Stereo question

[Steel City 06]

As for the crossover frequency, 120 Hz is probably a good target for your system. The smaller subs can reproduce higher bass frequencies better than the smaller speaker woofers. If you find the bass seems harsh at higher frequencies compared to lower frequencies then you can play with the cutoff slope to try and attenuate the higher bass frequencies. Alternatively you can use the 13 band EQ to do the same.

 

[Mike_H]

This is timely...I was just wondering about some of these settings myself!

 

[Steel City 06]

Here’s a better cutoff frequency diagram. Unfortunately the x and y axis are not labeled.

If this is a low pass filter, then the frequencies go low to high on the x-axis, and the attenuation goes from 100% attenuated to 0%. These are log scales, of course.

 

[dudehitt]

Here is a plot that shows both sides and why you may need a little overlap to fill in the dip.

The goal is a flat line when you add both sides together. This graph is for mids/highs but the sub end works the same way.

And i agree that 120 for a small sub in a small enclosure is a good place to start.

 

[Edward Turner]

I am in same boat and have been playing with settings I don't understand for 4 months. I really miss the old days where there was just a slide on a graphic equalizer.

I hear you, now that the Q is adjustable it’s harder for the casual user to set their EQ. Try setting your Q at 1.4 which is darn close to one octave and then adjust the frequency level to your taste.

 

[bobthetj03]

Boy did I have some holes! I jacked up the amp's crossover frequency to 180hz. Then I adjusted the HU crossover. HPF for the front/rear to 120hz. LPF for the sub 100hz. Set the slopes at -12db. I went flat on the EQ, turned off the sub and dialed the coaxials to what I thought sounded good at high volume. then turned the sub back on and dialed the sub level a bit. Put the fader to neutral and dialed the gain on the HPF side to dial down the rears. I hear a ton more range now, but the lows still sound a bit high to my ear. I'm still struggling to understand how the slope changes what I'm hearing, so I'm not sure if I should go deeper or shallower. What a learning experience this is!

 

[Steel City 06]

When you say the lows still sound a bit high, do you mean that the higher bass frequencies are causing an issue? Or all bass frequencies? You could try using a shallower slope like -6dB/octave to attenuate the higher bass frequencies. Alternatively you could adjust the low frequencies on the EQ band until it sounds correct

 

[Steel City 06]

This is a Munson curve (from Wikipedia)

What it shows is the SPL required to make a certain frequency have an apparent volume. In other words, each line describes one volume level that we hear. For very low frequencies, it takes a lot of SPL for us to be able to hear something at the same volume as a higher frequency. This is one of the reasons we put so much more power to subwoofers even in SQ setups. An “ideal” system would be set up to match one of these curves by modifying the equalizer and watching the SPL.

 

[bobthetj03]

When you say the lows still sound a bit high, do you mean that the higher bass frequencies are causing an issue? Or all bass frequencies? You could try using a shallower slope like -6dB/octave to attenuate the higher bass frequencies. Alternatively you could adjust the low frequencies on the EQ band until it sounds correct

It sounds like I'm hearing higher bass frequencies in the sub. I adjusted the EQ some, dropping the levels down a bit. It's set basically as a lazy "V" across the bands.

 

[Steel City 06]

What are the lowest frequency ranges on your equalizer?

 

[Steel City 06]

If it’s like this one, you can try adjusting the 100 Hz setting down. That will mean less midbass will be allowed through the subwoofer
Alternatively, try 6 dB/octave and shifting the cutoff frequency to a lower frequency.

 

[bobthetj03]

What are the lowest frequency ranges on your equalizer?

The levels range from -9 to +9, so I'm not sure what frequencies that equates to.

 

[Steel City 06]

The levels range from -9 to +9, so I'm not sure what frequencies that equates to.

Sorry, forgot the picture in my last post. It’s now included. Does it have the same 62/100/160 etc. bins?

 

[Edward Turner]

I'm still struggling to understand how the slope changes what I'm hearing, so I'm not sure if I should go deeper or shallower. What a learning experience this is!

The slope tells you how much the speakers interact, at a shallow slope, let’s say 6dB, each set of speakers overlap the same frequencies over a long range. A really steep slope like 24dB and the overlap between the highs and sub is very much shorter.

 

[bobthetj03]

Sorry, forgot the picture in my last post. It’s now included. Does it have the same 62/100/160 etc. bins?

It doesn't list what frequency each band is, just the db level. I'll assume each of the 13 bands frequency is as you posted up above.

 

[Steel City 06]

Then try adjusting the 100 Hz bin to see if that makes a difference.

If you can, download a frequency sweep audio file and play it on repeat on your stereo. If certain areas of the sweep sound too loud, filter them out with the equalizer. It will also show you where the holes are that need to be filled. You want to tune it so all frequencies sound to be approximately the same volume to your ears. From there you can tune it to your listening style, and to overcome road noise.

If you have an aux port and a phone, there are plenty of sweeps on YouTube.

 

[bobthetj03]

Then try adjusting the 100 Hz bin to see if that makes a difference.

If you can, download a frequency sweep audio file and play it on repeat on your stereo. If certain areas of the sweep sound too loud, filter them out with the equalizer. It will also show you where the holes are that need to be filled. You want to tune it so all frequencies sound to be approximately the same volume to your ears. From there you can tune it to your listening style, and to overcome road noise.

If you have an aux port and a phone, there are plenty of sweeps on YouTube.

I'll check into this when I have some time to sit and devote to it, thanks. Would you suggest that I level the EQ to 0 flat on all 13 bands and adjust one band at a time?

 

[Edward Turner]

Yes.

 

[Steel City 06]

That’s how I would do it. Start with all equalizer bands flat. If the stereo has a loudness setting, turn it off. Start by setting the cutoff frequency and slope so that there are no holes or significant areas of overlap or cancellation. Then from there adjust the equalizer until all the bands sound about the same. From there, play some of your favorite music and adjust until it meets your tastes. Finally, take it for a drive, play some music, and make some final adjustments. (Certain frequencies will get drowned out by the road noise and need to be adjusted to be heard while driving.)

 

[bobthetj03]

Well, I had a few minutes to play around with the EQ settings. what I thought was some good adjustments was way off! I have to fine tune it some more, but Wow! What a difference. Louder, cleaner, no more missing holes. It's like I just installed a whole new system! Amazing what just a few adjustments can make.