That's not going to work, the input impedance of an amplifier is usually tens of thousands of ohms and crossovers are designed to work with speaker impedance, usually less than 10 ohms.
It would be sorta like hooking up a 50,000 ohm speaker to the crossover, the crossover point won't even be in the same solar system as it should be.
It would be sorta like hooking up a 50,000 ohm speaker to the crossover, the crossover point won't even be in the same solar system as it should be.
No because the impedances of the two arrangements are very different. With the existing high level position the capacitors and inductors will have values appropriate for the speakers. These are usually around 4 or 8 ohms. At line level they are often in the tens of thousand of ohms (10,000's). Now as the general level of impedance rises the values of the capacitors drops proportionately and the inductors rise by the same factor.
There are some threads about line level crossovers on this site.
Most are "active" involving filters designed around small IC op-amps but there are one or two threads using "passive" circuits.
Sounds like you may like to read up this area a bit more.
A good source of short articles on theory can be found at a site run by Rod Elliot. It is Elliot Sound Products (Sydney).
Googling ESP audio Sydney will bring it up.
He has many articles on audio and at least three on active systems.
That should be a helpful place to start.
Good luck. Cheers, Jonathan
There are some threads about line level crossovers on this site.
Most are "active" involving filters designed around small IC op-amps but there are one or two threads using "passive" circuits.
Sounds like you may like to read up this area a bit more.
A good source of short articles on theory can be found at a site run by Rod Elliot. It is Elliot Sound Products (Sydney).
Googling ESP audio Sydney will bring it up.
He has many articles on audio and at least three on active systems.
That should be a helpful place to start.
Good luck. Cheers, Jonathan
Threads merged. Please do not start the same thread in multiple forums. "Factory rebuilt MG 3's"
Well that sure was a conversation stopper brassnkeys! Ha ha.
Might need to get the planar/exotics people in on this one!
In fact if they (the MG 3's) are what I think they are you might get one of the moderators to move this thread from multi-way into the other "planar & exotic" section. People there may well have done what you are proposing. You'll need proper schematics or get the electrical or acoustic curves measured etc. Doable and fun but a serious job me thinks.....good luck.
But the earlier reservations about exchanging high level xcross overs for low level units still applies I'm afraid...
Jonathan
Well that sure was a conversation stopper brassnkeys! Ha ha.
Might need to get the planar/exotics people in on this one!
In fact if they (the MG 3's) are what I think they are you might get one of the moderators to move this thread from multi-way into the other "planar & exotic" section. People there may well have done what you are proposing. You'll need proper schematics or get the electrical or acoustic curves measured etc. Doable and fun but a serious job me thinks.....good luck.
But the earlier reservations about exchanging high level xcross overs for low level units still applies I'm afraid...
Jonathan
Nice Outcome
Since my 3a's were rebuilt at the factory (shipping damage) and the previous owner had painted the external crossover boxes there was information that I didn't have.
I found out today that the supplied crossovers have a built in ability to easily bi-amp.
The output from one amp goes into the Magnepan external crossover and then into the MG3a as normal set-up.
The amp chosen for mid-hi duty then goes DIRECTLY into the panel as there is the rest of the factory crossover inside the panel!
I'll try with tubes on the mid-hi side and then decide if I will pursue further.
BNK
Since my 3a's were rebuilt at the factory (shipping damage) and the previous owner had painted the external crossover boxes there was information that I didn't have.
I found out today that the supplied crossovers have a built in ability to easily bi-amp.
The output from one amp goes into the Magnepan external crossover and then into the MG3a as normal set-up.
The amp chosen for mid-hi duty then goes DIRECTLY into the panel as there is the rest of the factory crossover inside the panel!
I'll try with tubes on the mid-hi side and then decide if I will pursue further.
BNK
Jonathan,
Yes, I see what you are saying.
I did do an experiment today sending signal to a s.e.t. I have and using that to feed the mid/hi panels and leaving Adcom 555's the low panels.
2 things...
The s.e.t. doesn't have the power to properly drive through the loss of the crossover in the Maggies but...
the sound of the mid/hi is spectacular coming from the s.e.t.
Yes, I see what you are saying.
I did do an experiment today sending signal to a s.e.t. I have and using that to feed the mid/hi panels and leaving Adcom 555's the low panels.
2 things...
The s.e.t. doesn't have the power to properly drive through the loss of the crossover in the Maggies but...
the sound of the mid/hi is spectacular coming from the s.e.t.
Yes, well that is a plus. The cross over should not absorb too much power though. You obviously have serious/high quality speakers and they won't have scrimped on the crossover quality. I Googled a photo' btw and it is not an "el cheapo" unit by any means.......
You will probably need a BIGGER s.e.t ha ha!
I was speaking with a fellow Aussie yesterday and he is going to build a 4 way active valve amp' system. Output transformers that cover the full audio range are of necessity a compromise but when you band split the way he is you can optimise the building of them for each frequency band. Pretty high tech'.
But the inevitable domestic "fiscal cliff" will inhibit that sort of thing down my way.
You will probably need a BIGGER s.e.t ha ha!
I was speaking with a fellow Aussie yesterday and he is going to build a 4 way active valve amp' system. Output transformers that cover the full audio range are of necessity a compromise but when you band split the way he is you can optimise the building of them for each frequency band. Pretty high tech'.
But the inevitable domestic "fiscal cliff" will inhibit that sort of thing down my way.
Btw if you want to read up a bit more about this area there is a recent thread called "Active vrs passive" running in the multi-way forum and it has over 700 post and, if you'll excuse the expression, very 'active' at the moment. There is the inevitable "toing" and "froing" going on which is largely uninformative but if your prepared to wade through the rhetoric there will be good stuff too.
Hi bnk - email me at: redwood dot andrew at gmail dot com
I took my IIIas to 3-way active (replacing the internal XO as well as the external) and then moved on to a more extreme version of the IIIas (search the Planar Asylum archives for "Frankenpans"!
).So I can help you with what you want to do.
Regards,
Andy
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Not so, sorry. The internal XO is mid LP / ribbon HP ... so doing what you did, removes the (very necessary!) mid HP filter which is in the external XO box.
If you want to bi-amp - you need to go active and replace that external passive XO box with a 2-way active XO. But your SET is not going to cut it!
Regards,
Andy
Regards,
Andy
Consumption
You will probably need a BIGGER s.e.tha ha!
I was speaking with a fellow Aussie yesterday and he is going to build a 4 way active valve amp' system. Output transformers that cover the full audio range are of necessity a compromise but when you band split the way he is you can optimise the building of them for each frequency band. Pretty high tech'.
But the inevitable domestic "fiscal cliff" will inhibit that sort of thing down my way.[/QUOTE]
I think a giant s.e.t. would be the answer...
Right now I am feeding these panels with something in the neighborhood of 700 solid state each and they sound fantastic.
IMHO s.e.t.'s are the best sounding amps out there but 700 watt s.e.t.'s are not going to happen so....
BNK
You will probably need a BIGGER s.e.tha ha!
I was speaking with a fellow Aussie yesterday and he is going to build a 4 way active valve amp' system. Output transformers that cover the full audio range are of necessity a compromise but when you band split the way he is you can optimise the building of them for each frequency band. Pretty high tech'.
But the inevitable domestic "fiscal cliff" will inhibit that sort of thing down my way.[/QUOTE]
I think a giant s.e.t. would be the answer...
Right now I am feeding these panels with something in the neighborhood of 700 solid state each and they sound fantastic.
IMHO s.e.t.'s are the best sounding amps out there but 700 watt s.e.t.'s are not going to happen so....
BNK
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