Using 2 gainclones to create powered speakers.

[haziz]

Sorry. I am newbie at this, so excuse me if the question appears too basic.

Crossovers seem to be a factor in the lack of efficiency of speakers. Why can't someone create a preamp/active crossover that would then feed 2 (for a 2 way speaker) or 3 gainclone amps (for a 3 way) that would then directly drive the speaker’s drivers without any passive crossovers?

Some experimentation may need to be made to achieve proper balance between the drivers, but the gainclone appears to be an ideal candidate for creating powered speakers sans crossovers.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Hany.

[Sonusthree]

Hi Hany and welcome to the forum,
Yes I agree it's a great idea and is quite common. They are called active speakers. Try a quick site search on active speakers and active crossovers and you should get a ton of useful stuff.

Best Regards,
Martin.

[Nuuk]

Hany, you are quite right, the chip amp is an ideal part of an active speaker system. You can read about one such system here .

And another one here .

[Fenris]

Alesis made a number of these modules. 8th order active XO with HF and subsonic filters. I'm using seven right now for various things. I also made my own 4th order 5 way XO for a friend (with 15 GCs), a 5 way 8th order for my home theater (also with 15 GCs), a two way second order for my guitar amp, and a three way fourth order for a set of line arrays.

Passive filters aren't that inefficient, they just have to deal with varying impedance and electromechanical responses that reduce their linearity.

[yusuf]

External noise could be an issue to tackle in active speakers. Output of preamplifier is typically very low (say few hundred milivolt) and will be more susceptible to noise compared to amplifier out. This might not be an issue when preamp and amp are in close proximity but in case of speakers where disstance is large, I see some problem.

[Fenris]

You don't need to put the amps in the same box as the speakers (I never do). Just have an active crossover and amp by your source. It means more wires running to the speakers, but I like the Neutrik multi-pole quick connects to make connection quick, secure, and idiot proof. If cost is a factor, inexpensive bannana plugs and jacks work well, just don't cross-connect the tweeters and woofers!