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Is this how a Subwoofer Crossover is supposed to work?

I bought two Starke SW12 subwoofers that I installed.  So far I'm not particularly happy with them.  They are way too loud even with the volume set almost to off.  More importantly, I'm having trouble integrating them into my system and I'm wondering if that is because their crossover setting is really functioning as I understand a crossover should. Attached please find measurements from Room Equalization Wizard with SPL graphs of the two subs (no speakers) taken at my listening position with the crossover set at 50 Hz, 90 Hz, and 130 Hz. Ignore the peaks and dips which I assume are due to room nodes.  All of those settings appear to actually have the same crossover point of 50 Hz. All that changes is the slope of the rolloff in sound levels. This isn't how I thought a properly designed crossover was supposed to work.  I thought the frequency the levels would start to roll off would change, i.e. flat to 50 hz then a sharp drop, flat to 90 hz then a sharp drop, etc. etc..  But Starke says this is how a subwoofer crossover is supposed to work.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8x4cr32pagwg48i/Two%20Subs%20Different%20Crossover%20Points%20No%20Speaker...
Any experts on here with an opinion about this?  Is it possible to buy an inexpensive active crossover that I could use in place of what is built into these subs?
pinwa

Showing 1 response by ieales

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
@ OP
Check out ieLogical SubterraneanHomesickBlues for a little information on setting up subs and how their controls work.

Definitely characterize you subs individually at close range and in the same position.

Visit hunecke.de | Loudspeakers Calculator and input your room. Do the same in REW.

Sadly Starke doesn’t give any sensitivity for Bal/UnBal, or much of anything else. I couldn’t find a Willsenton R8 manual.

Using BAL to the Sub and RCA to the R8 will have about 14db more gain to the subs, assuming the DAC uses industry standard levels. If the DAC does not have a level control, the subs are being driven an unattenuated signal.

Note that the SW12 has an insufficient control set to integrate well except in possibly a single location.

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