Crossover ? first order (6dB/octave) OR Second order (12dB/octave)

[sudhirbhosale]

Hi
I am planning to build Crossover for 2way speaker. Planning to cross between 2.5 - 3 Khz with peerless drivers T26SG 1" tweeter and S16NI 6" woofer.

Would like to know Pros and Cons of 1st order vs 2nd order crossover.

Would like to hear end lister point of view e.g. 1st order need few components hence lsee processing hence more retention of natural signal .... just guess

Another information needed is:
- Any feedback about Audiophiler MKP capacitors as those looks economical.
- Is it ok to go for 400 v capacitor? As my system is not a high-power 30 w RMS

Thanks in advance !!

 

[Fantastic]

You don't need anything higher than a 100V cap . However most good film caps come with higher voltage ratings. You will find them often at or higher than 250V. It's not that you need that voltage but they come that way ! Performance wise there is no difference between a 100 V or 400 V cap in a speaker crossover.

1st order and 2nd order crossovers aren't picked arbitrarily because they are 'good' or 'bad' . Most drivers at the affordable end will need 2nd order crossovers . Driver requirements are much stiffer for 1st order use.....usually that also means expensive drivers , especially tweeters.

Sound wise 1st order has an advantage over 2nd order but is much harder ( and possibly more expensive !) to implement properly. But again the order you use depends on the driver's own acoustic response which would determine what order crossover parts you need. The final order is a combination of electrical and acoustic response. So it's possible to get ( for example !) a seconder crossover using a 1st order part ( just one capacitor or an inductor ). The other 'part' of the second order response would come from the driver's own acoustic response.

You need to measure your driver's response and do a listening test to determine what you really need. To pick blindly , just use a second order crossover ! As usual the Devil is 'always' in the details.

 

[philipreji]

First order filters can sound pretty good if you are playing your amp and speakers at a much lower power compared to their rated maxima. The crossover element (often a single capacitor) needs to be of the right value. This value is usually not equal to the calculated value because electrical calculations do not take into account the acoustical roll-off of the drivers in the cabinet. Start from the calculated value and do some hearing tests using capacitor values on either side of the calculated value (e.g. if the calculated value is 4.7 microfarads, try all available values between 2.2 to 10 microfarads). You can settle for the value you like.

cheers,

Reji

 

[hydrovac]

I share the view that the correct crossover is the one dictated by the driver parameters, frequency response... what type of lobing and dispersion pattern you want and whatnot.

I've even run first, and second order crossovers in the same speaker design.

So, do a little research, youll find that there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to crossovers.