Crossover Design

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I am looking for some simple, and free Software, that can show me the effect of a crossover.
Something to enter the crossover design and output what the design respose is.

I have tried one or two programs but they all need the speakers technical details and I am having problems getting my head round those and I don't want to buy kit to start measuring speakers, way too old for that!

I would like to draw a schematics and then be shown what the basic resulting response is.

Is there anything like this or can you use one of the available bits of software for this?:confused:

I am using, or looking to use Kef B200 1022, info available from Kef easily
Celestion HF1300 15 Ohm, no info, and then
Coles 4001 15 Ohm version, again cannot find info.

I am trying to see effect of crossover on the responses of the two high freq units. Don't think cabinets would have much effect as backs are not open.
 
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Hi,

This is cart before the horse territory. The programs you have looked at require the drivers because without that info, they can't tell you what effect a component will have. Here is a XO table for simple 2nd order or 12dB XO.

12 db Crossover Table

You'll note the value of the components for a desired XO frequency is dependant on the impedance. Impedance of every driver varies with the frequency so if you have a woofer that is nominal 8Ω, you may find that the impedance is much higher down at the resonant frequency, then it dips below the nominal impedance as the frequency goes up, and then rises again as the frequency continues to go up, maybe as high as 40Ω up near the end of it's useable range. You have to know what the impedance is at the frequency you wish to XO the driver because just plugging in the 8Ω figure will give you the wrong value of components unless you just happen to luck out and find the spot at which the driver is actually 8Ω. For accurate design, you need the graph which shows you what the impedance is at your chosen frequency.

Simple right?

Not on your life. There are so many other things to consider and many different types of components that may be used in an XO to correct, adjust or balance things things that we are really just scratching the surface with what's written above.

If you don't have the necessary info on the drivers you have to measure them or take them to someone who can do the measuring for you. You can sometime plug the model numbers of the drivers into the program and it may have the info in it's database.

EDIT: I just reread your post so you may want to pick and choose what you take from my post. I wasn't that careful first time around. :)
 
Thanks.
I know that crossover design is very much changed by using different drivers but there are also many designs for the same combination of drivers such as the HF1300s and Coles 4001, 2 or 3 B&Ws then the Spendors and very simple Xovers in my LNBs. I was more interested to look at those rather than start from scratch and also compare with the very simple design of the crossovers used to pair up the units in my speakers.

Would I hear the difference between them all? I am coming on for 60 and can still hear the output from the Coles!
 
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If you have Excel, load up Jeff Bagby's suite of programs. Passive Crossover Designer, Response Modeler, Woofer Box & Circuit Designer, and Baffle Difraction and Boundry Simulator jbagby
Jeff has great tutorials in these to help as well.

Also for a bit more help in getting started look here:http://https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/simulated-measurements
I can vouch for the accuracy of both, as can many others.
 
Read the sticky at the top of Multiway loudspeakers called Introduction to designing crossovers without measurement.
It does not have to be all that hard to make a decent crossover.
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One hint, Zoebel networks are definitely important, at least on woofs and mids.
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To use any effective software you will have to somehow get a hold of .frd and .zma files for your drivers

Dave
 
Right folks been doing some research and have come to the conclusion that some great minds have been designing Xovers for the Celestion HF1300 and Coles 4001, both high impedance models, and perhaps using one of these would be better than the basic one fitted to my Paralab 40s. looks like several silghtly different shaped hammers to crack the same nuts!

Does any one have an opinion as which sounded better treble wise, B&W DM 2a or 4 against Spendor BC1 or 3, must say the 2 Spendor Xovers are almost identical. Are there any other speakers I have missed?

I don't think I am ever going to be able to do a proper job designing a Xover myself as do not have the kit or the money to get the kit.

I have,hopefully, attached schematics of the crossovers in question, and await opinions, and suggestions, from those with much more knowledge and experience than me! :confused:
 

Attachments

  • BC3XO.jpg
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  • vintage_BC1_4_schematics.gif
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  • DM2A-TM.pdf
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  • DM4-TM(1).pdf
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