Will there be a hole at or around the THX Crossover

S

Stewart C

Guest
I fancy a THX Ultra Amp. I know there are critics out there and I don't need to hear it. But I would ask you to consider this............

Only my rear speakers are THX Ultra rated (At the moment). Apart from the knowledge that THX amplification is generally of a high quality what gains would I get, if any, from my current speakers, i.e THX rated Amplifier not THX rated speakers all round.

If I turned the THX post processing on, would I still benefit from it.

My system consists of M&K's are of a very high quality, but they are not THX rated at the front. I have spoken to a professional installer today who says that the M&K's would be absolutely peachy even though they are not THX rated.

My rears are the SS-150 THX Ultra so there is no problem there.

Further and slightly more concerning, my S-85 fronts only go down to 85Hz upto 20Kz. Now the THX crossover to the subwoofer is 80Hz. Clearly my speakers will not go down this far (albeit only 5Hz, but will there be a hole in the soundfield from 80Hz to 85Hz.

Actually my manual states 85Hz +-2db so this could be better or WORSE.

Quite a lot there but your help would be appreciated. I have an oldish Yamaha 795 just now and everybody but everybody says that I am lucky if I am getting even 50% of the performance from my speakers that they are capable of.

That can't be true can it ? Sounds bloody good to me...even better out there.....I am drooling already.

Regards
 
I recently bought an AVC-A1SE and the M&K 750 THX Select package, along with a pair of SW-85's in the ceiling for EX duties. I have to say that the benefits of THX were immediately clear as everything blended together so well, with the crossover superbly implemented in a way I hadn't managed with my previous REL / Mission kit.

I am not saying that there aren't better solutions out there, but the combo of THX speakers and an amp specified with the same characteristics makes for a truly engaging soundfield, and with the minimum fuss.

I also seem to remember reading that it perhaps better to have a small hole in the crossover than have a bloated, overblown bass, so I am not so sure you would experience much of a problem with your current speakers. There is an upgrade to the A1SE due early next year which offers switchable xover to remedy your problem, I am not sure but believe it offers 100 and 120Hz xovers in addition to the THX standard 80Hz.
 
Thanks Carl.

You're a pal. I am looking at the Denon AVC 11SR which is due out in November. It is THX Ultra and Pro Logic II and has the variable crossover. If this variable crossover still give you the THX processing at different cut off's then it will be perfect for me.

I have downloaded the manual from Denon.com for the AVR 4802. This appears to be the 11SR. So I am busy swotting up on the features before I listen and buy.

What do you think about people saying I will not even be getting 50% performance from my speakers with my current amp. Can this be true?

How much for you S-85's ceiling speakers ? If you don't mind me asking ?

I take it they are in the ceiling for a good reason, like you cannot fit them behind your head. I can't. My sofa sits right back against a wall so the only thing for me would be this method. If it works of course.

Many thanks

Sam
 
Stewart,

Not sure that you won't be getting 50% from your speakers, but I do know they seem to prefer being driven fairly hard. I have found that the difference tends to come with dynamic passages, with the sound much less fatiguing than I was previously used to. I think this was because my previous amp was running out of steam, and I suspect you'll also notice a great difference when you upgrade.

My SW-85 celing speakers were £700 for the pair, and as they use the same drivers as my M&K package (and your 150's) they blend superbly. My sofa was also against the rear wall, but I have brought it out slightly (only a foot or so) in line with my side surrounds. It's not an ideal setup but I still definitely notice a difference between 6.1 and 5.1. My room is small so it's not 'filling a hole' in the soundstage, but the extra channel information works superbly in rear pans and effects. I would certainly recommend it highly...

Hope this helps you decide, and if you're ever down south then you're welcome to demo! :)
 
Stewart, though I am generally not a THX supporter I won't see a problem with non-THX speakers partnered with a THX amp.
The claim you get only 50% out of it seems to be BS. Ask those people if their source, DVDs and cables are all THX certified, for each missing THX label deduct 20% ... just kidding of course but I think you get the idea.
Keep also in mind that THX speakers also do not necessarily perform very well with music, in case you run a mixed setup.

As for the x-over: There should hopefully be no hole in it, the x-over is btw not a straight cut but rather a slope - which also applies to the speaker frequency response so I guess it should be fairly safe to assume there will be nothing missing in the sound.

BTW: The quality of X-overs is divided into "orders", i.e. first order, second order etc, the higher the order the sharper the cut which is also measured in dB (I think in steps of 6dB, i.e. 6, 12, 18 ...).
 

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