Do all passive FR speakers have a crossover?

[goodwill559]

OK, now to actually answer the original question: Do all passive FR speakers have a crossover?

Due to the electrical characteristics of loudspeakers, it is possible to select drivers that have response curves such that most crossover components can be eliminated. Most inexpensive commercial speakers are designed exactly this way, using only a cap on the tweeter to protect it from burning up.

The practical question then becomes: Can such a system be FRFR?

There are speaker enthusiasts devoted to such a goal, but it's not something I have looked into.

I'm too busy hijacking threads! :twisted:

 

[Jay Mitchell]

Due to the electrical characteristics of loudspeakers, it is possible to select drivers that have response curves such that most crossover components can be eliminated.

There are multiple ways to implement a crossover. Not all of them involve multiple electronic components.

Most inexpensive commercial speakers are designed exactly this way, using only a cap on the tweeter to protect it from burning up.

That is a crossover.

The practical question then becomes: Can such a system be FRFR?

Yes.

 

[goodwill559]

Due to the electrical characteristics of loudspeakers, it is possible to select drivers that have response curves such that most crossover components can be eliminated.

There are multiple ways to implement a crossover. Not all of them involve multiple electronic components.

Most inexpensive commercial speakers are designed exactly this way, using only a cap on the tweeter to protect it from burning up.

That is a crossover.

[quote:23z25r8c]The practical question then becomes: Can such a system be FRFR?

Yes.[/quote:23z25r8c]

This is intriguing, however google searches for "crossoverless" speaker systems yeild results such as single, full-range driver speaker designs, or descriptions of mechanical crossovers, i.e., whizzers and dust caps used as high frequency drivers.

In the past, I've read about 4th order bandpass enclosures and tapped horns, examples of non-electronic filters, but I haven't been able to locate resources regarding FRFR multiple driver non-electrical crossover speaker system designs.

Can you point me in that direction?

 

[Jay Mitchell]

This is intriguing, however google searches for "crossoverless" speaker systems yeild results such as single, full-range driver speaker designs, or descriptions of mechanical crossovers, i.e., whizzers and dust caps used as high frequency drivers.

The design you referenced - a capacitor in series with the HF element - is not a "crossoverless" design. In case this is not clear, I did not say that a system with no crossover can function as an FRFR system. In fact, I said exactly the opposite.

I'm not interested in going into non-electrical filters in depth here. I'll only say that they exist and that they can be quite useful.

 

[goodwill559]

This is intriguing, however google searches for "crossoverless" speaker systems yeild results such as single, full-range driver speaker designs, or descriptions of mechanical crossovers, i.e., whizzers and dust caps used as high frequency drivers.

The design you referenced - a capacitor in series with the HF element - is not a "crossoverless" design. In case this is not clear, I did not say that a system with no crossover can function as an FRFR system. In fact, I said exactly the opposite.

I'm not interested in going into non-electrical filters in depth here. I'll only say that they exist and that they can be quite useful.

You're right; I did reference a design involving a crossover. Hence, your affirmative answer to my question of whether "such a system" could be FRFR was in response to said system and not to the implied system of a crossoverless design. Sorry for the muddy communication.

So, a crossover, whether electrical or otherwise, is necessary for an FRFR multidriver system.