How to Adjust My Crossover for Best Sound

Speakers and subwoofers equipped with a crossover adjustment give greater control over the way power and audio frequencies are distributed among several speakers in a system. The crossover control sets each speaker in the system to produce audio within a specified frequency range. This is a useful feature when adjusting a subwoofer so that it produces only the low-end frequencies for heavy bass, freeing the other speakers in the system to reproduce dialog, music and mid-range sound effects.

Things You'll Need

• Home theater receiver with speakers and subwoofer
• TV connected to the receiver

Instructions

1. Access your speaker's setup menu, select the subwoofer and set the crossover to 80 Hz. This will direct all audio frequencies at 80 Hz and below to the subwoofer for producing deep bass. It also leaves the receiver free to deliver power to the other speakers in the system.

2. Set the center-channel and rear surround sound speaker settings to "small" using the receiver remote control and set the front left and right speakers to "wide" or "normal."

3. Set the crossover knob on the back of the subwoofer to 80 Hz to match the receiver setting.

Tips & Warnings

• Sound levels are largely a matter of personal preference and the settings for the subwoofer should serve as a guide for optimum performance. For heavier bass, lower the crossover setting on the subwoofer. To distribute bass across the entire speaker system, set the crossover higher. This will place greater power demands on the receiver.

• Dial down the volume on the receiver when adjusting crossover settings and volume levels.

References

• Ecoustics: Receiver and Subwoofer Crossover Setup
• Scientific Audio Resources: Adjusting Home Theater Audio