Crossover Components: How much does it REALLY matter?

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Hmm....Well I'm just looking for a little bit of bass. Not necessarily audiophile standards. I am using a separate amplifier for the subwoofer. Bridged LM4780.

Perfect!
Incorporate your intended 80Hz low pass into the subwoofer amplifier. When you do it at the signal level, you don't have to worry about wildly fluctuating impedances and the component sizes are much, much, much, smaller!
They have inline passive filters you might be interested in.
 
I'm personally liking the preamp board because it may help me correct the errors I may make while trying to put together a sub box. Again, I think I'll just get the sophomores over with first. I'd like to hear them first...

However, since I do like to watch movies and play games, some true deep bass really means a lot.

Thanks.

Here is a website that will interest you. They have a discussion forum dedicated to subwoofers.
The Subwoofer DIY Page - Audio Links
 
In my opinion, PASSIVE Low Pass filters (crossover) for subwoofers are horrific.

A little harsh perhaps? Using pre-built units may be a little hopeful...but when a passive crossover is done the right way there is very little to complain about.

If you want to achieve true audio nirvana and get theoretical low bass, you have to build it big

Using 8" subwoofers, and maybe a little EQ, you can get response down to the twenties at reasoanble levels in a typical room, but this does tend to depend on your interpretation of 'reasonable levels'.
 
A little harsh perhaps? Using pre-built units may be a little hopeful...but when a passive crossover is done the right way there is very little to complain about.

I've never heard a passive crossover for a subwoofer that sounded any good to my ears. Too much insertion loss and unpredictable frequency response.
A passive line level approach would be more effective and cheaper to boot.

Using 8" subwoofers, and maybe a little EQ, you can get response down to the twenties at reasoanble levels in a typical room, but this does tend to depend on your interpretation of 'reasonable levels'.

More like a lot of EQ.
Regardless of the woofer size, if you want low twenties Hertz you still need a large enclosure, either that or a heck of a lot of power!
Some guy from Australia (Paul Sechi) was modeling double chamber reflex enclosures, he was able to get twenties Hertz with a 6 inch woofer, but the enclosure was refrigerator sized!
 
I've never heard a passive crossover for a subwoofer that sounded any good to my ears.

You may, one day. ...Insertion loss? Turn it up. Bad response? Room modes. Line level won't fix that, neither will passive.

refrigerator sized!

I've been there, but more recently I used three 8" subs in 17 litre (0.6' ^3) boxes in a 2500' ^3 room. f3 was 28Hz (some EQ was used, mainly for room modes). Clean output at levels where you needed to speak up to hear each other.
 
You may, one day. ...Insertion loss? Turn it up. Bad response? Room modes. Line level won't fix that, neither will passive.

Much easier to trim and tweak a line level passive than a full size passive. Passive line level costs way less. How much does a few small 1/4 watt resistors cost anyway? I already have drawers full of hundreds of small resistors and capacitors.
Significant series resistance is no good for your bass alignment either. Huge inductors if they are any good, aren't cheap!
No fun either trying to unwind your inductor to some in between or non standard value.
 
Did anyone look at that preamp board from eBay on had on the page before. There's zero documentation on it. I did order it, but mostly because I needed a stereo --> 1 mono board + preamp. The potentiometers are like EQs?

So anyone know how to calculate line level?

Anyone want to defend the crossover?
 
Did anyone look at that preamp board from eBay
There has to be some documentation with it 😕

About the controls, we could assume one has to be the sub level. One may be the sub crossover frequency. It claims to have adjustable phase so we could assume one does that.

The fourth control could be any one of: overall level, high pass crossover frequency, mains phase, mains level.

So anyone know how to calculate line level?
This is not a hard and fast thing. Typically it is around 2Vpeak max. Sometimes higher, often lower.

Anyone want to defend the crossover?
The prebuilt one?? No.
 
So would I need a crossover at all if I used this preamp board thing?

With a subwoofer, you should always use a crossover, if there is no crossover then technically it is no longer truly a subwoofer. You need some kind of network to filter out the higher frequencies.
But I'm personally against large passive crossovers. My opinion is that line level active first, if not that, then line level passive.
 
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Oh alright then.

So suggestions on where to get starting building this line level crossover?

I don't know a clue about them. Never build speakers with a sub in them. In fact, these Sophomores are the first speakers I'll be using with crossovers.
 
Oh alright then.

So suggestions on where to get starting building this line level crossover?

I don't know a clue about them. Never build speakers with a sub in them. In fact, these Sophomores are the first speakers I'll be using with crossovers.

Here are some links, but I've got the feeling that it's way over your head.

TLS.org | Passive Line-Level Crossover
Crossove_Design
Low-pass filter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What you need is a subwoofer amplifier that has the crossover already built in, very typical of almost all subwoofer plate amps.
 
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