Speaker Crossover Menu
Front L/R | : | 80Hz |
Centre | : | 80Hz |
Surr. L/R | : | 80Hz |
Surr. LB/RB | : | 80Hz |
Return : [OSD]
The crossover adjustments in the Speaker crossover menu are used to determine the point as which this transition is made. In other words they set the frequency below which bass is routed away from any ‘Small’ speakers and into the Subwoofer channel. It should be understood that bass sent to the subwoofer by bass management is different to bass encoded into the surround-sound material as a dedicated Low Frequency Effects channel.
If the source material contains a separate LFE channel (ie DD or DTS material) this is always routed to the subwoofer (if it is On) and is not affected by the crossover setting. Some encoding types (Such as Dolby PLII/IIx and Neo:6) do not actually have a LFE channel.
The default setting for all bass management crossovers is 80Hz and is a good global starting point. If you do not wish to make any adjustments simply leave all crossovers at this default setting.
Note: These settings are actually only used for speakers that have been set to Small in the Speaker Configuration Menu.
For advanced users it is however possible to adjust the speaker crossovers used for any speakers set as ‘Small’ independently to allow for the fact that you may wish to direct bass away from front floorstanding speakers (and to the Subwoofer) at perhaps 50Hz but away from Surround Left and Rights at perhaps 100Hz. If you wish to make these adjustments it is best to consult your loudspeaker manufacturers documentation or contact your dealer to determine the frequency response of your system and where each speaker types bass response starts to tail off (often called the 3dB or 6dB roll off/cutoff point). This would be approximately the point the corresponding crossover should be set to.
Bi-amping
If you a running a 5.1 (or less) speaker setup only the 650R allows for bi- amping of the front left and right channels. It will be seen in the Speaker Configuration menu that with the Decode mode set as 5.1 a Bi-amp On/Off item appears.
Speaker Config Menu
Decode Mode | :5.1 |
Front L/R | :Large |
Centre | :Small |
Surr. L/R | :Small |
Subwoofer :Yes
Biamp:On [FL R Must be Large when Sub Off]
Return
When selected, the 650R sends the front left and right signals to the SBL and SBR outputs as well.
In conjunction with bi-wireable/bi-ampable speakers this allows you to use two runs of speaker cable to each speaker with a dedicated amplifier channel for the bass and treble drivers of each speaker which can slightly increase the sound quality.
See diagram below of a bi-amped system (only front left and right speakers shown).
Speaker Impedance 4-8 Ohms
Surround | Surround | Front | Front | | Surround | Surround |
Back Right | Back Left/ | Right | Left | Centre | Right | Left |
Surround Back | |
Note: Bi-wire links must be removed on the speaker’s terminals.
azur 650R
Tone/Sub/LFE configuration
Select the ‘Tone/Sub/LFE’ menu:
Tone/Sub/LFE Menu
Dolby Digital/DTS
Sub Trim | : | 0dB |
Bass Aug | : | Off |
Dolby PLIIx/NEO | | |
Sub Trim | : | 0dB |
Bass Aug | : | Off |
Stereo + Sub Trim: 0dB |
Bass | : | 0dB |
Treble | : | 0dB |
LFE Trim | : | 0dB |
Return | : | [OSD] |
The Bass response can be adjusted +/- 10dB @ 100Hz (shelving). The Treble response can be adjusted +/-10dB @ 10kHz (shelving). The “Tone” icon will light up on the display if these controls are adjusted away from 0dB (flat). The Subwoofer crossover point can also be adjusted from 40 to 150Hz in 10Hz steps and also to 200Hz.
The 650R incorporates a couple of advanced Bass Management features. The overall Sub Level for DD/DTS modes, PLII/x/Neo:6 modes and Stereo + Sub mode can be set to different levels. This can be useful if you prefer to have a high level of Sub operation whilst watching movies but a lower level for music playback. The three levels are simply adjusted by up to +/-10dB in the OSD. The second feature is that the way Bass Management is applied can be changed.
In normal operation (Bass Augment Off) if the Front speakers are set to ‘Small’ (in the ‘Speaker Config’ menu) their bass is re-directed by high-pass filtering the Fronts and sending that bass to the Sub channel (i.e. bass is removed from the Fronts and sent to the Sub). If they are set to ‘Large’ no filtering takes place and no bass is sent from them to the Sub channel.
However with the Bass Augment function On and the Front speakers set to ‘Large’, bass from the Front Left and Right is now sent to the Sub channel without any filtering of the Front Left and Right taking place (i.e. these channels remain full range). In other words, the bass in the Sub channel is augmented by extra bass from the Front Left and Right channels. If the Front Left and Right are set ‘Small’, Bass Augment has no effect and operation is the same as for Bass Augment Off.
Bass Augment can be On or Off separately for DD/DTS or PLII/IIx/Neo:6 operation.
There is no Bass Augment function for Stereo + Sub mode because in this mode if the Front speakers are set to ‘Large’ they will actually always be unfiltered.
Bass Augment can be a useful function with PLII/IIx and Neo:6 material because these encoding types do not include an LFE Channel. This would normally mean that if all the speakers in your setup were set to ‘Large’, the subwoofer would in fact be inactive (as no bass has been re-directed plus there is no LFE channel). If it is desired to have the subwoofer running with all Large Speakers and these encoding types, enable Bass Augment for PLII/Neo6 and then set the Crossover points and levels by ear. A Sub channel will now be created from the Front Left and Right channels without filtering them. As with all adjustments it is a good idea to experiment to determine what works best with your particular setup.
Note: These adjustments work in all digitally processed Stereo or Surround modes but not in Analogue Stereo Direct or 7.1 Direct modes.
The LFE channel (for DD / DTS material) can also be trimmed by up to 10dB in 1dB steps useful for late night listening or other situations where it might be desired to reduce the low frequency effect level perhaps temporarily.
Remember the LFE is the Low Frequency Effects channel encoded into the disc and is different to the over all sub level which can include bass management from the other speakers.
Bass/Treble adjustments can also be made from the remote without entering the OSD by pressing the Bass/Treble button and then using the Vol Up/Down buttons.
Sub trim adjustments can also be made from the remote without the OSD by holding down the Sub On/Off button and using the Vol Up/Down buttons whilst it is kept down.