Subwoofer Crossover Settings: What to Set and Why
The crossover is the setting that divides frequencies between your main speakers and your subwoofer. Get it right and bass sounds seamless. Get it wrong and you’ll either have a noticeable gap (thin bass) or an obvious hump (boomy bass). It takes about 10 minutes to set properly.
Start Here: 80Hz
For most home theater setups, start at 80Hz. That’s the THX standard, and it works for the large majority of speaker and room combinations. From there you adjust based on your specific situation.
How to Choose Your Crossover Frequency
The crossover should sit at or slightly above where your main speakers begin to roll off. You want a smooth handoff, not a gap or overlap.
| Speaker Type | Start Here |
|---|---|
| Small bookshelf (4-5″ woofer) | 100-120Hz |
| Medium bookshelf (6-6.5″) | 80-100Hz |
| Large bookshelf or small floor-stander | 80Hz |
| Large floor-stander (10″+ woofer) | 60-80Hz |
| Soundbar | 100-120Hz |
These are starting points. Fine-tune by ear from there.
Receiver vs Sub Crossover — Which to Use
If you have an AV receiver with bass management: always use the receiver’s crossover. Set the sub’s own crossover knob to maximum (bypassed) and let the receiver handle it. Receiver crossovers are higher quality, integrate with room correction, and are configurable per channel.
If you’re using a stereo amplifier with no bass management: use the sub’s built-in crossover knob. Set it to the appropriate frequency for your speakers.
Common mistake: leaving both the receiver crossover and the sub’s crossover active at the same time. This creates a double filter that cuts bass output significantly. Use one or the other.
Receiver Setup for Bass Management
- Set all main speakers to “Small” — this tells the receiver to redirect bass to the sub
- Set each channel’s crossover frequency based on the speaker type table above
- Enable the subwoofer output
- Set LFE mode to “LFE + Main” if your main speakers are genuinely small — this adds main channel bass to what’s sent to the sub
Fine-Tuning by Ear
After setting an initial crossover, check it by ear:
- Play music with sustained bass — a bass guitar track or acoustic bass recording works well
- Adjust the crossover frequency up or down in 10Hz steps
- Find the setting where bass sounds most even — no obvious peak and no noticeable gap between the sub and main speakers
- Test across a variety of content to confirm it works generally
What “Too High” and “Too Low” Sound Like
Crossover too high (150Hz with capable floor-standers): bass sounds heavy, slow, bloated. The sub and speakers are both playing the same frequencies and the combined output is excessive.
Crossover too low (40Hz with small bookshelf speakers): bass sounds thin. There’s a frequency range that neither the bookshelf speakers nor the sub is covering properly.
SVS App Crossover Control
If you have an SVS SB-1000 Pro or similar app-equipped sub, you can adjust the crossover from your listening seat in real time and hear the result immediately. That changes the calibration process from walking back and forth to making adjustments and listening, which consistently produces better results. It’s one of the most practically useful features in home audio.
