Large/Small question

billmich

for my surrounds, which are FX500I's. I have always set these surround channel speakers to "small"
With the new receiver I am purchasing (Yamaha A3010), the manual says that when selectin g a speaker size, use LARGE for anything that has a woofer diameter greater than 16cm (6.25") and small for anything under that


the woofer for the fx500i is 6.5" (165cm)...so its over, just barely over that threshold

has anyone else here ran these using large, can they handle the lows well enough?

txcoastal1

Setting AVR's for large and small has to do with crossover settings and having a sub in your system.

If you have a sub the setting would be small directing the lower frequency output to your sub

Setting to large and not having a sub runs speakers full range

Denon Frank

You should fill out your signature to get a better (more accurate) response. Do you have a subwoofer in your system?

billmich

i know what large and small do, as I currently am running a 6.1 set up; I was asking if these speakers handle the LARGE setting well..


I currently have RT800i for my mains and a CS400i for my center, and even though I have a sub, I DEFINITELY keep those at a large setting; I just don't subscribe to the theory that you set ALL speakers to small (no matter what), if you have a sub hooked up...

billmich

test ...signature

rooftop59

I generally consider a full range or large speaker one that is more or less flat to about 35 hz. In other words it an handle the low E on a bass guitar and most kick drums reasonably well. Those speakes CANNOT do that, so they are not full range. However, it comes down to what to what sounds best to you. Try it both ways with a surround and bass heavy track like the Dark Knight and see which one you like better.

I also ran a cs400i full range for a while, and it definitely bottomed out. My center now has almost the same range as that one, and I run it through the speaker level ins and outs on a small sub and cross in over at about 75hz. When I play something like DK, that little sub goes NUTS. There is no way that center could handle the full range. So I would suggest crossing over at 60hz (that is what I settled on with mine) and see what you think.

Peace.

Denon Frank

I've had the fx500i's in my system for a long time. I set my speakers to small but cross them over at 60hz instead of 80hz. Find something that puts alot of bass into the surrounds and let your ears decide.

leftwinger57

I had some conflicting opinions about this also.This is going to sound stupid but w/o going into the set up I forgot which way they are set.Klipsch said one way and Yamaha said another and now and I'll get back to you later about the setting. It sounds really dialed in w/ the sub really active and all 5.1 speakers are working fine w/o clipping or any distortion ever. I few years ago I had a clipping problem w/ the rx-v665 but was resolved when I took it out of an enclosed rack and into the open and it's never clipped again at any volume level.So I just checked the speaker settings and all are on large ,and yes these are Klipsch smalls ,go figure.

bencorn

I just run smalls all around and let my sub do it's job with the lows and let the speakers handle all the mids and highs. I think THX recommends this don't they? I could be wrong.

Inspector 24

Another Data point if it helps...

Room is ~900sq ft, 34x17' speakers/subs in middle of long wall,
Yamaha YPAO wanted all the speakers (in sig) set to large, subs set at -9.0, crossed at 40hz. While my ears didn't agree with some of the higher frequency crossover settings, I can't seem to improve on the speaker size, sub, or crossover settings.

Though occasionally for music, dance, techno, R&B, the stuff that's fun with too much bass, I'll bump the crossover to 80hz for some added depth (added bump) at the expense of accuracy. For critical listening stuff, subs stay off, mains to full range.

rukawakaide1721

my set up are all set to small speakers at 80hz....with sub DSWPRO 660wi...watching movie was great....:biggrin:

RTi A9
CSi A6
FXi A6
DSW Pro 660wi...

I was advice to set all speakers to large because A9 woofers can handle the lows without problem....I can say my friend was right.....But I want to use the sub also that is why I decided to set to small speakers...

20hz

one thing to keep in mind , when you put rears and center on large it takes low end from the mains to get that bass , and that takes away rumble from the movie experiance .
So for me I run the mains on large the rears and center on small with that my sub does ALL the needed rumbling .
My sub is coming off the mains through a electronic crossover that splits it up around 80 hertz , the mains are polk moniter 5 .
I realize your question but the best option is to try differant settings untill you find what sounds best , you wont scatter your 6.5" rears but you may a distortion in the mids , I figure not likely because any rear signal is but a few seconds and unless you got 200 watts going back there at full volume should be okay .
I figure if you notice anything it will be less bass up front if the rears are on large .

billmich wrote: »

i know what large and small do, as I currently am running a 6.1 set up; I was asking if these speakers handle the LARGE setting well..


I currently have RT800i for my mains and a CS400i for my center, and even though I have a sub, I DEFINITELY keep those at a large setting; I just don't subscribe to the theory that you set ALL speakers to small (no matter what), if you have a sub hooked up...

pearsall001

Here's a great article on the Large/Small setting question. I've tried it many different ways with different speakers (LSi15's with matching center & surrounds were last before my KEF's) & the Small setting XO at 80Hz always produced the best sound. Your mileage may vary so try it different ways & go with what sounds best to you. http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/articles/128214.html

Willow

pearsall001 wrote: »

Here's a great article on the Large/Small setting question. I've tried it many different ways with different speakers (LSi15's with matching center & surrounds were last before my KEF's) & the Small setting XO at 80Hz always produced the best sound. Your mileage may vary so try it different ways & go with what sounds best to you. http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/articles/128214.html

Intersting article. I wonder what the difference is if speakers are set to large but we control the xover say 60 or 80 doesn't that right there make the speaker size selection moot?

mantis

In a home theater setup , all speakers should be set to small regardless of the ability of each speaker. Crossover points can be adjusted in many pre's and avr's o suit said speaker package. If only one crossover point can be selected , select the lowest point of the weakest speaker which usually will be the surround channels.
With that being said the surround speakers should perfectly match all channels in ones system IF they are looking for the best possible experience. In a perfect world the same speaker would be used for all channels.
Tips:
Honestly there are very few speakers on the market that are full range.So what happens when you try and run large to a speaker that can't play full range , those frequencies don't get replayed. What most need to understand is you have a replay system and you want to replay the source material as accurately as possible.
Another really good reason to set all speakers to small is to preserve dynamic range. When you take the demand off your amp to have to play full range , it frees up capacitor energy. This in turn will yield more accuracy. For those who don't know what a capacitor is , its like a battery inside your amp with energy to change volume when the signal from the source or Blu ray for an example says"make it louder". Your volume control stays the same but the volume goes up for a period of time like when glass breaks , a car crash , gun fire etc. When you run speakers in large , some amps struggle a bit and ask the capacitor to help out with the load even under normal conditions. So when louder is required , your capacitors don't have a full charge and therefore cannot accuracy track the increase in volume necessary to replay the sound correctly. I could go into more detail but thats the extreme short version. Look up capacitors and go read up on them for a deeper understanding. I'm sure there is info in here somewhere about them.
Yet another reason to run your speakers in small is a lot of speakers sound clearer running less frequencies even if it's less then what they actually can do. Sometimes they sound more natural , more alive and seem to breath REAL life.

When building a theater system , make sure you spend a good amount on a subwoofer or 2. This is where the real magic happens and really makes a good system it's best. Cheap out on your subwoofers and always have a so so system. Even entry level system will benefit from good quality woofer.