I see... new to the crossover arguements. Wasn't sure what point the polarity was referring to.
First Order Crossovers: Pros and Cons
I wonder if some folks might share their expertise on the question of crossover design. I'm coming around to the view that this is perhaps the most significant element of speaker design yet I really know very little about it and don't really understand the basic principles. Several of the speakers I have heard in my quest for full range floorstanders are "first order" designs. I have really enjoyed their sound but do not know if this is attributable primarily to the crossover design or to a combination of other factors as well. In addition, I have heard that, for example, because of the use of this crossover configuration on the Vandersteen 5 one has to sit at least 10 feet away from the speakers in order for the drivers to properly mesh. Is this really true and if so why? Another brand also in contention is the Fried Studio 7 which also uses a first order design. Same issue? Could someone share in laymans terms the basic principles of crossover design and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each. Also, what designers are making intelligent choices in trying to work around the problems associated with crossover design? Thanks for your input.
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In honor of the impending release of a diy version of the Nelson Pass designed First Watt active crossover, I thought I’d bump this amazingly informative thread on crossover design... looking forward to building the FW crossover and using it to facilitate bi-amping of my Coincident PREs. https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pass-labs/165756-pass-labs-b4-crossover-questions-58.html |
@murphythecat That is exactly what my Coincidents due with the midrange and tweeter. Midrange is connected directly to amp and the tweeter just has a single 4.7uF cap in front of it. But then they've got an additional two 12" woofers after an inductor on each channel... I'll be using Nelson's crossover to skip the inductor and play a bit with the crossover frequency (they don't fall away until 2000hz and I'm getting some resonance up there with my current sub amps). |
Transducers are not flat though there operating range they roll off the 1st order utilizes the reduced levels and since it overlaps do to its slight -6db per octave roll-off you can fill in these dips in response by allowing other driver to gently roll off overlapping and filling in. A 1st order is not for every loudspeaker type and I would say 1st orders require more costly drivers without peaks and severe breakup modes as well as smooth gentle roll-off. I find horns can take advantage of 1st orders since the horn itself has a fairly severe drop off at its operating range you can use a 1st order without worrying about to much overlap. A 1st order can reduce power handling and peak SPL but its advantages in-phase and lower parts count can have sonic benefits. |
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