FIR processing for BASS possible ?

[Borat]

i understand that processing lower and lower frequencies using FIR requires more and more taps which at some point becomes unmanageable

but maybe there is a way to circumvent the issue ?

perhaps low-pass the signal first using a short ( few taps ) FIR filter, then downsample it to a lower rate and then run the low frequency FIR processing ?

can commercial units for example process subwoofers in linear phase fashion ?

 

[transphere]

Multirate processing is certainly possible (processing lower frequency bands on lower sampling rates). Using warped FIR's is also possible, having more frequency reolution for lower freqs.

 

[Borat]

so can you have lets say a 4-way system with lowest crossover point at 50 hz and equalization down to 10 hz done entirely using linear phase FIR ?

and can this be done in a PRACTICAL way ?

 

[transphere]

Both warped FIR filters and multirate processing are able to provide enough low frequency resolution on current dsp platforms, since both are basically optimisations of normal FIR filtering.

Practicallity of such a processing strategy will largely depend on available memory and processing power, which shouldn't be a problem on any of the current dsp platforms. Another factor is the maximum acceptable latency. Processing low frequencies with enough resolution will introduce significant latencies.

This is off course assuming you have a proper dsp platform and some dsp skills. I don't know if any solution available commercially uses these strategies and provides enough flexibility to be of use to crossover work.