Onkyo Receivers

rnoseworthy

I have an Onkyo TX-DS777. When I have it setup to use the sub preout it appears to be filtering out the low level bass sent to the front speakers, even if they are set to large. I notice this when listening to 2 ch with the sub turned off but the receiver still setup for a sub. Now when I change the system setup to "no" sub the filtering is removed allowing the full range to the fronts again. I know the sub preout is filtered, but i don't understand why the filtering would be set for the front speakers in Large mode. Has anybody with Onkyo receivers noticed this?

rnoseworthy

Has anybody with Other brands of receivers had this problem?

izafar

Onkyo receivers do not send the low freqs to main speakers when sub is slected as ON. In this case the difference between large and small settings is crossover points. For large the corssover is 80 Hz and for small it is 85/90 Hz(not sure about this value).

I dont know about other brands but my Denon avr-2802 alows me to run my mains full range even when sub is selected as ON.

Imran

rnoseworthy

That is really feeble. What's the point of this large and small setting if it only changes a small amount and still don't send the Low freqs to the mains. Izafar, do you know if that is all Onkyo receivers?

scottvamp

Never had the problem---I get plenty of bass either way. If you set to small it will filter the low bass though. What speakers are you using as mains that require all the bass. On my 1000's I use the lfe for the sub's. So I go small all the way.

rnoseworthy

I am using 55i's. I came across this when listening to music in 2 ch and just powering off the sub. The bass wasn't what I expected. So I did this as the test, with my sub(PSW350) powered off I left the system set to SUB Yes and Mains to Large and the bass was lacking. Then changed to No Sub and the bass was there now and what I expected when I had listened to them during time of purcahse. I had previously had my 1000's as the mains but noticed the Mid range was light, so I went with the 55's. This explains why some of the mid range was light because it was filtered. I have the 1000's in a 2ch setup and they sound great.

izafar

It is true for atleast onkyo tx-ds595 that I had before the denon. I first read about it in a discussion forum then I confirmed it with Onkyo's tech-support. You can call them at 201-785-2600 to get the details about your particular model.
I also remeber now that the crossover for small is at 100Hz.

Imran

ntculenuff

i have the 777 and there is a setting called direct that i use when i listen to music and it sends a full frequency to your mains no signal sent to lfe sub at all, all other settings will send signal to lfe, unless sub setting is turned off/no

Troy LaMont

That is really feeble. What's the point of this large and small setting if it only changes a small amount and still don't send the Low freqs to the mains. Izafar, do you know if that is all Onkyo receivers?

That's the THX specification, 80Hz for the LFE crossover point. If you're really having a problem with this, I'd recommend a non-THX receiver (or one that has adjustable crossover points - which are few and expensive).

Other than that, I'd also recommend what ntculenuff said;

i have the 777 and there is a setting called direct that i use when i listen to music and it sends a full frequency to your mains no signal sent to lfe sub at all, all other settings will send signal to lfe, unless sub setting is turned off/no

If you have a decent subwoofer, you shouldn't worry about the bass frequencies in your mains anyway. That's the job of the sub.

Troy

scottvamp

Troy,

If you have a decent subwoofer, you shouldn't worry about the bass frequencies in your mains anyway. That's the job of the sub.

Amen, could not have said it better myself! Good call man! Unless your speakers can handle low freq.'s. especially at mid/high volumes set to small let the sub handle the rest. Small settings also takes less load off the amp and gives your speakers more clarity. That has been my experience.

simsgw

Originally posted by rnoseworthy
That is really feeble. What's the point of this large and small setting...

I have an Onkyo receiver also, and these settings do get confusing. It's not just Onkyo however. It's the legacy technology that makes the situation confusing. In fact, my 696 provides ways to solve problems that other receivers ignore. As do Polk subwoofers by the way. The combination can be used very effectively.

You can use the "large" setting with subwoofer "on" if your mains are adequate but not really happy when handling bass. If they are really stressed by bass, then specify the "small" setting (and still leave subwoofer on I suppose). I'd recommend this even if you do NOT have a sub, because bass carries a lot of emotion, but not much intelligence. The real content of most material is in the mid and high ranges, so muddying those with bass your speakers can't handle will reduce your enjoyment in most cases.

As near as I can tell, setting subwoofer "on" causes the Onkyo to use high-pass filters to remove the lowest frequencies from the signal sent to the mains. And apparently, the "large" or "small" setting determines what frequency is used for that cutoff. I speak subject to correction because I've never seen a spec for Onkyo at this level of detail. I'm inferring this from the user manual and what I hear when I change settings.

Now if you do have a subwoofer, you're probably better off telling the Onkyo you do not have one. Honest.

Polk has a nice article on this subject at http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/advice.php?article=bassmanage

and they explain this very well.