Active crossovers

Anybody know how crossover-less Gallo Ref's would factopr into eqauation.They have no X-over persay on a supplied Cap that can be inserted between Bi-wire posts.

If you can buy the Krell KBX for $1500 ... BUY IT!
The Krell lists for about $4K. It works either balanced or SE. It costs only $200 for Krell to make you a custom board for your speakers. If you change speakers Krell can make you a new board, making it immune from being obsolete.
E-mail Krell and ask for specs. (SLeckrone@Krellonline.com)
Tell Steve Leckrone that I suggested you contact him. He has been a great help for me.
Actively biamping my system is the single biggest improvement that I ever made.
Also, I was just at the Krell factory and they do still make the KBX, but since it is a low volume unit, they are not advertising any more. Getting boards should never be a problem.
Richard Diamond

I'm using a Marchand XM9-3 Deluxe to tri-amp one system. I'm pretty pleased with it over all. The biggest drawback to this design is the lack of variable crossover points. You basically have to install very inexpensive "resistor packs" to adjust frequency. While it is not really a big deal, it's nowhere near as convenient as having an adjustable pot on the faceplate. It is probably a LOT more precise though. Other than that, i've only used professional grade crossovers and they did not sound as clean or focused. Nor did they offer the added versatility of the "blend" or "Q" adjustment that the Marchand has.

Mike Bates ( aka "Magnetar" on AA ) has used a Marchand that he built as a kit along with a Behringer model. He said that the Behringer has some nice features and works better on the low frequency range whereas the Marchand is cleaner up top. He also said that the Behringer has some features that he's found to be quite useful that are not available on the Marchand. He's a very experienced "tinkerer" who's judgment i trust and respect.

There was a Pioneer crossover that was made that seems to be relatively sought after. I noticed that while i was looking for one, there were other "wanted" ads posted for it on both A-gon and Audioweb. Can't remember the model right now, but it offered you the choice of four different slopes ( 6, 12, 18, 24 db's per octave ) along with some other nice features.

My brother is currently using one of my older professional grade crossovers that i used to use when doing pro sound reinforcement at concerts. It offers variable slopes ( adjustable from 1.5 to 12 db's per octave ) and variable crossover points for each band. This one comes in very handy as it makes it easy to find optimum crossover points when building speakers from scratch. Once he's got the cash, he's going to go into a Marchand. I hope it's soon, as i've got a large line array ( 54 drivers per cabinet ) that i need to start "fine tuning" in terms of crossover points. Sean
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BTW just saw on ebay somebody paid $3500 for a set of vintage Marantz x-overs!!Seems a bit steep but....

Active crossovers are a tricky topic, imho.

I'd recommend using an active xover for subwoofers and a passive xover for the rest in general.The advantage here is that you can use a clean, high power amp for the sub bass and select an amp that is optimal for the main speakers (as compared to driving everything from one amp)

It is very easy to muck up some very high quality sound with a not so wonderful HP filter made from not so wonderful opamps and caps (not to mention the power supply).

On the other hand it is possible to implement surprisingly clean and good xovers with both tube and solid state parts. Regardless, it is a good practice to compare the speaker in question with and without an active xover in line.

Much depends upon you, your ears, and your system as to wheather or not an electronic xover will be an improvement or a deficit. Which means there is NO single answer.

In general, the commercial "pro sound" products do not have truly audiophile "sonic signatures" so I would be cautious about them in general.

The advantage of an electronic xover for a DIYer is certainly one of flexibility and ease of adjustment, so it has merit on that point. On the other hand you do need an extra amp or so to use it, so perhaps the money is better spent in other directions?

Ymmv with electronic crossovers in general.

_-_-bear