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Why HiFi manufacturers don't make active crossovers anymore?

Hello to all,

On the recent days, I noticed that a lot of manufacturers of Hifi 2 channel systems, had plenty of options in a not so long past, of active crossovers, like Luxman, Accuphase, higher end Sony stuff, and many more, why do you think HiFi manufacturers abandoned the inclusion of active cross overs, channel dividers, in their lineup?

Accuphase still makes a digital one.

Appears that this devices are only still relevant in the Pro Audio world, why Home HifI abandoned the active cross over route? It's correct to assume that?

I think that can be very interesting tri-amp a three way loudspeakers with active cross overs, would like to know more about it too...

Share your thoughts about the subject, experiences in bi-amp and tri-amp with active crossovers and etc....

Thanks!
128x128cosmicjazz
erik_squires
16,041 posts
 
1 -

If you put a high pass (HP) filter in front of an amp, it no longer has to play bass.
Bass is responsible for most of the amplitude variations in a signal.Amplifiers are all voltage limited. That is, they can play up to +- n V
Say n is 20 Volts. If bass takes 15 V, then you only have 5 V left for mid and treble.

Put a HP filter in front of it and now the entire voltage +- 20 V is available for mids and treble.

2 -

Most multiway speakers have resistors in front of the mid and/or tweeter driver to keep the levels similar.

These resistors waste power as heat. A necessary evil in passive crossovers.

Put an active crossover, and amp with adjustable levels and the resistors have no use anymore. No power wasted as heat = higher efficiency
cosmicjazz's avatar
cosmicjazz OP
243 posts
 
Sorry, but my doubt is not considering a active crossover situation... I forgot to tell that the application that I described, is considering speakers with passive crossovers...

Anyway, I think I already found the answer, the M-73 is not a 4 channel amp, it’s a stereo amp, I was thinking that was a 4 channel amp because of the looks of the amps boards inside, it was appearing for me 4 independent amp blocks, and was thinking that each of the 4 speaker’s terminals was connected into each block...

So in fact, if use the M-73 to amplify 4 speaker’s drivers (left and right horns and tweeters), it can be done, just connect each driver to the respective speaker’s terminals, and activate on front panel A + B speakers together, but it will be bi-wiring, not bi-amping.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
While the First Watt B4 I mentioned on Page 1 doesn't have all the controls and versatility of the Pass x/o, it has a lot more than the Bryston and Marchand. 1st/2nd/3rd/4th-order filters in 25Hz increments from 25Hz to 3200Hz. All discrete---no opamps or ic's. Level control on either the high- or low-pass filter (user-selectable), for balance matching between two amps with differing gain structures. Nice little piece at an affordable price ($1500 retail when in production, though discounted at Reno Hi-Fi). 
cosmicjazz's avatar
cosmicjazz OP
243 posts
 
even Marantz offered a active crossover in the early 80's... amazing: 
http://www.thevintageknob.org/marantz-Ad-6.html

wish the mass HiFi brands return to produce such amazing lineup of products, how Pioneer, Sony, Marantz, JVC, Denon, made it.. 

Unfortunately that's not gonna happen hehehe
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 
To make modern active one must use DSP and chips no small manufacturers can make chips so they must rely on what's available so basically you have a few versions of basically the same thing and its why smaller companies are avoiding for now. Passive actives are kind of like a model T Ford today still they have a subjective performance advantage if done right over DSP. DSP's great strength is making the wrong work correction is what DSP is mostly about for if the design was proper most of DSP uses are nulled. 
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