Active external crossover

If I took a picture of the inside of a First Watt B5, you'd chuckel, RED WIMA from top to bottom left to right... They are chock-a-block FULL

Mr Pass will help you modify his B5, just ask him, Very nice fella.

2-3 years ago, someone at First Watt, helped me. I need to do a value change. Fixed me right up

He will mix it up with anyone, great guy..

There is a place for correction, I could never get it to work without spending the same or A LOT more. The full blown DSP 20hz-20K just don't do it for me.. In a CAR, RV that type of thing, perfect.

In a HiFi environment, I found the take aways to great. 500hz EVEN 1K and down is ok with DSP. Add a servo system on the bottom 20-100hz it even get better... 500-1K and greater Passive or a full range driver with NO crossover.

The magic just goes away for me.. Everytime it sounds clinical in all the wrong places.. The first watt and a couple customs have been the best for me.. 2-3000.00 pair of B5 if you can find them Then you have to mod them.. They are for OB. He make another Active also.. Full of WIMA. 2%

B4 is still made, two way..I think..

Regards

Marchand—give them a call and Phil Marchand will,probably answer the phone...

dougthebiker


I wouldn't go digital for doing xovers, I tried the Mini DSP 2x4 hd and the Deqx both which had sad sounding dac's (but they are great fiddling/time wasting tools), not worth in any way taking out what my MSB Discrete R2R sounds like when doing the D to A by it self. 
The best active xover is still analogue, 24db for doing  xover'ing and yes the Pass F5 was a nice one but not 24db I think just 12 or 18?, there are a few others like the Marchand SS ones,(I don't go much for the tube ones). You can get cheap Behringers but they need mods to make them good.

I built my own 2 or 3 way 24db like this and used very good opamps and power supplies.
https://ibb.co/0sHc32w
https://ibb.co/YRnR90X
https://ibb.co/j6W5Z0S

Cheers George 

Some ideas/crossovers, available from these guys:      https://www.allegrosound.com/4sale_crossovers.html                     Keep in mind; the pro stuff is typically XLR only, so: adapters, if you’re single-ended.

the Pass brand electronic crossover is a very good one.

Another is a customized Bryston 10B. We had one made by Bryston, to cover just the mids. 1.25khz to about 4khz, in 11 steps, with the standard 6-12-18 db slope potentials for each, and level controls for the high.

Bryston will customize them on demand.

The most ’high end’ perfectionist oriented one is the Pass unit. (XVR-1)

I’ve tried some of the best digital units that exist, modified them all to improve them in any way I can and could..but still..a no show. They all destroy signal fidelity more than they aid it. This.. I say...when listening via my perfectionist oriented and distortion sensitive ear, --IMO and IME.

The measurements are not the sound quality. The map is not the territory.

Stop making that mistake, I say to detractors who think that DSP is the cat’s meow for crossovers.

If what they like to say about DSP were true, then all the world’s finest loudspeaker manufacturers would have switched all their best $25k, $50k, $100k, $200k etc speakers..to using active DSP crossovers.

Note they have not done so.

OCD HiFi Guy (YTChannel) sells one https://www.11stereo.com/

I’ve tried a few, I have yet to find one that is GREAT, just so you know. I have two F5 First Watt, (not made anymore), Probably the best of all the ones I tried. I found the combination of active and passive works the best. Neither on it’s own is GREAT. Together they are. The F5 is a 2 way for OB it has a step, that can be tailored, I modded the TWO to have a 3 way, it was a pain. Looked like something in the RUSSIAN space station, STUFF everywhere..:-)

ABOVE 3-500hz a great passive XO, you can work out the slopes, XO points, with an active, then take those specs and build an passive for the mids and highs. Easy as could be.. You can build a point to point, or buy a 2 way board. you could layout your own on a BB or wood block for that matter..

I use a Behringer 2496, 3 input (summation), great to a point. Makes it easy to work out the remainder of the XO 300.00 usd.

The better the active the less it will do, parts for multi XO cost money, the fewer the options, the lower the cost. WIMA will be in them anyway, if your lucky.

I suppose a Krell would have a pretty nifty setup, tailored to SOME speakers. They have never cheaped out, that I’ve ever seen. I have a few Krell products. $$$$ for sure..

Regards

Bryston!
http://old.bryston.com/products/other/10B-STD.html

miniDSP is the way to go today.  Includes EQ capabilities.