover Frequency Setting for Your Speakers? Home Theater Basics

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[TechnoDad]

Video Timeline:
1:18 - THX Standard
4:15 - The Big Question!
5:05 - My Methodology
7:45 - My Recommendation
11:40 - The Wrap Up!

[ferrisburgh]

This is really an issue that never seems to go away. Unfortunately many people, myself included fell into the trap of using the recommended 80 hz crossover for all the speakers. I didn't know much about speaker frequency response capability except it was an number in the speaker specs. Like many I purchased speakers based on recommendations from friends and reading reviews; ditto receivers. Needless to say I've wasted a lot of money. Since watching you guys on your daily podcast I have become more knowledgeable. I subscribed to your channel and came across this video. It was truly a great find. My system which consists of ML 60xts, 50xt and FX surrounds with a Polk 10 inch Sub with the FL, FR, FC set to 60 Hz and the FXs left at 80hz has really opened up the sound to the point I sat in amazement when playing my favorite go to CD which is the 1812 Overture on Mercury Living Presence with all the bells, cannon shots, etc. and the Hobbit - Battle of Five Armies movie. BTW my AVR is the Marantz SR7013 with the Emotiva BASX 2 driving the FCR speakers leaving the sub and surrounds to the Marantz (which really had a problem driving the ML 60xts despite what their specs said, that is another story). This is a long post but thank you. Perhaps this is a topic you guys should revisit on your daily podcasts.

[Bozlee]

When THX came up
with the 80Hz standard it was over 25 years ago.
Speakers have improved dramatically since then. Test and listen for yourself to see what’s best for your system
and don’t forget the Surrounds.

[Vincent-lwsp]

I think you're 100% correct that it's all subjective and everyone's room is going to sound different. The size of the room, placement of the speakers, and listening distance are all factors that contribute to how the sound is going to change in any given situation. Tweaking to find what sounds best in your room is part of the enjoyment of the hobby (IMHO).

[diegonieva]

Man, after of trying to figure out why the sound was so crappy on my new Wharfdale towers, I came across your video and made the settings make so much more sense! All of a sudden I can hear details again! Thank you!!!!

[frazy]

Every video of yours is detailed and of professional level. Your way of mixing humour with the facts, is what makes the viewers keen on listening to you, without making them bored. I appreciate your efforts. Thanks and keep going.

[VimalReynolds]

I am just getting back into home theater, and this video and others on your channel have helped tremendously. Thanks.

[mrfixinspitzin]

I agree 100%. For my Klipsch 8000F's I have two crossover presets on my Yamaha Aventage Receiver, one for movies @ 60hz, and one for music at @ 40hz. After listening for quite some time I have settled on these settings and could not be happier.

[andreusburton]

Just wanted to say thank you for the tips in this video. I adjusted my crossovers and it made a world of difference. You were definitely correct. I did get a much fuller and even sounding bass from my speakers, especially with fronts. Please keep making videos. I thoroughly enjoy your channel.

[alexnather]

i can't believe that there's any dislikes, i mean come on guys. This guy is the real deal and knows what he's talking about.

[guy]

It's refreshing to see a video keeping an open mind about crossovers and not just saying "Set crossover on all your speakers to 80Hz. Period." like so many out there. Especially when it comes to the center channel.

[Brian_Fantastic]

I have the Klipsch R-26F, and I used the John Wick club scene as my demo as well. I believe I landed at 60hz for these speakers. I had the towers set to large for months, but after making this change I notice a huge difference in quality.

[brendanlawton]

I usually follow SVS's guideline of double what your speaker is rated {eg. 40Hz rating set to 80 75Hz set to 150} Seems to be a good starting point then get closer to actual rating of speakers.

[ForPetesake]

Glad I found this video, cause I’ve been kind of scratching my head about this very topic. Great review!!

[MrJgibo]

I've been enjoying my Klipsch RF 820s with my SVS SB 4000. Watched over 50 4k movies. Finally got around to using REW. Found I had a big dip at 42 hz despite the great bass. Had to adjust one of the DSP and put it out of phase. Now I'm in heaven all over again 😁

[blueboyblue]

Even in the Subwoofer range, as frequency goes up, the beams or directionality of the speaker becomes more directional. At lower frequencies, sound tends to sound Omni-Directional or all directional. At above 80hz, the bass sound starts to become more directional. That is, instead of coming from everywhere, it seems to be coming from a specific direction. Now this is a steady process, the higher the frequency, the more you can determine the direction the sound is coming from. Under 80hz, the sound tends to be coming from everywhere which is what you want for Sub-Bass for Movies, and even for Music.

[deepanmurugan]

01:50 LFE and bass management are not the same thing btw !
Im pretty sure you know this very well Techno Dad but its just the way you said it (phrased it) here sounded like bass management was for LFE or that crossover was for LFE.
LFE is a channel on its own & as long as you have dedicated subwoofers taking in LFE input from AVR/Processors that is it as far as LFE is concerned, nothing to do with crossovers & the other speakers.
Bass management on the other hand is handing over lower frequencies to subwoofers that the main speakers might not be able to produce at all or might struggle to produce without distorting, and as we all know crossover is the cutoff point for this "handing over" of lower frequencies from the main speakers to the subwoofer.

PS: Not trying to be a wise-ass, but thought this clarification is important.

[rafaelperez]

Always learn something new from TD's channel because he knows what he's talking about! I like that. Great!! 👍

[drakestevens]

I like your video! It's refreshing to hear advice telling people to to try out different settings to see what sounds best for their unique setup, rather than pretending to know something specific about something with so many variables. I loved how you described your process, particularly how you explained why you chose the test clip that you did. Great information. My 5.2.4 Atmos setup in the family room is set at 80Hz because it sounds best with my Boston HS-40 surrounds and height speakers. My 5.1 in the man cave, however, is set at 60Hz because it sounds fuller with my Infinity Sterling SS-03 speakers. The right crossover point really does depend upon speaker size and placement, and room size and acoustics. New fan of your channel! Thank you!

[azriazris]

Same to me working 25years in home theater 👍👍👍 80hz, 100 Hz no matter how respectively in your home theater setup comes live when listening no noisy vocal, bass, trible and surround sound every each speaker and subwoofer must balanced.When listen you love very much.❤️❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍👍