XO vs power handling - Noob question

HogieWan · 7th December 2005, 12:53 AM

I'm sure this has been discussed here somewhere, but I haven't found it.

I'm designing some speakers for the first time. I hve some grasp on electronics, but I'm no expert. I will have 100W (RMS) going to the speaker. I'm thinking it's going to be a 3 way. I have a feeling that the tweeter won't need to handle as much wattage as the woofer. How do I figure out how much each component will recieve?

Cal Weldon · 7th December 2005, 02:01 AM

Hi Hogiewan,

It might be easier if you let us know what you're designing and let us help from there. There are a lot of factors concerning XO point and slope that it's tough to answer your question accurately. What drivers and configuration are you planning to use?

HogieWan · 7th December 2005, 02:38 AM

I'm just trying to understand some of the thory before I go any further - so no divers selected yet.

I'm just wondering what kind max power I can expect after splittin the signal via 1st order crossovers. Is there an equation somewhere?

sreten · 7th December 2005, 11:10 AM

Hi HW,

save yourself a lot of headscratching and build this :

http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_fi...a/lyramain.htm

P.S. its impossible to build a decent 3 way with simple 1st order c/o's.

/sreten.

HogieWan · 7th December 2005, 02:06 PM

I know the whole range can't be covered with a 3 way with 1 order xo's. but I just want some explaination on wattage after the crossovers

sreten · 7th December 2005, 02:55 PM

Hi Hw,

generally for a 100W speaker the midrange would be 20 to 30
continuous watts RMS and the tweeter 10 to 15 continuous
watts RMS, though you can get away with much less - and
many cheap speakers do. I'd say half the above values is
as low as its sensible to go.

/sreten.

HogieWan · 7th December 2005, 03:00 PM

Well, let me explain my end goal.

I'd like a 3-way box with 5" woofers (possibly 5" mids for aesthetics) that will get me low enough to let a sub take over. These will be used for Home Theatre as well as musical reproduction. The room they will be in is quite small. I plan on building a box that will sit in a corner because there is no room to space them far enough for the side walls.

I want to design and build the main pair and hang them. Then, I'll make the sub, then add the center and rear pair. This is a long term project as I plan to learn a lot before pruchasing anything. I would like the best speakers possible, but (as always) price is a huge factor and must be kept lowish.

I appreciate any help. And like I said, I'd appreciate links to theory instead of a step by step build project.

Thanks

HogieWan · 7th December 2005, 03:08 PM

sretan - thanks for the help. Is there any mathmatical equation that will tell me exactly how much power is in each after splitting with a xo?

Also, if there is ~10W going to highs, ~20W going to mids, is ther ~70W going to the lows?

Thanks

sreten · 7th December 2005, 03:13 PM

The simple answer is no there isn't.

Signals to each band depend on the waveform of the music track.

/sreten.

HogieWan · 7th December 2005, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sreten
The simple answer is no there isn't.

Signals to each band depend on the waveform of the music track.

/sreten.

Well, there's got to be a theoretical maximum. What if the signal was pink noise?

7th December 2005, 12:53 AM	#1
HogieWan diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA	XO vs power handling - Noob question I'm sure this has been discussed here somewhere, but I haven't found it. I'm designing some speakers for the first time. I hve some grasp on electronics, but I'm no expert. I will have 100W (RMS) going to the speaker. I'm thinking it's going to be a 3 way. I have a feeling that the tweeter won't need to handle as much wattage as the woofer. How do I figure out how much each component will recieve?

7th December 2005, 02:01 AM	#2
Cal Weldon Speakerholic diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: British Columbia	Hi Hogiewan, It might be easier if you let us know what you're designing and let us help from there. There are a lot of factors concerning XO point and slope that it's tough to answer your question accurately. What drivers and configuration are you planning to use? __________________ Next stop: Margaritaville Some of Cal's stuff \| Cal Weldon Consulting

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7th December 2005, 02:38 AM	#3
HogieWan diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA	I'm just trying to understand some of the thory before I go any further - so no divers selected yet. I'm just wondering what kind max power I can expect after splittin the signal via 1st order crossovers. Is there an equation somewhere?

7th December 2005, 11:10 AM	#4
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Hi HW, save yourself a lot of headscratching and build this : http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_fi...a/lyramain.htm P.S. its impossible to build a decent 3 way with simple 1st order c/o's. /sreten.

7th December 2005, 02:06 PM	#5
HogieWan diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA	I know the whole range can't be covered with a 3 way with 1 order xo's. but I just want some explaination on wattage after the crossovers

7th December 2005, 02:55 PM	#6
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Hi Hw, generally for a 100W speaker the midrange would be 20 to 30 continuous watts RMS and the tweeter 10 to 15 continuous watts RMS, though you can get away with much less - and many cheap speakers do. I'd say half the above values is as low as its sensible to go. /sreten.

7th December 2005, 03:00 PM	#7
HogieWan diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA	Well, let me explain my end goal. I'd like a 3-way box with 5" woofers (possibly 5" mids for aesthetics) that will get me low enough to let a sub take over. These will be used for Home Theatre as well as musical reproduction. The room they will be in is quite small. I plan on building a box that will sit in a corner because there is no room to space them far enough for the side walls. I want to design and build the main pair and hang them. Then, I'll make the sub, then add the center and rear pair. This is a long term project as I plan to learn a lot before pruchasing anything. I would like the best speakers possible, but (as always) price is a huge factor and must be kept lowish. I appreciate any help. And like I said, I'd appreciate links to theory instead of a step by step build project. Thanks

7th December 2005, 03:08 PM	#8
HogieWan diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA	sretan - thanks for the help. Is there any mathmatical equation that will tell me exactly how much power is in each after splitting with a xo? Also, if there is ~10W going to highs, ~20W going to mids, is ther ~70W going to the lows? Thanks

7th December 2005, 03:13 PM	#9
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	The simple answer is no there isn't. Signals to each band depend on the waveform of the music track. /sreten.

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