Very interesting thread. I'm relatively electronics-ignorant compared to many here--but still have a story to tell.
I'm a longtime audiophile who, for reasons too complex to outline here, has been confined to desktop audio in home office for ~20 yrs.
For a long time I used a modest 2.1 active system in my home office: 2 X NHT Pro M-00 satellites + S-00 sub. The output of my preamp du jour went to RCA input of the sub; and the RCA outputs (shorn of frequencies <100 Hz, went to the satellites. I tried this same sub w/other active satellites and it always sounded good.
Then I upgraded to an SVS SB-1000 sub, which also has a filtered output (big reason that I selected it). Using the same wiring as before, I became aware that the sound from my satellites (which eventually morphed to passive monitors driven by a big class D amp) didn't sound quite right. My current monitors, ATC SCM12 Pro, ran straight from amp/no sub for awhile and so I know how these very resolving monitors should sound. But driven by the output of the SB-1000, not so good.
I picked up a gently used Marchand XM66 variable 2-way crossover w/24 dB slopes. Installed that (everything got more complicated), but immediately heard that exact same ATC sound that had been compromised off the output of the SB-1000. So consider this an electronic crossover success story.
EXCEPT...upon installing the XM66, I've had a ground loop ever since. Have tried almost everything to eradicate it. I think it's the crossover, which basically connects to most of the power supplies on my complicated desktop.
(no perfect world)
I'm a longtime audiophile who, for reasons too complex to outline here, has been confined to desktop audio in home office for ~20 yrs.
For a long time I used a modest 2.1 active system in my home office: 2 X NHT Pro M-00 satellites + S-00 sub. The output of my preamp du jour went to RCA input of the sub; and the RCA outputs (shorn of frequencies <100 Hz, went to the satellites. I tried this same sub w/other active satellites and it always sounded good.
Then I upgraded to an SVS SB-1000 sub, which also has a filtered output (big reason that I selected it). Using the same wiring as before, I became aware that the sound from my satellites (which eventually morphed to passive monitors driven by a big class D amp) didn't sound quite right. My current monitors, ATC SCM12 Pro, ran straight from amp/no sub for awhile and so I know how these very resolving monitors should sound. But driven by the output of the SB-1000, not so good.
I picked up a gently used Marchand XM66 variable 2-way crossover w/24 dB slopes. Installed that (everything got more complicated), but immediately heard that exact same ATC sound that had been compromised off the output of the SB-1000. So consider this an electronic crossover success story.
EXCEPT...upon installing the XM66, I've had a ground loop ever since. Have tried almost everything to eradicate it. I think it's the crossover, which basically connects to most of the power supplies on my complicated desktop.
(no perfect world)