Hi all,
Can anyone help me out on what crossover settings (Outlaw 950) I should use with these speakers?

MAINS: B&W CDM 7NT floor standing speakers
40Hz - 25kHz +-3DB
CENTER: B&W CDM CNT
50Hz - 25kHz +-3DB
REARS: B&W DM303 bookshelf speakers
72Hz - 20kHz +-3DB
REAR CENTER: B&W LCR3 Center Channel
80Hz - 20kHz +-3DB

Can anyone offer any assistance on what crossover settings you would use if you owned these speakers? Gonk?

I'd suggest that you play with the crossover settings a little to find what you like, but here's my thought for a starting point:

Mains: 60Hz or 80Hz (80Hz would be an octave up, which is a common recommendation)

Center: 80Hz (100Hz might be worth a try, too, since it would be a full octave up)

Surrounds: 100Hz (might also try 120Hz, just to see what you think of it)

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks so much Gonk for your help I will try out these settings.

What exactly is an octave? I've been wondering about this for awhile.

An octive is a musical inteval. It's rather hard for me to break it down scientificaly...It's like asking a math guy what is "three".

However, for the technical minded about you here's the definition of an octive from the Music Cognition Handbook from Ohio State University:

A musical term denoting an interval of pitch between two pitches whose frequencies are related in the approximate ratio of 2:1. Since exact octaves are frequently not always precisely related by a 2:1 frequency ratio, psychoacousticians have also defined the octave as the pitch interval between two tones such that one tone is perceived as duplicating the basic musical import of the other tone at the nearest possible higher or lower pitch. (American National Standards Institute, Psychoacoustical Terminology, S3.20, 1973; p.34). See also cent, semitone.

I'm sorry, dictionary definitions usually confuse me more. Maybe an example or two? I can usually pick things up pretty well this way.

I really like fmcorps' description -- like asking a math guy to define "three."

I just recently tried to find a good explanation of what an octave is. I had some rudimentary concept from the days of piano and band, but not a good technical explanation. Here's a quote that I found at Physics Classroom :



So one octave up from a specific frequency is simply double that frequency (and one octave down is half that frequency). Those octave "jumps" are to frequencies that are the same musical note, basically (if that helps any). Why does it work that way? Dunno...

EDIT: Example -- you have a frequency of 42Hz (call it the lower limit for a speaker, for the moment). One octave up from 42Hz is 84Hz. One octave down is 21Hz. All three frequencies would represent complementary tones (or notes, from a music standpoint).

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited October 04, 2002).]

Thanks gonk. You're my hero For some strange reason textbook definitions don't usually help me that much, I need to see examples. The one you gave is what I was looking for.

Ben,

musical example of octaves:

Paul McCartney, Wings "Let'em In". The alternating bass notes on the piano are an octave apart.

I can be so dense some times...

A great example of an octive in music is "somewhere over the rainbow". The jump in pitch (refered to in music as an interval) between the Some and the where -in "Some-where" is a musical octive.

Geze...I can go into heavy techincal descriptions but first year ear training I forget.

Jason