Strata 5 - Settings Explained

mremulator

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Today, I have spent some considerable time on the phone/Email to REL. I would like to share what I have learnt about my STRATA 5 that is not covered by the user manual. This may or may not be common knowledge, however, I could not find any answers in the forums.

1) The frequency adjustment is for the hi-level input only and does not affect the LFE input in any way. So the LFE input is not filtered through the sub's crossover regardless of the setting.
2) The frequency should generally be set -3DB or -4DB below the "roll off" frequency of your front speakers when using the hi-level Neutrik connector. In the manual it says "usually somewhere between 20Hz and 33Hz with most loudspeakers", however, my KEF Q35's do not "roll off until around 45Hz.
3) The slam/depth adjustment is for the LFE input only and does not affect the hi-level input in any way.
4) If you have your front speakers bi-amped then you connect the neutrik connector in the normal way. However, make sure that you connect the sub to the LF speaker terminals on your receiver (which are generally FR & FL anyway)

This may help someone. :)
 
mremulator said:
1) The frequency adjustment is for the hi-level input only and does not affect the LFE input in any way. So the LFE input is not filtered through the sub's crossover regardless of the setting.

That's Interesting. I didn't know that.

mremulator said:
2) The frequency should generally be set -3DB or -4DB below the "roll off" frequency of your front speakers when using the hi-level Neutrik connector. In the manual it says "usually somewhere between 20Hz and 33Hz with most loudspeakers", however, my KEF Q35's do not "roll off until around 45Hz.

Do you mean the frequency should be set at the -3db roll off point of your speakers? Setting frequency -3db or -4db below the "roll off" frequency
doesn't make sense.

The -3db frequency on my 11L's is 55Hz. I actually found setting the frequency slightly higher @ 62Hz gave the best seemless integration with my speakers. Setting it exactly @ 55hz left a bit of a hole.

T.
 
Timbo21 said:
That's Interesting. I didn't know that.



Do you mean the frequency should be set at the -3db roll off point of your speakers? Setting frequency -3db or -4db below the "roll off" frequency
doesn't make sense.

The -3db frequency on my 11L's is 55Hz. I actually found setting the frequency slightly higher @ 62Hz gave the best seemless integration with my speakers. Setting it exactly @ 55hz left a bit of a hole.

T.

It depends on the room acoustics and your speakers. My KEF Q35's 'start' to roll off at 45Hz but actually play below 45Hz.So 42Hz gave me the best integration. The sub takes over from there... makes sense I guess.
 
The reason you set the sub at 3dB at (or a few Hz below) the roll off point of your speakers is so that they are both giving out equal acoustic power at the crossover point. In a perfect world this might be true. But your listening room is unlikely to be perfect. There might be a peak or a trough in the response of your sub, or your speakers, or all of them. Hard and fast rules don't often work as you've discovered for yourselves. But such rules are a certainly a good starting point for further experimentation.

Here's a diagram representing the roll-off point of an idealised sub and speakers which I borrowed from Google. Ignore the lower diagram.

Nimby
 

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hmm..tbh some of the points you made i thought were covered in the manual? altho to confess i didnt actually read the Strata 5 one except for the remote control commands.....i already owned a Quake so knew the stuff like the freq adjustment only being for hi-level and slam/depth only being LFE as well from the Quake manual.....but there isnt a world of difference between the two as they use similar control systems, no coarse knobs or suchlike

as for the freq roll off, i set mine to the exact freq limit that my Monitor Audio Silver S6's are specified as on paper...and its lovely, perfect handover, have tried a few hz each way and it doesnt get better......
 

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