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External crossovers for subs

This might be a stupid question but I'm asking anyway.  I have two subs connected via Speakon connectors so they get fed the same signal as my stand mounts.  I think I've gotten the subs and mains integrated very well (at least for my tastes).  I've read here, on several occasions, that sub integration cannot be done properly without an external crossover to take send only the appropriate frequencies to the mains and to the subs.  So, what is the difference between an external crossover filtering out frequencies and the internal crossover of the speaker filtering out low frequencies that the speaker cannot play?  Can't an internal speaker crossover be built to filter out frequencies below the threshold of that which is suitable for the speaker design?  Isn't that what crossovers do within the speaker by sending high frequency signals to the tweeter and low frequencies to the woofer?  Why would it not be able to filter out frequencies beyond the capability of the woofer?

jastralfu

Showing 1 response by bdp24

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,128 posts
 

 

One benefit of an external crossover is that the high pass filtering is done before the signal enters the power amp. Removing low frequencies from the signal sent to the power amp results in less amp distortion, and more power for the speakers.

By the way, the problem with the Harrison filters is that to achieve the crossover frequency you want, the input impedance of the power amp must be figured into the equation that determines the capacitor value required to achieve that crossover frequency.

 

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