Soundhound and everyone else who is actively multiamping speakers,

I am having a lot of fun using Marchand XM-44 3-way. I like the changes from passive x-over. Having said that, it also introduces a host of possibilities and questions about driver interactions that you previously only left to the speaker designers. What frequencies and slopes (with related phase changes) are you all using out there and what configurations are your drivers in?

threers:

I assume you’ve read page 2 of this thread.
http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/Forum14/HTML/000110.html

Unfortunately I don’t have active bi-amp system but there’s a remote possibility I may in the future. So far, I gather that active crossover is better than passive one when calibrated properly. That can also mean no crossover is better than any crossover especially when there’s no need for calibration. I’ve heard about such speakers. Lowther and Fostex (plus a few others) both make full range drivers. I don’t think they are truly full range since they start to roll off quickly below 40 Hz but going up to 20 KHz at relatively flat response is pretty amazing. Except for a few types of music, this kind of driver may be a possible alternative to active bi-amp configuration.

I use Linkwitz/Riley 24db/octave slopes at 60Hz between woofer and subwoofer and 500Hz between woofer and high frequency horn. The exact crossover frequency and slope is totally dependent on the speaker drivers involved. Linkwitz/Riley crossovers have the advantage of the drivers being in phase through the crossover point, but they must still have their voice coils physically aligned in the vertical plane for there to be the flattest response. This is why some manufacturers use stepped baffles with the tweeter recessed farther from the listener than the woofer.

soundhound:

High frequency horn meaning tweeter?

Tweeter and woofer crossover at 500 Hz is unusually low. Which model is it?

No, he means a horn. They reach much lower than a tweeter does. 500 hz sounds in line.

Ok, then how high does it go before rolling off?
It it’s 20k Hz, that’s quite a range. In fact, I’d like to look it up.

I forget exactly (and it depends on the horn), but they can reach that high.

Soundhound,

Your configuration is very interesting. I have ribbon panel mids good from 10KHz to 166 Hz. (Super) tweeter goes to 25K. I have left the passive x-over for this alone. I cross my woofers at 200 Hz and sub at 50Hz -- all 4th order as well.

What size are your midwoofers. Mine are 10" that are good to 600Hz. The tricky stituation is that my two woofers (originally designed to do midbass as well as bass) have different range even through they receive the same signal. The bass woofer rolls off at 150Hz.

I want to raise the crossover frequency for the woofers from 200 to ~450Hz to get a little more punch in the upper bass region, but I may have to change the lower driver that rolls off at 150 Hz.

I really like my midrange ribbons -- they are really good with vocal reproduction. I am just greedy at this point and get that right "coloration" of deep baritone and bass sound as well. I want that note ...CIL... as intoned by Sparafucile in introducing himself to Rigoletto to be as deep and forboding as the bass can render it.

Thanks for all the advise so far.

Yes, my "tweeters" are horns, and yes, they have a range of 500Hz to 20kHz. Good compression driver horns can easily pull off this feat. My woofers are 15" and are short-horn and reflex loaded.

This is a link to pictures of my system:

http://community.webshots.com/user/soundhound

Holy smokes SH! You could give THX a whole new meaning!