Upgrade to 7.1 channels

Posted by Howard Ferstler [IP: 128.186.164.59] on August 26, 1999 at 14:04:26
Using Mozilla/4.61 [en] (Win95; I):

In Reply to: Upgrade to 7.1 channels posted by Michael A. Cohen on August 24, 1999 at 11:45:58:

Hi, Mike,

I would stick with the same brand, as the brand you now have is a good one. It is no super big deal, but brand compatibility is not a bad idea.

Bass is no problem with surround speakers. Just set your processor to route the low bass to the main speakers, if they are bass potent themselves, or to your subwoofer. Actually, if your sub is a really good one, it is best to send all the system bass to it (all satellite channels, plus LFE). This is because most smaller satellites (certainly the center and surrounds) roll off the low bass somewhat, and if your sub is a good one you will get less overall rolloff if you send the bass to it. Bass is generally non directional below about 80 Hz (or even 100 Hz if the LP slope is steep enough), and so low-bass directional clues will be determined by the upper-bass and midrange generated by the satellites.

There are exceptions to using a single sub for all the low-bass work, however. If the sub is not capable of deep, loud low bass, it may be overloaded by the extra input. Hence, you might want to configure your system so that the left and right front satellites carry some of the load.

I tend to prefer subs that CAN handle all the bass input and which reach down into the bottom octave flatter than the THX-certified models (which roll off at about 12 dB per octave below 30-35 Hz), and I also tend to prefer subs that can deal with huge amounts of bass. I use a Velodyne F1800 for my main bass work, but also have a Hsu TN1220 for the center channel. (Not really necessary, but I had it on hand.) This works quite well in my 3400 cubic foot main-system room.

You have a superior surround prosessor, by the way. Enjoy it.

Howard Ferstler, author of:
High Fidelity Audio Video Systems
(McFarland, 253 pages).
High Definition Compact Disc Recordings
(McFarland, 258 pages).
The Home Theater Companion (Schirmer
Books, 437 pages).
The Digital Audio Music List (A-R
Editions, 463 pages).

Follow Ups:

• Upgrade to 7.1 channels - Shawn Fogg 16:18:59 08/26/99 (0)
• Upgrade to 7.1 channels - Michael A. Cohen 15:06:20 08/26/99 (0)

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