Speaker set-up (1 Viewer)

[CurtHeit]

I need help from anyone with experience in speaker set-up!!! I am running All Paradigm studio series in my system; 100's in the front off a Bryston 4B, 40's for the surrounds off a Bryston 9Bst 2 channel amp, 20's in the rear off my Denon 4802, and a studio CC for the center off my 4802. I also have a Servo 15 sub. How should I set the speakers off the denon???ie; small or large??? I had contactd both Denon and paradigm, and they tell me two different theories! This is not only confusing but frustrating, as for I want to get the most out of my system. My preferences are both video and audio, running from a Denon DVD9000. Any suggestiond on the best set-up for this system is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Brian Fellmeth]

You were told two contridictory theories because there are.... two theories about this. I believe that although the 100's are quite bass capable that small all around is the way to go because :

1) As good as the 100's are at deep bass, the sub is better
2) Single source of deep bass simplifies room issues (cancillations etc).
3) The main speakers (and their amps) will be unburdoned of reproducing deep bass which should make them do a better job with higher frequencies.

This presumes that your prepro allows a decent crossover frequency like 50-70 Hz. Crossing over at 80 and above may send a little too much midbass to the sub and make it localizable.

Despite these theoritical advantages, some people report that their system just sounds better with the mains "large".

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Curt. Welcome to HTF!

There is no definitive answer to this issue. Both work and people have their preference.

My advice is to start with all speakers set to SMALL and let that sub handle all the low frequency duties. Play with the sub/speaker position and then get used to the sound for a few weeks.

On a spare weekend, set the L/R's to LARGE and demo some favorite tracks. Do you like this sound better?

In general: having all the low-frequency sources at the same location in a room works best. This avoids the problem of complex interactions. While you CAN adjust the phase/locations to get good sound at 1 location, you likely have problems elsewhere in the room. If people have 2 external subs, they are often advised to put them right next to each other in the room for this same reason.

I have self-powered woofers in my L/R speakers, and a external sub. While it is sometimes fun to fire up all the bass sources, it really is rough/boomy compared to the single sub in the corner. My L/R speakers are set to SMALL for this reason.

Hope this helps.

 

[Roman Ortega]

Hello Curt.

Since you want to get the most of all your speakers I will recommend you to put, if not all, at least some speakers as small, the reason for that is there are some DVDs that doesn’t have a LFE channel recorded (Cider’s House Rules and some tittles of Disney are some that I have actually seen) so if you put all your speakers in large there will be times when the subwoofer doesn’t do a single thing in the entire movie.

I’m not a big expert but I hope this will help you

Roman

 

[CurtHeit]

Thanks to all of you whom have replied to my previous question! My next question pertains to setting the sub crossover. My Denon 4802 allows me to set the sub at; 40, 60, 80, 120 or fixed THX. What is the ideal setting for my Paradigm Servo if I have all my other paradigm studio's; (100's-front, 40's - surround, 20's rear, CC - center) all set to small.

thanks for any replies!!!

 

[Roman Ortega]

I don’t know what the fixed THX option is about, I Think THX standard sets the crossover frequency at 80 HZ, but I’m not sure what else could this option do. Putting this option aside I suggest you to put them either in 80 or in 60 HZ, anyway just listen to some material with lot of bass in it (some movies and music too if you are for it) and try all the different options, take your time to listen to them don’t rush and in the end just select the setup that you like the most.


Roman

 

[CurtHeit]

Does anyone have any recommendations on calibation techniques or tips for the Denon DVD 9000???? I am also looking for recommendations on calibration DVD's such as Video Essentials???

Thanks!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

We have a very good FAQ section that covers lots of this. This link to some articles on Calibration is a great place to start.

 

[CurtHeit]

Anybody have any info as to when the Digital DVD essentials will be available and where it can be purchased????


I am also looking for anyone whom owns a Denon DVD 9000 player to get some help on successfull calibration and set-up! I am somewhat dissapointed at this point with the picture quality compared to my previous Sony DVP9000 ES. I am confident I can get comparable picture quality if not better than the sony, however I am as of now un-successful!

Thanks!