deciding Xover point

[soundnovice]

hi all,

i have woofers and tweeters (pls see the link for specs). pls help me deciding the right Xover point. i am trying to build a 2-way booshelf speakers. also which Xover network is suitable.

http://www.visaton.de/en/chassis_zubehoer/tiefton/ws17e_8.html
http://www.visaton.de/en/chassis_zubehoer/ht_kalotten/sc10n_8.html

thanks in advance

pranam

 

[captrajesh]

I'm no expert in speaker building but glancing at the frequency graphs, it appears that a crossover point at 1600 Hz appears to be ideal here. You may get more elaborate and precise advice from experts here.

 

[sonicbliss]

These are the general guidelines:-

1) Tweeter must be crossed atleast 2*Fs , so in this case its 3.4k
2) The woofer must not be crossed higher than where it starts to beam, so for the cone size of 14 cms its about 2.4k
3) The CTC between the woofer and tweeter must not be more than one wavelength at the xover frequency. You may need to overlap the tweeter with the woofer to get the CTC closer.

Considering all the above, you may try experimenting by crossing at 3k.

Off the shelf crossovers will not work. You will need to design/build the crossover yourself.

Sonicbliss

 

[sonicbliss]

Just noted that the Qts is too high for any other alignment than dipole or sealed. Be aware that you cant use a ported alignment with this woofer/midbass.

Sonicbliss

 

[t.antony]

Just noted that the Qts is too high for any other alignment than dipole or sealed. Be aware that you cant use a ported alignment with this woofer/midbass.

Sonicbliss

I think this midwoofer could be more flexible on the type of enclosure to be used. It has an EBP (Efficiency Bandwidth Product) of 55.5 and generally, drivers with EBP between 50 to 80 can be effectively used in different types of enclosures (sealed, ported, OB, TL etc) if designed correctly.

I had success with high Qts(1.1) drivers in a ported enclosure - http://www.hifivision.com/diy/14433...udspeaker-philips-fullrange-8.html#post215988

 

[t.antony]

Since your midwoofers can go linear up to 5KHz, it's ideal to cross them after the vocal range(above 3kHz). As the ears are very sensitive in the 1 to 3Khz region, you will hear less crossover with a high crossover frequency like 3.5KHz.

Also a lot depends on the tweeter, while the general rule is to cross them 2 or 3 octaves above the Fs, it is also worth checking how your tweeters are sounding w.r.t different crossover frequencies.

The crossover design also involves extensive listening tests to determine what sounds better with your drivers and the enclosure - A higher crossover frequency favoring the tweeter or a lower one for better imaging(reduced beaming). The baffle dimensions also play an important role in the directional response of the speaker.

While generic crossovers might not be an ideal solution, it's not a bad idea to experiment with an off the shelf 2nd order network that crosses close to 3.5KHz. Make sure about the impedance ratings before purchase.

 

[doors666]

you could probably go for a cheaper tweeter as there is a lot of overlap in these two drivers. this is useful if you will be using lr2, which is complicated. If going for LR4, a less capable tweeter will also do as the woofer is going very high. You are not going to be using this tweeter to its full capabilities.

 

[grubyhalo]

hi all,

i have woofers and tweeters (pls see the link for specs). pls help me deciding the right Xover point. i am trying to build a 2-way booshelf speakers. also which Xover network is suitable.

Visaton - Lautsprecher und Zubeh?r, Loudspeakers and Accessories
Visaton - Lautsprecher und Zubeh?r, Loudspeakers and Accessories

thanks in advance

pranam

Try reading the complete article from this thread to get a good idea of what to shoot for:

Introduction to designing crossovers without measurement - diyAudio

 

[soundnovice]

thank you guys for ur suggestions.
as antony and sonicbliss have mentioned, i believe a Xover frequency between 3K to 3.5KHz will be the safe bet. i dont mind to experiment with different Xover points between 3K to 3.5KHz to decide which one suits my taste. but its not easy to change Xover frequency in case of passive cross-over circuits. after googling around, i am thinking of active or electronic cross-over networks instead of passive ones. what u guys think of active Xover route.

thanks,
pranam

 

[jaudere]

Active cross over is the way to go. I was/am planning it. 2 problems

1) regular home audio has unbalanced (RCA) Connectors while the easily available active crossovers have only balanced connectors. To you have to procure necessary cables :may be difficult to get.

2)you need 2/3 stereo amps or single amp with 4/6 channel amplification(depending on 2way vs 3way design). Adds significantly to the cost.

In addition you will have to manage cable clutter.

 

[soundnovice]

Active cross over is the way to go. I was/am planning it. 2 problems

1) regular home audio has unbalanced (RCA) Connectors while the easily available active crossovers have only balanced connectors. To you have to procure necessary cables :may be difficult to get.

2)you need 2/3 stereo amps or single amp with 4/6 channel amplification(depending on 2way vs 3way design). Adds significantly to the cost.

In addition you will have to manage cable clutter.

please take a look at Linkwitz-Riley Electronic Crossover
this project makes it all look very simple. not sure how it will sound. but will give it a try as cost of building a 2-way active crossover on breadboard is quite less. how about using two cheap T-amp (ta2020) boards initially? just to see how things go. anybody please point me how to calculate power requirements for the woofer/tweeters mentioned.

 

[Hari Iyer]

hi all,

i have woofers and tweeters (pls see the link for specs). pls help me deciding the right Xover point. i am trying to build a 2-way booshelf speakers. also which Xover network is suitable.

Visaton - Lautsprecher und Zubeh

 

[GeorgeO]

Active crossovers can also cost a bit-a Behringer Ultracurve Pro will cost around $250-300, maybe more. It's capabilities are huge, though it is possible you may not use most of them.

 

[soundnovice]

Active crossovers can also cost a bit-a Behringer Ultracurve Pro will cost around $250-300, maybe more. It's capabilities are huge, though it is possible you may not use most of them.

i cant afford a off-the-shelf commercial product lie Behringer. would like to go by DIY route.Rod Elliots designs look quite simple to me.

 

[doors666]

there are pros and cons of using active crossovers. It solves some problems but comes with a different set of problems. they also cant handle everything. do proper research before you take a dive. e.g. the zaph audio zd5 cant be done using an active crossover because of ladder delay network. it also costs a hell of a lot more as you need the behringer, multiple amps, more cables, bigger rack, more irritated spouse due to more components etc.

 

[soundnovice]

there are pros and cons of using active crossovers. It solves some problems but comes with a different set of problems. they also cant handle everything. do proper research before you take a dive. e.g. the zaph audio zd5 cant be done using an active crossover because of ladder delay network. it also costs a hell of a lot more as you need the behringer, multiple amps, more cables, bigger rack, more irritated spouse due to more components etc.

i am not looking at all for commercial active crossover networks. i will be making simple and proven ele.crossovers(LR4) boards. it do require multiple amp. since this speaker is 2-way i hav to shellout extra amount on another amp, but thats quite affordable for me. anyway i will go ahead and giv it a shot....wish me luck