How do you high pass your main speakers?


I have been very happy with the distributed bass array I added to my system, but from what I hear, the optimum method of integration is to high pass the main speakers.

Two questions:

1. What are my options for accomplishing this? Does this need to be a feature built into my amplifier or is there another component that needs to be inserted in the chain. 

2. What crossover point would be ideal? What frequency and amount of rolloff would be best if my speakers are ATC SCM19's which have a frequency response of (-6dB) 54Hz-22kHz.

Cheers,

Tony

128x128tony1954

I don't mind people experimenting, BUT don't do something that can't be reversed easily. You seem to be saying that yo don't like your speakers or that yo know better than the engineers that designed them. I must ask what started this line of thinking for you? Was it something that you were told or read. I would dump that like a hot rock. I guess if you have the money to spend it is ultimately your choice, but just to accommodate some frivolous fantasy seems to be wasteful. OR maybe you really do have CR@PPY speakers. so what the heck, experiment away!
As far as what crossover point and the degree of rolloff, ISN'T that totally your choice. No one reding your post has any idea what yo are hearing so how can anyone hear make such a decision. This isn't something engraved in stone. That is why we spend our money on quality equipment so that we have the advantage of highly educated and experienced engineers to make these decisions for us an we don't have to play games with our equipment.
As I mentioned in another post about crossovers and capacitors, just take Mundorf capacitors, there are probably a dozen different versions of any given capacitance made my Mundorf and they all have different characteristics so do you have the engineering background to choose which one you want to use to achieve some arbitrary results that you woke up this morning and didn't like something you thought you heard?

@esarhaddon1 

"You seem to be saying that yo don't like your speakers or that yo know better than the engineers that designed them."

"OR maybe you really do have CR@PPY speakers. so what the heck, experiment away!"

"No one reding your post has any idea what yo are hearing so how can anyone hear make such a decision."

If ignorance is bliss, you must be one happy dude.

Hey @bumpy48  - The value of the capacitor is based on the input impedance of your amplifier. 

You can use  this calculator, filling in the top with the input impedance (probably 25k or higher) and the Hz with the cut-off.  80 Hz is a good value there.

 

https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/high-pass-filter

Sounds like your speakers don't go very low and probably mate very well with your subs.  

I like to touch the signal as little as possible and my prejudice is that an electronic crossover might do more harm than good.

The recommendation to use an exectronic crossover in this application comes most often from a dealer selling said crossover, or someone repeating what they have heard from this dealer.  btw, the dealer is often mischaracterized as an expert.

Excuse my skepticism. YMMV.

Jerry

I personally believe you should set your crossover point by ear and not by what your friend or neighbor think it should be. I use a Celodyne servo sub with my Quad 63’s and feel it works very well. I start low on the crossover frequency and raise it until you can hear the sub kick in with music playing. Then I back off about 7-10 Hz unroll it sounds right to my ears. Seems to work well for me.