Thanks Grunt, Paul and Alan for the replies.
I understand that the bass below 80Hz would be non-directional (although, I read somewhere that it is non-directional below 60Hz). The basis of my question was explosions in war movies and the thumping sounds in movies like Jurassic Park which originates in the rear channels. Since some or the rear channels are crossed over at frequencies over 80Hz, in such cases, how do they maintain accurate bass imaging?
As Alan explains, bass instruments may produce a combination of directional and non-directional frequencies, in that case the ideal cross-over should be at 60Hz/80Hz. Cross-over at frequencies higher than this should start distorting the bass imaging. I also read that cross-over for any speaker should generally be set on 10Hz higher than its lowest frequency. This would essentially mean that while selecting the speakers for 5.1/7.1 setup, the lowest frequencies for the speakers should be around 50Hz/70Hz. Do you agree? The matching of tonal quality of the speakers and sub-woofer also becomes important so as to have an unnoticeable transition from speakers to subs. Does that mean that the speakers and subs should always be from the same manufacturer?
Some people suggest crossing-over main, center and rear at different frequencies, based on the handing capacity of the speakers. What are your views on it?
Hope I'm not confusing with my questions.
Sarang
