General Asylum: RE: Why NOT inline passive crossovers for bi-amping? by neolith General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

For Sale Ads FAQ / News / Events

Posted by neolith ( A ) on July 19, 2019 at 04:46:50

In Reply to: Why NOT inline passive crossovers for bi-amping? posted by thump on July 17, 2019 at 17:37:25:

A PLLXO can work wonders - it presents a non-varying impedance load to the preamp eliminating the need for Zobels and other tricks of the trade, and provides all the power benefits of line-level biamping. However there are some major drawbacks: 1) the crossover frequencies are dependent on the input and output impedances - change the amp or preamp and the PLLXO needs to be redesigned; 2) for practical reasons, the XO is limited to first-order which may not work with all drivers; 3) the insertion losses of the bass and treble filters need to be matched to the amplifiers so the overall gain of the both sections are the same - doable but must be designed and may limit one to using identical amps; 4) like all crossovers the crossover frequencies need to be designed for the specific speaker. Basically all these issues means that off-the-shelf modules are likely to be a disappointment. If you are serious about a PLLXO, then some electronics knowledge is needed to get it right. One other issue, if one goes to a line-level XO (active or passive), the speaker-level crossover needs to be disconnected and likely an extra set of input jacks added to the speaker. This requires some basic soldering skills and may effect the re-sale value of the speakers.
BTW, biamping at the speaker level is of limited value and IMO is not worth the cost of a second amp and cables.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Analog Engineering Associates

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---