Pre-Assembled Passive Crossovers
Pre-assembed crossovers are typically dismissed, but if you are using drivers whose operating range
coincides with the crossover points of a high-quality pre-assembled crossover, why re-invent the wheel?
Simply put easy-to-design Zobel impedance compensation circuits across the woofer and midrange
drivers, and if necessary pad down the tweeter to the efficiency of the other drivers, and you’ll likely
get very good performance. Be sure to consult the driver manufacturer’s recommended crossover range.
The three-way crossovers have the accepted three octave spread that usually avoids undesirable driver
interaction, and both designs use the same high-quality parts and circuit boards you’d use if you designed
and built them yourself. If the three-way's crossover points are too limiting, use your imagination and
combine a two-way with a subwoofer crossover, just make sure that the midrange you select can go
that low without distortion or damage. In that case, consider a slightly larger midrange that can go lower
and handle more power. It’s true, of course, that a three-way crossover is more than just combining
four discrete filters, since the reactances of the bandpass (midrange) react with the reactances of the
woofer and tweeter sections. This is resolved by “pulling in” the bandpass frequencies slightly with a
special algorithm. It’s also true that monitors with a typical two-way crossover are commonly enhanced
with a passive, or electronic, subwoofer crossover, that hardly fulfills the ideal three-way “spread”.
Experiment, listen, then make a decision that’s best for you. If this site meets your needs and has been
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Click on the images or links to see high quality pre-assembled crossovers
