I stopped using crossovers 20+ years ago, though the whizzer cone is sort of a mechanical crossover.
DeKay
Crossovers? How do you evaluate if crossover is any good?
I hear Crossover designs are very important to your system. You have several drivers in a speaker and I've seen the curve designs where they slope up and down and when overlaid on top of the curve of another frequency ranged driver they overlap a little bit as slopes go up and down.
So what does all this mean and aren't speakers generally designed similar to other speakers in this area. Is it all about designing the curve? Exactly what is it that makes a crossover better than another crossover?
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@emergingsoul -- I know you like stirring the pot, but why are you posting a question about speaker crossovers on the amp forum and not the speaker forum? |
Crossovers are as critical as any component in the speaker. Sometimes the most critical, but that depends. They have to be designed specifically for the drivers being used, to optimize what they do well, and to minimize what they don’t do well. They also have in consider and compensate for contributions of the cabinet and driver layout. The crossover points, slopes, and any compensation networks all have an impact. Calculations and computer simulations provide a place to start, but crossovers also need to be fine tuned to sound right, and that usually requires some subjective adjustments...some are better at it than others. Even the system and room that the speakers are in during the design phase has an impact...potentially a significant impact. Regardless of the circuit, the parts quality matters too. All those little things that some claim can’t be heard all add up little by little. Many, many companies use components chosen by the accountants at the bidding of the board of directors/shareholders to increase profits. Others use the very best components they can find. Many sand cast resistors and cheap caps have steel in the leads. Many resistors have a notable amount of inductance due to the way their wound. Air core inductors are certainly a step ahead of iron core, and litz wire or foil are arguably a step above standard air core. Wire, connectors, physical layout all matter at some level. Do capacitors matter? 🤣 How far is the designer of a speaker willing to go with the crossover, and how many minor adjustments are they willing to make? At what point do they said "good nuff" vs peeling back another layer? It takes longer to make and evaluate changes....not all designers have as much time as they’d like with a crossover. All are factors in the end result. Yep...crossovers matter, and can be radically different from one speaker to the next.
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