I've
heard the question asked many times before, 'Do I really need a
crossover?' Without wasting any time I quickly answer, 'Yes you do'.
Whether it's a passive crossover or an active crossover, your car audio
system will never sound good without a crossover. I want to make myself
very clear here, so before you get confused let's talk about what a car
audio crossover is and why you need one.
A crossover is a filtering device which limits the
frequencies that reach a speaker. It splits a music signal into
separate frequency ranges and sends them to speakers that are designed
to best reproduce each frequency range. For instance, only high
frequencies would be sent to your tweeters, midrange to your mid range
speakers, and lows to your subwoofer.
The passive crossover is very common. It's
basically a capacitor or coil installed on the speaker leads between
amplifier and speaker that stops certain frequencies from reaching a
speaker. It's relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
But for your car stereo system to perform better
and be efficient, you need an active crossover, also referred to as an
electronic crossover. It is installed between your head unit or
equalizer and your amplifiers. Your electronic crossover sends the
proper frequency ranges to each amplifier. Some people run three
separate amps: one for bass, one for mids and the other for highs.
Active crossovers are almost infinitely
adjustable. You can vary the crossover points and adjust the level of
separate speakers to achieve the best overall sound in your vehicle.
If you're serious about sound you must have a car
audio crossover. Otherwise your system will sound terrible. Oh what a
mess it will be when your subwoofer and mid-range speakers duplicate
many of the same frequencies! How about when your mid-range speaker
attempts to put out high notes that your tweeters are supposed to
handle. Can you bear such grief? I can't.
And this is just the beginning of your sorrow and
pain. Since low frequencies are being sent to your tweeters there will
be distortion. As a result of this distortion your tweeters will be
destroyed. Loud bass will eventually destroy your mid-range speakers as
well. Now you've got to start from scratch and buy a new set of
speakers, all because you started on the wrong footing.
About the Author
Mantius Cazaubon is a successful author and
publisher of Car
Stereos Guide.com. A resource for information and tips on
buying car stereo and audio products online.
