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09-06-2003, 09:54 PM
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#1 of 5 
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Local Time: 03:32 PM
Local Date: 10-10-2008
Posts: 3,727
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Stupid 5.1 Question
Ok, I'm having some trouble finding a clear answer to this..
Assuming I'm playing a multichannel audio source (DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital, SACD, DVDA, etc):
Is the subwoofer channel a discreet channel, or does it only contain sonic LFE "information" that a regular speaker cannot handle?
If I have five full range (10-20,000hertz, assuming they existed) speakers, will I gain anything from a subwoofer?
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09-06-2003, 10:39 PM
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#2 of 5
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Michael Reuben
Administrator
Location: New York City, Lehman Bros. was here
Join Date: Feb 1998
Local Time: 05:32 PM
Local Date: 10-10-2008
Posts: 19,584
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Quote:
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Is the subwoofer channel a discreet channel
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Yes. And the correct name is "Low Frequency Effects" or LFE.
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does it only contain sonic LFE "information" that a regular speaker cannot handle?
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I'm not sure what you mean by "regular", but there's no requirement that the information in the LFE be routed to a dedicated subwoofer. As long as the speaker(s) receiving that information are capable of playing the frequencies, everything should be fine.
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If I have five full range (10-20,000hertz, assuming they existed) speakers, will I gain anything from a subwoofer?
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You could probably get different opinions on this, but if the remaining speakers are truly capable of such deep extension, I would think you could manage fine without a subwoofer. You'd just have to set your receiver or processor to reroute the LFE channel to the front mains.
M.
"Most people never have to face the fact that, at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything." -- Chinatown
"What kind of movies would there be if everyone in them had to do what we thought they should do?" -- Roger Ebert
HTF Beginner's Primer and FAQ
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09-06-2003, 10:53 PM
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#3 of 5
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Member
Location: Seattle
Join Date: Aug 2002
Local Time: 01:32 PM
Local Date: 10-10-2008
Posts: 4,759
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Quote:
| Is the subwoofer channel a discreet channel, or does it only contain sonic LFE "information" that a regular speaker cannot handle? |
I'd also like to expound a little on Micheal's post, just to clarify things a little. In a 5.1 mix, all the 5 main channels are full-range, meaning that they are capable of carrying some VERY deep bass. In addition to that, is the .1 track, which is ONLY bass. If you notice on most recievers, the output is "subwoofer" out, NOT LFE out, because bass management in the reciever can strip the bass out of the main channels, and add it to the LFE, and then send all of that to the sub. If you have speakers that are incapable of reproducing very low bass, without setting them to small, depending on a particular movie mix there can still be a lot of bass in the main channels. On the disc, it is not as if ALL the bass is ONLY in the LFE (.1).
So it's a little confusing in understanding the LFE in comparison with what is actually being sent to the subwoofer. In most cases (other than some VERY capable speakers (avs user poindexter for instance, rightly argues the need for no sub... HE doesn't need one.... )), people have all their speakers set to SMALL, and so the subwoofer gets sent the bass from ALL the main channels in addition to the LFE.
I found a very good link with some very-in depth info. You may want to read through, it may be a little too technical though. If i recall correctly there is some good info on the beginners' primer/faq too, and if my internet weren't being so slow at the moment i'd pull it up and see.
anyway, the link:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...pril-2000.html
Now, This is for DD and DTS. SACD and DVDA can be a little trickier...and since I'm not very experienced there, i can't say much other than that i know some players can't do bass management, or if you run it through your reciever and do bass management then you can often obliterate the whole point of the high-resolution audio by running it through often low-resolution A-D and D-A conversion to do bass management. Hopefully someone will chime in more in-depth there... that's out of my knowledge zone. 
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09-07-2003, 12:53 AM
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#4 of 5
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2000
Local Time: 03:32 PM
Local Date: 10-10-2008
Posts: 65
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garrett..i have nothing to add technically, just wanted to say hello from a former Ft Drum'er (i noticed carthage, NY) |
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