AV Tip: Apply Bass Management to Achieve Better System Performance

As a general rule of thumb, if you have a dedicated powered subwoofer in your home theater system , ALL of your speakers should be set to "small" in your A/V receiver's bass management setup.  A 80Hz crossover point is usually an all around good setting to chose for your crossover frequency.  This is the case even if you have relatively large towers.

There are many advantages to bass managing your speakers:

• achieving more consistent bass response across multiple channels, given  that speakers in different locations will couple to the room differently.
• the ability to place the subwoofer in the optimal location for best bass reproduction.
• in a balanced system, a dedicated subwoofer can typically produce more output with less distortion than a tower speaker at bass frequencies.
• By transferring the power robbing, low frequency load off of your speakers to the dedicated powered subwoofer, you reduce their workload as well as that of your receiver/amplifier.

For more information see:  Bass Management Basics 101

Source: Steve81