If you have a subwoofer, set your speakers to “Small” (or give each one a crossover frequency instead of “Full Band”) and start with a crossover of 80 Hz. The receiver then sends everything below 80 Hz from those speakers to the subwoofer. Choose “Large” or “Full Band” only when you want a speaker to play all of its own bass.
“Size” on a receiver has nothing to do with how big the cabinet is. It only tells the receiver whether to filter the deep bass out of that speaker’s channel. Two catches to know up front. Most receivers force the front speakers to Large or Full Band when you tell them there’s no subwoofer. And on some models, choosing Small for the fronts sets every other speaker to Small too. If you’ve run your receiver’s room calibration, it has already picked sizes and crossovers for you. This guide explains what those choices mean and when to change them.
What “Large” and “Small” actually mean
The manuals use nearly the same wording across brands:
- Large means the speaker “can adequately play back very low bass frequencies” (Denon). The receiver sends it the full range of its channel, bass included. Yamaha puts it as “the front speakers will produce all of the front channel frequency components.”
- Small means the speaker has “inadequate playback capacity for very low bass frequencies” (Denon). The receiver strips the bass below the crossover frequency out of that channel and sends it to the subwoofer instead. If there’s no subwoofer, it goes to the front speakers.
Sony describes Small as the fix when you hear distortion or the surround effect sounds weak, because the bass gets redirected to the subwoofer. Yamaha gives a simple rule of thumb: Large for speakers with a woofer of 16 cm (6¼ in) or bigger, Small for anything smaller.
What the crossover frequency does
The crossover frequency is the dividing line. On a speaker set to Small, sound above the crossover plays through that speaker. Sound below it is filtered out and sent to the subwoofer. Denon’s manual describes it this way: frequencies below the setting are cut from the speaker’s output and played by the subwoofer or the front speakers.
The subwoofer also gets its own dedicated channel, the LFE or “.1” channel in a 5.1 or 7.1 soundtrack. That channel always goes to the subwoofer, whatever you set for the other speakers. Dolby calls it the “.1” because it needs only about a tenth of the bandwidth of the other channels.
How each brand labels these settings
Not every receiver uses the words Large and Small. Some skip them and give each speaker a crossover or “Full Band” instead. Full Band works like Large. Here’s where the settings live on six popular receivers:
| Receiver | Size setting | Crossover choices | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony STR-DH590 | Large / Small | Set per speaker, only when it’s Small | HOME > [Speaker Setting] > [Size] and [Crossover Freq] |
| Yamaha RX-V685 | Large / Small | 40, 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 160, 200 Hz | Setup menu: “Speaker” > “Configuration” |
| Denon AVR-S570BT | None (uses Full Band instead) | Full Band or 40–250 Hz, default 80 Hz | SETUP > Speakers > Manual Setup > Crossovers |
| Onkyo TX-NR6100 | None (uses Full Band instead) | Full Band or 40–200 Hz per channel, default “80Hz(THX)” | Setup menu: “2. Speaker” > “Crossover” |
| Denon AVR-S960H | Large / Small | 40–250 Hz, default 80 Hz, for all speakers or each one | SETUP > Speakers > Manual Setup > Speaker Config. and Crossovers |
The Sony STR-DH790 uses the same [Speaker Setting] layout as the STR-DH590. On the Sony, you can also reach these from the receiver’s display with AMP MENU under “<SPKR>,” where the crossover items appear only for speakers set to “SMALL.”
Which crossover frequency should you pick?
Start at 80 Hz. Denon’s manual calls 80 Hz the setting that works with the widest variety of speakers, and it’s the default on the Denon and Onkyo receivers above. Onkyo notes that THX recommends 80 Hz for THX certified speakers.
Go higher for small speakers. Satellites and compact bookshelf speakers often can’t play down to 80 Hz cleanly. Denon’s example: a speaker rated 250 Hz to 20 kHz should be set to 250 Hz. SVS, a subwoofer maker, suggests a crossover 10 to 15 Hz above the speaker’s rated low-frequency limit. By that rule, a speaker rated down to 50 Hz gets 60 to 65 Hz. To use either rule, look up the frequency response in your speaker’s spec sheet.
Set speakers individually if yours differ. A big center speaker and tiny surrounds shouldn’t share one number. Sony and Onkyo already set crossovers per speaker. On the Denon AVR-S960H, change “Speaker Select” from “All” to “Individual” first.
How to set speaker size and crossover
These steps work on any receiver. Use the labels from the table above.
- Run room calibration first. Sony’s Auto Calibration, Yamaha’s YPAO, Denon’s Auto Setup or Audyssey, and Onkyo’s AccuEQ all measure your speakers and fill in these settings. Check what they chose instead of starting from scratch. Sony notes that its calibration leaves no crossover on speakers it decides are Large.
- Open the speaker settings. On the Denon AVR-S960H, changing size, distance, level or crossover doesn’t cancel your Audyssey results. Only adding new speakers does.
- Check the front speakers. If you have a subwoofer, set the fronts to Small (or pick a crossover instead of Full Band). Remember that on Sony receivers and the Denon AVR-S960H, Small fronts force every other speaker to Small too.
- Set the center, surround and any height speakers to Small. They’re usually the smallest speakers in the room, so let the subwoofer handle their bass.
- Choose a crossover. Start at 80 Hz, then raise it for any speaker whose rated bass stops above about 70 Hz.
- Turn the subwoofer’s own crossover knob to maximum. Yamaha and Denon both say to do this, and Klipsch says to turn it all the way up when the receiver controls the crossover. That way the subwoofer’s own filter doesn’t cut off bass the receiver is sending it.
- Listen with familiar material. Play a movie scene and a song you know well. Bass should sound even as it moves between speakers, not boomy at one spot or thin at another. Adjust the crossover in small steps if it doesn’t.
Large speakers and the subwoofer mode
Big tower speakers tempt people to choose Large. That’s fine, but know the trade-off. Set to Large, a speaker’s bass stays in that speaker and doesn’t go to the subwoofer.
On Denon receivers this depends on the subwoofer mode setting. Denon calls it “Subwoofer Mode” on the AVR-S960H (under Bass) and “Subwoofer Output” on the AVR-S570BT (under Advanced Setup):
- LFE (the default) sends the subwoofer the LFE channel plus the bass from Small speakers only.
- LFE+Main sends the subwoofer the LFE channel plus bass from every channel, including Large or Full Band speakers. The speakers still play their own bass too.
Denon warns that with the fronts and center set to Large and the mode on LFE, the subwoofer may not play at all for some signals or sound modes. Stereo music has no LFE channel, so it’s the usual victim. Choose LFE+Main if you want the subwoofer to play all the time. Onkyo’s version is “Double Bass,” which feeds bass from the front left, right and center speakers to the subwoofer when the fronts are set to Full Band.
Sony handles this through the sound fields. Sony’s Help Guide says that in the music modes, the subwoofer stays quiet with two-channel sources if every speaker is Large. If your subwoofer goes silent with music, our guide to fixing a silent subwoofer on the STR-DH590 walks through the settings.
The other bass filter: LPF for LFE
Some receivers have a second, separate filter. It sets the top frequency the subwoofer plays from the LFE channel itself.
- Denon calls it “LPF for LFE,” with choices from 80 to 250 Hz. The default is 120 Hz on the AVR-S960H and 100 Hz on the AVR-S570BT.
- Onkyo calls it “LPF of LFE,” with choices from 80 to 120 Hz or “Off.” The default is 120 Hz.
Leave this at the default unless you have a reason to change it. It doesn’t affect the bass redirected from your speakers. That’s what the crossover setting controls.
If there’s no subwoofer
Tell the receiver so, using “Subwoofer: No” or “None” in the speaker setup. The receiver then sets the fronts to Large or Full Band automatically. Sony, Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo all do this. Any bass filtered out of your Small center and surround speakers goes to the front pair instead.
Common problems
- You can’t change the crossover. On Sony receivers, the crossover appears only for speakers set to Small. On the Denon AVR-S960H, crossovers apply only to Small speakers, or to all speakers in LFE+Main mode. Sony also blocks Size and Crossover changes while headphones are plugged in.
- The front speakers won’t stay Small. The receiver probably thinks there’s no subwoofer. Set the subwoofer to “Yes” or “Use” in the speaker configuration.
- The bass sounds thin. Your crossover may be too low for the speakers, or the subwoofer’s own crossover knob may be turned down. Raise one or the other, then recheck.
- The bass sounds boomy or comes from one spot. Try a lower crossover, and try the subwoofer’s phase setting. Yamaha’s receiver has a “Phase” option under “Subwoofer” with Normal and Reverse choices for this.
For step-by-step setup on specific models, see our Denon AVR-S570BT speaker setup guide and our YPAO calibration guide for the Yamaha RX-V685, which covers how to check the sizes YPAO picked.
Quick answers
Should tower speakers be set to Large?
Only if you want them to play their own deep bass. With a capable subwoofer, Small is the usual choice. Sony suggests Small when you hear distortion, because the bass moves to the subwoofer. If you do choose Large, use a mode like Denon’s LFE+Main so the subwoofer still plays with music.
Why did calibration set my big speakers to Large?
Calibration decides from its own measurements, which may not match how you want the bass shared out. You can change the size afterward, and on the Denon AVR-S960H that won’t undo the Audyssey results.
Is 80 Hz always right?
It’s the best starting point, not a rule. Small speakers usually need a higher setting. Large, capable speakers can go lower. Let the speaker’s rated low-frequency limit guide you.
For the manufacturers’ own descriptions, see Denon’s AVR-S960H manual pages for Speaker Config. and Crossovers, and Onkyo’s TX-NR6100 speaker settings page.