Electronics For Active Loudspeakers

[sdclc126]

Hi All,

I just want to get some ideas for amps, x-overs, EQs, etc. for an active loudspeaker system.

I'm planning on building some speakers similar in design to the Linkwitz Phoenix, Orion, etc., but on a much smaller budget, with drivers bought off eBay, etc. (probably a/d/s/). This will be more of a biginner's experimental project, and I'm looking for good bang-for-the-buck rather than ultra high end.

I've seen a lot of options out there, such as Hypex (Adire Audio) and AudioSource amps, active XOs (Behringer et al), parametric EQs, and on and on. I'd really like to do "active equalization" also - using a mic w/ pink noise to make room corrections.

I guess I'm really looking for the simplest possible system with the highest features vs. # of components ratio, but that will do all the things mentioned here. If I read the Adire site correctly, the Hypex amps have variable x-overs built in, so this seems very attractive.

Lots of things to consider here - so thanks for any and all help!

[Cal Weldon]

What do you mean by active loudspeaker? Powered? Isn't that for woofer units? Like a plate amp.

If the Hypex amps have a built in crossover then it's like a built in biamp? Wouldn't you use it as the amp? I'm confused

I'm not familiar with active equalisation. Perhaps others can help you more.

Cal

[audio-kraut]

What do you mean by active loudspeaker? Powered?

No, a speaker with a workout program

Why, dear sdclc instaed of opening thread # 500267 re active speakers do you not make the effort and use the search function. Theres more in the history of this forum re: active xovers and speakers than you might ever want to know.

[RHosch]

I'd look at picking up a used 6 channel Rotel amp from ebay or audiogon (956 was one model, I believe). Add an analog behringer or dbx crossover and you have a pretty solid start. You won't have notch filters, dipole equalization, acoustic center alignment, etc. but then again it won't cost much money either.

[bzdang]

You can start with a couple of hand-me-down receivers or amps that friends likely have lying around, and a cheap computer sound card.

Instant Crossover Prototyping

[sdclc126]

Originally posted by audio-kraut


No, a speaker with a workout program

Why, dear sdclc instaed of opening thread # 500267 re active speakers do you not make the effort and use the search function. Theres more in the history of this forum re: active xovers and speakers than you might ever want to know.

1) Why do you assume I DIDN'T search other threads?

2) Subjects are "repeated" all the time in this forum - there may be enough information on it already for anyone to find what they're looking for without ever opening a new thread - then the forum would "die" - no one would ever start a new thread. But we do anyway, because we enjoy talking to eachother and sharing our experience, even if we've shared the same knowledge in the past. And, there's always something fresh and current going on, with updated perspectives, and that is why new threads on "old" subjects are started.

[bzdang]

I find it very time consuming to search for information in old threads here, as search results go only to the thread level. It's a daunting task to look through a thread with 400 posts to find the keyword that you just searched on. Some kind of search enhancement would make the wealth of information more accessible and prevent us weeds from irritating the trees.
btw, welcome to the forum

[sdclc126]

Originally posted by bzdang
I find it very time consuming to search for information in old threads here, as search results go only to the thread level. It's a daunting task to look through a thread with 400 posts to find the keyword that you just searched on. Some kind of search enhancement would make the wealth of information more accessible and prevent us weeds from irritating the trees.
btw, welcome to the forum

Thanks - I agree 100%!!

[sdclc126]

Originally posted by RHosch
I'd look at picking up a used 6 channel Rotel amp from ebay or audiogon (956 was one model, I believe). Add an analog behringer or dbx crossover and you have a pretty solid start. You won't have notch filters, dipole equalization, acoustic center alignment, etc. but then again it won't cost much money either.

Ah this is great stuff - thanks - here's where my amateur ranking comes in - I know next to nothing about x-overs. Would you please tell me more about these terms? What is dipole eq? What do notch filters do? And I've never heard of acoustic center alignment!

[joensd]

good bang-for-the-buck rather than ultra high end

The Behringer CX-2310 comes to my mind (which I happily just bought).
More flexibility than a simple DIY-XO and the price is hardly more expensive than a selfmade XO incl. case/transformer and all.
(quite hard to beat actually)

Mind you the CX-2310 is a 2-way stereo+mono sub so if you´d decide on a 3-way you´d have to take the model above (CX-3410?).
Plus you get a subwoofer mono output on both models so don´t need a plate amp if you decide for a sub later.