EVGA Z490 DARK (131-CL-E499)
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reversed such that the voice channel is joined with the front pair on one channel and the
subwoofer has a dedicated connector, which can lead to voice channels and subwoofer
receiving the wrong signal. The "Swap Center / Subwoofer Output" can resolve this
type of issue. Please first confirm the subwoofer is installed correctly, however, by using
the Component Legend on Page 16, and by consulting your speaker set’s manual.
Enable Base Management (on the previous page) is a setting that attempts to keep audio
data that may be lost or distorted near the frequency crossover point for the subwoofer
and satellite speakers. On a system that does not use full-range speakers, this is a crucial
setting for ensuring that your speaker system correctly plays low frequencies. The
default frequency is set to 80Hz, but your system may need adjustment.
To properly set the crossover frequency, look at the specs for both your speakers and
subwoofer. Some pre-assembled speaker systems may tell you what to set the crossover
frequency to in your instruction manual. If not, then look for the minimum frequency
response of your speakers (i.e. 75Hz, 80Hz, 175Hz, etc.), and the maximum frequency
response of your subwoofer (i.e. 60Hz, 80Hz, 120Hz). Once you have that information,
you can set the crossover frequency.
Ideally, you’ll want to make sure that the crossover settings provide enough room to set
the crossover frequency a little higher than your speakers’ minimum frequency response,
which will reduce distortion and provide a smoother transition to your subwoofer. A
good rule of thumb is to set the crossover frequency about 20Hz higher than your
minimum speaker frequency response. However, you may run into three different
scenarios:
First, the frequency response of your speakers (e.g. 60Hz) and subwoofer (e.g. 100Hz)
nicely overlap. This is ideal. Using the general rule above, you would set the crossover
frequency to 80Hz and call it a day. You should still test the audio to ensure it is free of
distortions, but this provides enough room to pass the low frequencies to the subwoofer
and keep the higher frequencies to the speakers, without creating a conflict.
Second, the maximum frequency response of your subwoofers is exactly the same as the
minimum frequency response of your speakers. In this case, you must set the crossover
frequency exactly to where the subwoofer and speakers meet.
Third, you may have a situation where your speakers’ minimum frequency response (e.g.
100Hz) is higher than your subwoofer’s maximum frequency response (e.g. 80Hz). This
should only happen if you purchased the subwoofer separately from the speakers. This
setup cannot work properly, and you must replace either the speakers or subwoofer.
Although you can adjust the setting to either the subwoofer’s maximum frequency
response or your speakers’ minimum frequency response, you’ll lose the audio data
between those frequencies.
