As I posted in "Polk RTi6 Problem" on 1-07-05, the midrange on my home system was much distorted. This was not too noticeable with a lot of music, but very noticeable in music that emphasized the midrange, such as female choral music. I play my music on a home system through my computer using an M-Audio sound card. Anyway, I noticed a BASS MANAGEMENT function on the M-Audio driver software, and when I enabled it, the midrange sound problem disappeared completely. I note that the bass management function is different from the selection of proper crossover frequencies, which the M-Audio sound card also has. According to the documentation, this function is supposed to insure that no signal can interfere with the midrange by sending anything that can to the subwoofer (of which I do not have, and prefer to live without). The M-Audio documentation is also clear that this function entails more than just adjusting the crossover frequencies by warning that the subwoofer may get overworked with this function enabled, and care needs to be taken to insure against it.
This bass management function appears to have been especially designed for desktop speakers, but readers may by be interested in noting that the problem may apply to home systems as well. With this function enabled, I am missing out on bass that I suspect I can get back by purchasing a subwoofer, but the more important point is that my midrange is now amazingly clear and pleasant to listen to. Clearly, it seems that quality 2-way home speaker systems can easily suffer midrange distortion due to improper bass management, and I wonder how many home systems could benefit by exploring this issue further. Can the quality of other home systems be improved by running the signal through the M-Ausio sound card with the bass management option enabled?