whats a crossover?

[mechanic021]

ok guys I hear and see alot of people using cross overs in there audio installs. what exactly is a crossover and what does it do? whats the benefits of it ?

thanks for your help

Mike

 

[BeauJ]

A crossover lets you tune up/down certain frequencies of sound. It can be used on the subs to keep high freq. from distorting or the same with mid and highs keeping too much bass away.

If you're going for SPL alone, I wouldn't worry. But if SQ is your main goal, it's a must and I'd get a high dollar one at that.

 

[Saleen_SR71]

i dont really see crossovers in many installs done by stereo shops... but i do see a lot of EQ's (mainly because they can be adjusted while your moving as opposed to having to wait till you stop to adjust)... i only see crossovers in cars that had the stereo installed by the people themselves (which i see as the better way to go)

and a crossover could also give you an extra boost in the loudness... like if you wanted to go up a decible or 2... a crossover could help... i miss mine, i had the perfect ammount of bass without any bass boost(off of the amp).

try not to go with any of the cheap brand crossovers... i bought one (Visonik to match my amps) for $42, and im not sure if it was my RCA's that were bad (got a horrible whine out of the speakers with and without the car on), or if the crossover was bad... ill find out thursday because i ordered new RCA's off the internet.(plus it could of been my deck which i also bought another one off the net.)

 

[turtle313]

a lot of sub amps have built in low pass crossovers to keep the highs out of the subs. If you don't know what one is then this is probably all you need as long as you don't turn it up to ear bleeding levels. You can keep enough bass out of the small speakers by adjusting the levels on your deck.

 

[MONMIX]

remember also an EQ and a Crossover are two totally different items.
Some EQ's have crossovers in them, ( like mine ) and I believe some crossovers have EQ's but I am not 100% on that.

Any way, a crossover will remove selected frequencys from the signal path at a certian rate.
By that I mean, your remote tweeters do not get along real well with low frequencys, so a crossover will filter out all the low frequencys below a certian point, giving the tweets just the stuff they want.
HPF, and LPF are crossovers.
High Pass Filter ( Lets the highs pass through )
Low Pass Filter ( Lets the lows pass through )
EQs will not remove frequencys, but cut and or boost them.
EQs are more for tonal shaping.

 

[Saleen_SR71]

heh i forgot about the passive crossovers

which crossover are you relating to mechaninc ... passive or active?

 

[mechanic021]

i was just wondering what a cross over in general was lol I didnt know there were different kinds

 

[turtle313]

a crossover removes selected frequencies from the signal applied to your speakers or amplifier to reduce distortion and improve sound quality.

 

[Saleen_SR71]

passive is for component systems... its non powered and filters the sound in to ranges. all home speakers have a passive crossover (if its 2 way or 3 way). and cars have it for component speakers to set a range for the tweeters, (sometimes mids), and woffers. (some times they put a small crossover on some of the coaxles just for the tweeter)

an active crossover is similar, but this can add volume to your stereo, add bass boost, it also cuts out frequencies

 

[mexi]

external crossovers are being used less and less. most all high end HU have X overs for front rear and sub. they also have multiband eq and time alligment and more. if you spend the extra $$ on a HU you wont have to worry about a crossover. some SQ guy will dissagree but that my 2cents

 

[barneyrubble318]

Check out AudioControl.com for a good definition.
http://www.audiocontrol.com/techpapers/techpaper102.pdf

I like SQ. I couldn't live without my 3SX. http://www.audiocontrol.com/MobileAudio/Products/Crossovers/3XS.html

 

[antcaswil]

97 Hu

I have a 97 x with the JBL system. My amp is no longer working, hence I have no base coming out of my sub. I have no idea how this system is set up but want to just replace the stock amp to get the base back. I am not looking for anything fancy since I have kids riding back there sometimes. What I need to know, does my HU have a crossover built in, or is it part of the stock amp? Does it have one at all, I'm assuming it has somekind of crossover, somewhere in the system. any help? Can I just replace the current amp with a mono or bridgeable 2 channel and be okay?