How big should center spkr be to set to "large"?

Thanks,

I don't know if my receiver(Sony DA4ES) offers a choice of frequencies to "cross over" the center channel. I only saw the choices of large, small, or none for the center speaker. Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with the cross over concept and procedures.

"Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with the cross over concept and procedures" (Mtrot)

Ah, you're not alone! Most even seasoned audiophiles, who've tried and followed all kinds of gear over the years, don't know any of this either!

No worries. Try this: Simply play testones through your center speaker, with your "small" setting, and measure your levels compared to 1khz. If you measure like 6, 7, or 8+ db down at 80hz to 100hz, you seriously need to check your center speaker placement, As this is where your crossover is going to be set! Many people cross their bookshelve speakers and center channels where there's "holes" in these critical crossover reigions, and things don't end up so good. If this is the case for you, from your listening possitions (where you measure from), you need to move the speaker around till you get flat response (+/-5db, or better), and especially, no holes/dips in the response above and at the crossover point. Try this and see what I mean. If you can get solid response, you'll have solid dynamic "accurate" sound, fundamentally.
Otherwise, you pay someone, that's all your options

Greetings.
I have a pair of 100v3, 60v3, and a CC570.
What would you recommend i use for the speaker setting for the CC570? Large or small?
I currently use the large setting for all speakers and drive each of them with bryston 7bst's.

Your recommendation is anticipated and appreciated.
Tim Kennedy

Hi Tim

I'd use the large setting for the CC-570 since it can reproduce most of the
frequency range, and you have more than adequate
power available.

Thanks for choosing Paradigm speakers.

Sincerely,
Gary Takeda
Paradigm Technical Support

I most DEFINITELY dissagree with the standard propensity to set speakers to "large" that are typical inefficient and low sensitivity designs inherently! (regardless of what some TECH GUYS on a telephone, who doesn't know better likely, has to say)
Some "Technical support" personnel guy at a company doesn't necessarily have the experience in setting up quality high performance home theater/mulit-channel systems for a living, and is simply giving his idea of how HE THINKS speakers that will play lower than 80hz (small) should be set!!!! This means nothing to me personally.
That said, if you have NO SUBWOOFER, then yes, you could tinker with full range settings, as you, afterall, need bass, yes. STILL, all things considered, it's not going to do proper dynamic justic to your system, by making speakers that can simply simply play down lower, ACTUALLY PLAY LOWER with dynamic DD/DTS material, and harder dynamic material! A powered speaker is much much better in this application.
This is a common problem/view-point of many speaker manufactures, who's speakers measure down to a certain frequency range, for them to recommend you cross their speakers over lower, since they'll basically play lower! HOWEVER, this accounts nothing for the inneficiency in their otherwise "hopeful" speaker designs, to ACTUALLY HANDLE THE DYNAMIC ABILITIES OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL OUT THERE!
I can't tell you how many hundreds of system's and years of experience I've professionally installed hi-end systems, only to find typical FULL RANGE loudspeakers (even the likes of BIG Dunlavy's, Thiel's, B&W's, etc), that can play down to 20hz or lower, that WILL DISTORT AND SQUASH DYNAMICS, even "clip" under dynamic demands, due to IN-EFFICIENCY of the design of the speaker system!!! This is why THX uses and recommends a higher crossover setting, for this very reason! They understand how things work.
Never-the-less, yes, if you HAVE TO, you can set speakers lower, with no subwoofer mind you, and just run things on a lower level. And still, you'll sacrifice dynamics quite a bit, even squash and flatten dynamic response, ideally, if even clipping speakers.
PEOPLE can set thigns however they want however. Afterall, it's their system's! But even as I sit and discuss proper hi-end system setup, room acoustics and calibration, with "industry professionals" who do this for a living, we all understand setting speaker to 80hz range most often, as typical full range home audio speaker systems simply aren't efficient enough to deal with the extremely high demands pressent in today's software and digital media!
Each person really needs to try themselves, with their variables, and their knowledge ability to find out however...if they're doing it themselves that is.
So, for the record, I'd not be setting mine up the way that's being recommend here...lol

Just to get a better gauge of other perspectives, how do many manufactors find the crossover point when selecting the large setting W/ a sub?

If you set the speaker to large, and have a sub or two integrated into the system, does the "brain" say send signals below ABC frequency to the sub? Or is this only the case for the "small" setting?

Reason I ask is because I've tried things both ways, "small" setting @ 80-50hz, and "large". Bass response in the sub, for the latter, deminished substantially which requires me to turn up my sub amp. Output from the speakers isn't as loud either. But I did seem to like things overall when they are set to large.

I do agree with Flrn that 80hz, in general, is a good "rule of thumb" starting point for the xover. I feel if the speakers can handle below 80hz, and the xover is adjustable, then set it lower. Maybe to 50hz or so.

Now...for technical support...the jury is still out. I would HOPE that the Manufactors TS would have a good grasp of knowledge for the product if nothing else. System performance MAY be another thing. But they SHOULD also be able to understand their product in terms of overall system performance. This would require knowledge of system setup. Therefore, if the manufactor says "go large", I think it would be worth at least giving it a shot for a week or two. If you don't like it, you can always set it back.