2. speakers
  3. 124277-79517

Digital crossovers

Are crossovers "tone killers" as Zu Audio says?

Are digital crossovers a solution?

Much of our source material is digital already: e.g., CDs, ripped CDs, downloads and internet listening.  I wonder if a digital pre-amplifier separating the music by frequency and sending the result via the analogue amplifier direct to the appropriate driver would/could produce awesome results?

(I wonder what the crossover slope would be? Would it be absolutely discrete, with absolutely no overlap between drivers? Or is a small amount of overlap necessary even in the digital world?)
jimspov

Showing 3 responses by martykl

martykl
3,578 posts
 
I'm a fan.  I use an Onkyo pre-pro in my all-digital system to cross my main speakers to subwoofers (the mains are two ways with traditional, passive, analog x-overs at the tweeter cross).

All digital, multi-way x-overs like DEQx can sound great, too.  One manufacturer (can't recall the name right now) offered an active version of his best speaker using that device to actively cross and tri-amp the individual drivers.  I heard it at a show and - tho it's notoriously hard to judge in those environments, I thought he got excellent results,  

Unfortunately,  I prefer omnidirectional mains and haven't found a good option for that mash-up.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
BTW,

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that DEQx allows you to choose your slope, maxing out at something like 300 DB/octave.  So, yes, without phase concerns, you can go to brick wall type slopes with digital x-overs.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Ivan,

I believe that Salk offers (or at least once offered) an option along these lines.

You might also be able to do it with DEQx and something like the Linkwitz Orion. The Orion features a separate, active (analog) x-over box, which you’d either delete from the order or (if that’s not an option) discard. Instead, you’d run a digital source signal into the DEQx, adjust the x-overs to taste, and take analog out of the DEQx to the amps of choice - then onto the various inputs of the Orion’s drivers.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it would work.
More to discover