DSP vs. active analog crossover vs. passive analog crossover. What is your take?


What is you take on the sound quality?  Any personal experience and knowledge on the subject will be greatly appreciated. 

128x128tannoy56

Some here are talking about active crossovers with added DSP. I’m talking about Active performed within the DSP there are no passive filters. The signal goes in digital is processed within the digital domain  to DAC then sent directly to the amp then on to the transducer. Volume control can also be conducted within the digital domain. If an analog signal is sent it first goes through an ADC before DSP. The OP was asking about crossovers. There are passive and active crossovers both use analog components and then there is DSP crossovers which is an entirely different thing.

With my former passive configured all-horn speakers I at one point had 3 processing stages involved: the passive cross-overs in the speakers as an analogue "processing" stage, the Xilica DSP to high-pass them, and JRiver Convolution hosting a software for room correction in both the amplitude and time domain. It was a capable setup overall, but I prefer my current fully active setup with only one processing stage: the Xilica DSP. Room acoustics have been optimized with both diffusion and light absorption, so no room correction.

 

@phusis

interesting, i actually own a "new-in-box" un-openned Xilica DSP XP-2040 i had purchased to use with my Trinnov for my 3 subwoofers (happy to sell it cheap). it turned out that my 3 Funk Audio 18.0 subs in my Home Theater have an even better internal crossover, the ALLDSP module that is able to be ethernet networked and tuned remotely.

but back to the subject of a dsp crossover and whether it’s suitable for the top level 2 channel music reproduction?

i think we see it mostly in high performance 2-channel with DIY active horn systems where otherwise it’s just not very doable. so in those situations it’s simply the only choice, not that it’s inherently better than analog.

for instance Magico brought out their $600k Ultimate Horn System some years ago, but it used a dsp crossover for the best performance and they only sold a few. the marketplace did not warm to the dsp idea as most high level users want all analog signal paths. we can argue about performance, but 2 channel at the top has it's perspectives.

it is interesting that the new G3 version Avant Garde Trio uses a completely analog crossover.

https://avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/trio/

DSP crossovers are in top level 2 channel  music reproduction. Don't confuse high fidelity with high price. 

agree. the question is whether it's better with an analog crossover in a particular installation. only the designer can say who has heard it both ways.

IMO it's not a question of better but which approach appeals to their potential customers. I doubt very much a designer or anyone else could tell whether an analog crossover has been replaced with digital if the digital is programmed to mimic the original analog. Of course there will be no peaking.