Quote:
Originally posted by bestbang4thebuck:
My guess is that the decision to use passive crossovers in their loudspeaker models costing approximately five to fifty percent of the flagship Nautilus is marketing driven. Someone said, "You mean you want us to ask people to buy four-figure speakers and ask them to buy two, three or four amplifier channels per unit in addition to that?" When it came to the Model Nautilus, the remark was probably, "If someone is laying out $20K per speaker, they are seeking the ultimate in sound and would also have the money to buy four amplifier channels per speaker."


BB4TB:

The newest true workhorse and flagship of the Nautilus line used in studios is the N800. It has a very sophisticated passive crossover located in the plinth of the speaker to separate it from the speaker enclosure. These monitors weigh almost 300 lbs. each, and are usually bi-amped. It might be informative to read the FAQ section on Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping on the B&W website.

Having spoken to two of the engineers at B&W, I can say that they do not believe that the sonic penalty of their passive crossover is significant enough to outweigh the advantages of designing a crossover to complement the detailed characteristics of their drivers. The active crossover monitor, "Nautilus" is the experiment that generated the technological and philosophical approach to a new direction in R&D. The suggestion that their decision to include passive crossovers in monitors like the model N800 is market driven is not consistent with this philosophy. Practical would be a better description. Clearly the less expensive B&W lines have less sophisticated crossovers, and the market becomes a more significant factor in their design, but this is true of all marks.

I would guess that if B&W were to adopt an active (line level) crossover for the ultimate studio workhorse monitor, it would be a powered monitor design so that they would be able to control both the crossover and the amplification feeding the drivers.

If these guys were not designing sound transducers, they would be working for some Formula One racing team in England. They are perfectionists, with a practical side. Needless to say I am a big fan.

[This message has been edited by AGAssarsson (edited October 08, 2004).]