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Crossovers Crossovers are one of the most important fundamentals in a speaker system, next to the speakers themselves. They filter the high and low frequencies(in 2-way systems) and sometimes they also separate the midrange area(in 3-way speakers). 2-way Crossovers : This type of crossover divides the incoming sound signal into two frequency ranges, the bass and treble. It directs the lower half of the frequency(bass) to the woofer and the upper half (treble) into the tweeter. 3-way Crossovers : Here, the incoming sound signal is divided into 3 portions, the bass, midrange, and treble. Again, the lower third of the frequency(bass) is directed to the woofer, the middle third is directed to the midrange driver, and the upper third of the frequency(treble) is directed to the tweeter. 3-way systems offer a more accurate soundstage than their 2-way cousins because, woofers can only go so high, and tweeters can only go so low. There is usually a gap in the critical midrange area. Subwoofers also have crossover systems, but these crossovers are not as complex because it only has to filter in the very low frequencies. But since it does not allow any high frequencies to escape to any other drivers, this type of crossover is usually called a cutoff-crossover, meaning that it only cuts off the midrange and high areas of the sound signal. There are many types of crossover configurations(differences in circuitry) which offer more or less accuracy. Surprisingly, most of the Brand name speakers out today (Polk, JBL, etc.) are only equipped with the simplest crossover configuration available, the 1st order configuration. The output from these crossovers are highly inaccurate because they do not separate the frequencies precisely, causing many leaks and gaps to appear in the soundstage. This causes frequency overlapping, when woofers and tweeters try to produce the same frequencies. If crossover configurations are specified, go for the 2nd or 3rd order crossovers.
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