home theater (crossover freq, decibel, speaker size and speaker distance) setting?

Question

I have a Onkyo HTS-590S home theater
front: 3-1/8" Cone (Woofer), 3/4" Ceramic (Tweeter)
center: 3-1/8" Cone (Woofer) × 2, 3/4" Ceramic (Tweeter)
surround: 3-1/8" Cone (Woofer), 3/4" Ceramic (Tweeter)
passive sub: 8" (20 cm) Cone
units reference -- 3-1/8" = 8cm, 3/4" = 2cm

1) what crossover freq should i set for best audio. i have options 40hz , 50hz, 60hz, 100hz etc..is lower the better?

2) what decibel should i specify for front, center, subwoofer and surround. the amp gives me choice from -12db to +12db. is higher the better ?

3) when asked to choose the speaker size , i am not sure whether to choose small or large for the center, front and surround, i know that the subwoofer is large.

4) i have measured the distance from my seating position and set
front 8 ft ,center 7ft , surround 7ft , woofer 10ft
should i specify the exact distance or should i specify a couple of feet more so that the amp outputs more power assuming the speakers are far

Answer 1

All of the above advice is on the mark. It is very important to set your front speakers to "small". This way, low frequency sounds that would ordinarily go to the front only will also go to the sub. In Dolby Surround, the subwoofer is used as an "LFE" channel mainly: LFE means low-frequency-effects, usually low rumbles from explosions, etc. It does not mean ordinary bass from music. That is sent to the front speakers unless you select "small". Your front speakers are not large enough to handle that alone.

Answer 2

> Nice system. I would choose the 100Hz crossover setting for that system. Lower settings are better for larger speakers.
> You said that the subwoofer is passive. If that is the case, you'll have to set the left and right fronts for large, because you're probably feeding those channels to the subwoofer and then out to the front speakers. HOWEVER, if the subwoofer is self powered (which I really suspect), set the front left and rights to small and feed the subwoofer from the sub out connection on the back of the receiver. BTW, make sure that it is switched on (via the set up menu), or no bass will come out.
> Set your sound levels by ear. The visual cues that the receiver gives you are only a general guide. Let your ears be the final judge.
> No need to be "exact" about speaker distance. That is almost never audible unless WAY off. Even then, it's not always noticeable. Again, let your ears be the final judge.

Based on the information that you gave out, I hope that this was helpful. But, be prepared to do some experimenting if things aren't working quite right.

Answer 3

1) Given that your front speakers are so small I would suggest you set the crossover freq to 100hz
2) Leave all settings at 0db until you get a sound level meter (From Radio Shack about 40 bucks). A sound level meter is the best way to determine proper settings. What you are trying to attempt is the relative volume of each speaker so they all are at the same level.
3) According to your descriptions you should set all speakers to small accept the sub.
4) No, set the distance exactly where you are, the sweet spot, this has nothing to do with volume but it does have to do with delay in ms. The idea here is to have the sound of all speakers reach you at the same time, again, nothing to do with volume.