Loudspeaker dividing networks productions
A speaker crossover is a technology used in audio production to optimize speaker system performance by sending each speaker only the frequencies it is designed to accurately reproduce. The function of a speaker crossover is to divide a full-range audio signal into its high, mid, and low frequency components and to distribute each frequency band to the loudspeaker driver best-suited to reproduce it. Speaker crossovers are implemented using either circuits enclosed within speaker cabinets or processing before the input of a power amplifier. If you are designing a sound system, the first step should be to roughly determine the placement of the speakers and the second step should be to choose your speakers. Speaker crossovers are used in a variety of situations, in which multiple speaker drivers work together to produce a full-range audio signal. Many sound systems contain multiple speakers.
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Content:
- US3824343A - Multiple driver dynamic loud speaker - Google Patents
- Industry Pioneers #18: Dr. John K. Hilliard, The Standard Of Motion-Picture Sound
- Loudspeaker
- Loudspeaker Handbook
- What is a Speaker Crossover?
- What is a speaker crossover?
- JBL - Dividing Network - Instruction Manual OM22-3.pdf
- Myths & Facts about Loudspeaker Crossovers: Identifying Legitimately High Fidelity Designs
- US3824343A - Multiple driver dynamic loud speaker - Google Patents
US3824343A - Multiple driver dynamic loud speaker - Google Patents
A speaker crossover is a technology used in audio production to optimize speaker system performance by sending each speaker only the frequencies it is designed to accurately reproduce. The function of a speaker crossover is to divide a full-range audio signal into its high, mid, and low frequency components and to distribute each frequency band to the loudspeaker driver best-suited to reproduce it.
Speaker crossovers are implemented using either circuits enclosed within speaker cabinets or processing before the input of a power amplifier. If you are designing a sound system, the first step should be to roughly determine the placement of the speakers and the second step should be to choose your speakers. Speaker crossovers are used in a variety of situations, in which multiple speaker drivers work together to produce a full-range audio signal.
Many sound systems contain multiple speakers. Based on its size, shape, and design, each speaker is responsible for accurately reproducing a specific range, or band, of frequencies.
Using a crossover allows control over which frequencies are sent to which speakers, so that all speakers in the system work together to achieve the best possible sound quality. Firstly, each speaker is only capable of accuracy within a limited range.
Sending frequencies outside of this range will waste the resources available to the speaker and yield inaccurate results. Additionally, low-frequency energy can cause damage to a high frequency driver. To efficiently reproduce low frequencies, a large volume of air must be moved. This requires a speaker with a large diaphragm area and long diaphragm excursion.
In other words, low frequency drivers are large speakers capable of large movements. Subwoofers can generally reproduce frequencies in the range of 1 Hz to Hz.
Subwoofers are most commonly direct radiator cones, sized at either 12, 15, or 18 inches in diameter. Their design is nearly identical to that of subwoofers, however they are generally smaller and capable of less extreme excursions. Mid-range woofers can produce frequencies in the range of 60 Hz to 6 kHz. They are direct radiator cones, commonly sized 5 to 12 inches in diameter to allow for more accurate reproduction of higher frequencies.
The excursion of a tweeter diaphragm is limited by its physical size. Luckily, to efficiently reproduce high frequencies requires far less diaphragm excursion than is required to reproduce low frequencies.
Horns are often used with high-frequency drivers to further reduce the diaphragm excursion requirements. Tweeters are relatively small electromagnetic or piezoelectric drivers capable of reproducing frequencies beyond 5 kHz. There are two common applications of speaker crossovers: multi-way speaker cabinets and multi-cabinet speaker systems. A multi-way speaker cabinet is a single enclosure that contains multiple speaker drivers.
In this image, you can see a 2-way speaker. This speaker enclosure contains a woofer to reproduce low and mid-range frequencies and a tweeter to reproduce high frequencies. The term, 2-way, indicates that the audio signal is separated into two frequency bands: low-mid and high. The low-mid frequencies are sent to the woofer, while the high frequencies are sent to the tweeter, using a crossover.
Another common design is a 3-way speaker cabinet, which might contain a woofer for low frequencies, another woofer for mid-range frequencies, and a tweeter for high frequencies. In many cases, two low frequency woofers are used alongside a mid-range woofer and a high frequency tweeter. The crossover network determines the term used to describe the speaker cabinet. Speaker crossover systems are also used to optimize the sound quality of multi-cabinet speaker systems, in which separate speaker enclosures are used.
In these cases, each speaker cabinet is tuned to reproduce a specific frequency band. A common example of a multi-cabinet speaker system is a system with a stand-alone subwoofer. In this configuration, low frequencies are sent to a subwoofer speaker cabinet which is designed to reproduce only low frequencies. The remaining frequencies in the low-mid, mid, and high ranges are sent to a separate cabinet.
It is very common to combine these two techniques, using a multi-way speaker cabinet for low-mid, mid, and high frequencies and a separate subwoofer cabinet for low frequencies. Speaker crossovers are created using audio pass filters. For example, to set the crossover between a woofer and a tweeter will require a low pass filter on the woofer signal and a high pass filter on the tweeter signal.
This can be done with electronic components or digital signal processing DSP. Low pass filters allow low frequencies to pass while attenuating, or reducing, higher frequencies.
High pass filters allow high frequencies to pass while attenuating lower frequencies. To learn more about high pass filters, you can read this article or watch this video by Audio University.
Low pass and high pass filters have two basic control settings: cutoff frequency and slope. The cutoff frequency of a high or low pass filter will determine at which point the filter begins. In this image, you can see a high pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 80 Hz. The cutoff frequency is usually the point the filter reaches -3dB of attenuation. The slope of a high or low pass filter determines the rate of attenuation over frequency. A high pass or low pass filter can be steep or gradual.
The following images show a comparison of a gradual filter with a slope of 6dB per octave and a steep filter with a slope of 24dB per octave.
The most common slope settings for crossover filters in professional audio are 12dB per octave and 18dB per octave. As stated above, a crossover system is usually the combination of two audio pass filters, each with a cutoff frequency and slope.
Setting the cutoff frequency and slope of both filters will determine the crossover point. The crossover point that is appropriate for a particular speaker cabinet will be determined by the manufacturer and is usually in the technical specifications, found either online or in the user manual. Ideally, the crossover point will be the point when the two filters that make up the crossover intersect at -3dB.
This will ensure a smooth frequency response when the drivers are combined. To better visualize this, look at this graph. Both the low pass filter and the high pass filter have a cutoff frequency of 80 Hz. This will theoretically create a straight line across the graph, indicating that all frequencies are equally represented.
While gain is not technically a setting of the crossover, it is important to understand how it affects the crossover point. As you can see, this gain boost moves the crossover point. Now, the lines no longer intersect at 80 Hz, but at a higher frequency. This is something to consider when setting the amplifier gain in an active crossover speaker system. There are two types of crossovers used in sound systems: passive and active. This is not to be confused with active and passive speakers.
Passive crossovers are placed between the output of the power amplifier and the input of the loudspeaker drivers. Thus, passive crossovers deal with speaker level signals, which are much more powerful than the line level signals that pass through an audio mixer.
When using a passive crossover network, one amplifier channel is used to power multiple drivers. A passive crossover is most commonly enclosed within the speaker cabinet, itself. They are made up of electrical components such as capacitors and inductors.
These electrical components divide the signal from the amplifier and distribute the frequencies to the correct drivers. Most passive crossover networks are designed to work with a specific speaker driver. Therefore, active crossovers deal with line level signals. When using an active crossover network, separate amplifier channels are required for each driver or set of drivers. Systems which include a 2-way speaker powered by two amplifier channels and an active crossover are called biamplified systems.
Similarly, 3-way speaker systems powered by three amplifier channels and an active crossover are called triamplified systems. The first amplifier channel powers a stand-alone subwoofer, while the second amplifier channel powers a 2-way speaker cabinet. Inside the 2-way speaker cabinet, a passive crossover network separates and distributes the mid frequencies to the woofer and the high frequencies to the tweeter.
If you got value out of this post, please share it with someone who would also find it valuable! For more content like this, subscribe to Audio University on YouTube! Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links, which means that if you click them, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In the world of audio, if you learn why and how systems work, you can apply that knowledge to solve virtually any problem.
Your system is only as good as the weakest link in the signal chain, and for most people, the weakest link is the acoustic quality of If this is our first time Speaker Crossovers: The Ultimate Guide. Written by Kyle Mathias. April 9, Subscribe to Audio University! Mission Statement In the world of audio, if you learn why and how systems work, you can apply that knowledge to solve virtually any problem. Related Articles.
Industry Pioneers #18: Dr. John K. Hilliard, The Standard Of Motion-Picture Sound
View as PDF. An audio crossover network is a combination of components that separates different parts of the audio spectrum and sends the signals to specific drivers and speakers. The crossover sends the bass audio signals to the woofer, mid-range signals to the standard mid-range speakers, and finally, the high frequency signals to the tweeter. There are a variety of combinations and stages of components to crossover networks. The entire audio frequency range of approximately 40 Hz to 20 KHz cannot be handled by one driver and speaker. In fact, if the entire spectrum is directed to a single driver and speaker, then output is less optimum and distorted.
Loudspeaker
The prospect of writing a book on loudspeakers is a daunting one, since only a multivolume encyclopedia could truly do justice to the subject. Authors writing about this subject have generally concentrated on their own areas of expertise, often covering their own specific topics in great detail. This book is no exception; the author's background is largely in professional loudspeaker application and specification, and the emphasis in this book is on basic component design, operation, measurement, and system concepts. The book falls largely into two sections; the first Chapters emphasizing the building blocks of the art and the second Chapters emphasizing applications, measurements, and modeling. While a thorough understanding of the book requires a basic knowledge of complex algebra, much of it is understandable through referring to the graphics. Every attempt has been made to keep graphics clear and intuitive. Chapter 1 deals with the basic electro-mechano-acoustical chain between input to the loudspeaker and its useful output, with emphasis on the governing equations and equivalent circuits.
Loudspeaker Handbook
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What is a Speaker Crossover?
Sign up for our newsletter and get tutorials and tips delivered to your inbox. An important decision when designing a home studio is the set of monitors to purchase. Apart from the acoustics of your room , this will have the biggest impact on the listening experience in your studio. Keep in mind that the easiest way to take room acoustics out of the picture is a good pair of headphones. There will be zero reflected sound hitting your ears, with the left channel played directly to the left ear and the right channel to the right ear.
What is a speaker crossover?
This article explores some of the myths and facts about crossover design. It also discusses some of the mistakes often made by loudspeaker manufacturers done either as cost savings or design incompetence. It is our hope that the reader will gain a better understanding of the mechanics of loudspeaker crossovers so they can make a more informed purchasing decision. The loudspeaker crossover can be considered the brain of the loudspeaker. It directs the bandwidth of frequencies each driver is optimized to reproduce while it also level matches each driver and can help to stabilize the load impedance the amplifier will see. Without the loudspeaker crossover, a loudspeaker driver such as a tweeter can be overdriven which can lead to distortion and eventual failure. A loudspeaker system without a properly designed crossover or none at all can cause too much frequency overlap between drivers which can increase distortion and degrade overall sound quality.
JBL - Dividing Network - Instruction Manual OM22-3.pdf
Copyright: - Web master: Kirt Blatten berger ,. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web Internet was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity.
Myths & Facts about Loudspeaker Crossovers: Identifying Legitimately High Fidelity Designs
RELATED VIDEO: Multimedia speaker repair #doityourselfA loud speaker assembly capable of producing coherent sound with multiple driver, dynamic loud speakers is provided, which assembly is characterized by sonic frequencies of the mid-range and treble frequency bands being generated by wide dispersion, dynamic transducers which are free-air mounted within an accoustically transparent enclosure. The mounting of all of the transducers in the assembly is preferably coordinated as a function of the rise time characteristics of the transducers by positioning the transducers forwardly and rearwardly in the assembly along their radiating axes with respect to a listening area, in such manner that the sound waves generated by electrical signals simultaneously impressed upon the transducers will be simultaneously impinged upon a point in the listening area equidistant from the radiating axes of the transducers. Dahlquist, E. New York, N. Claffy Assistant ExaminerDouglas W. Basseches; Paula T.
US3824343A - Multiple driver dynamic loud speaker - Google Patents
Lansing Sound, Inc. If you cannot find the answer you need in published JBL literature or obtain it from your Audio Specialist, please write us. All JBL precision transducers are fully guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship. Be sure to fill out and mail the warranty card immediately. Unlike ordinary all-purpose networks, each JBL circuit is specifically engineered to match the characteristics of the JBL transducers with which it is used, and should not be connected to components for which it is not designed. If a dividing network is to fulfill its function without compromise, it must be able to handle extreme variations in dynamics, the full range of audio frequencies, complex transients, and the varying impedance of a loudspeaker load.
A small dimension low frequency loudspeaker has a folded exponential horn which provides a unitary curved sound path from an electroacoustic transducer at the throat of the horn to a volume into which sound is radiated at the mouth of the horn. An illustrative embodiment of the low frequency loudspeaker has an effective low end cut-off frequency of 55 Hz. A loudspeaker system, including a low frequency loudspeaker as well as midrange and high frequency loudspeakers and an LC crossover network, is also disclosed.
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