Center Channle Crossover...

[Cartoman]

I've always wanted to get a better center speaker, but it costs alot for good factory ones. I've been looking at some speakers, and it's already a $300 dollar progect with thoose alone. My main problem is, i don't know how i am going to get a crossover for this, the only thing i've ever done with one is adjust the active one on my sub. amp. Would a PA active crossover work?

I haven't fully decided what i'm going to use for speakers...but heres some i would like to use.

Tang Band W6-1721 6-1/2" Underhung Midbass Driver (http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=264-874)(two of these)

Eminence LA6-CBMR 6-1/2" Sealed Back Mid Line Array Series (http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=290-542)

Heavy Duty Titanium Super Tweeter TW47 (http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=270-135)

Think it would be better to go with 3 speakers instead of 4 by crossing out one of thoose woofers?

[Max_Andrews]

A proven design is the way to go for you my good sir!
Curt's statements center channel is at the top of the heap: http://www.geocities.com/cc00541/Statements_Center_Channel.html It's about $300 for the parts, but sounds as good as something that costs $1000+ (so I hear).

THere are also tons of cheaper projects out there that will also sound great.
What are your main speakers?

Roman's 2.5-way MTM would also work:
http://www.rjbaudio.com/RS180MTM/rs180-rs28-mtm.html

That will cost under $200

[Cartoman]

Why thank you. My front channles are JBL TLX-181's. My center channnle that I have right now is a tiny little jensen. I will look at thoose and give you an idea of what i think. I'm looking for somthing that is deffinantly full range, and i don't care if the box ends up being massive itself. I want real life sound that is ear pierceing.

I have no idea how to do a crossover though!

[Cartoman]

I choose my driver selection on the means of the highest SPL, should i not worry about that?

Will these other fine speakers be able to handle very high level abuse of an idiot? I'd like one that can take massive abuse. I probably don't have the power in my center channle to power my selections though.

I will deffinantly consider Curt's Statement though, it is a nice speaker. Mine will probably roll up in smoke!:D

[johnastockman]

Why thank you. My front channles are JBL TLX-181's. My center channnle that I have right now is a tiny little jensen. I will look at thoose and give you an idea of what i think. I'm looking for somthing that is deffinantly full range, and i don't care if the box ends up being massive itself. I want real life sound that is ear pierceing.

I have no idea how to do a crossover though!


With your admission of not knowing about XO designing (I'm right there with ya!), then building a proven design is your path to superior sound quality (SQ). There is so much more to it than matching SPL, impedance and stated frequency range. Picking efficient drivers without a proper XO design will net you a harsh, shrill sound that will give you ear fatigue in short order. If you don't have any issues with size, look at this one:

http://www.parts-express.com/projectshowcase/indexn.cfm?project=UniCC

I'm not positive, but it might be able to handle more power than similar MTM center designs. Curt could give you a more experienced answer to that. Of course, if you're cranking it up loud and it starts to sound distorted, that's your cue to back it down a bit. No speaker will be able to handle a loud, clipped, distorted signal for very long, no matter what drivers you use.

John A.

[Cartoman]

Thank you. Yeah, i know it sounds stupid, like i'm trying to hurt my center, but it needs to able to stand out and hold it's own. Soo much of the sound goes through the center channle, and smaller chenters just don't seem to do it. I love listening to the really expensive ones because they are so LOUD and PRECISE, it's not muffled or cut out. It actually sounds like the person is talking. Then there are other parts were the fronts and sub are not suppose to play, and it's all up to the center channle to shine...my current one just annoys me.

I've tried looking at different diagrams and it's not hard to see what goes where, I just don't know how somebody would know what to use, and where to put it.

Is there any really nice (Free) software I could download so it can tell me what i need where? Most of this stuff you can't really fully understand until you've taken a corse or two on it, and have mastered calculus.

I really want to use the highest sensitivity drivers i can, but how important is it to make sure that the drivers are "Matched", and what aspects of the drivers should be matched. Ohms, SPL, brand?

[johnastockman]

Thank you. Yeah, i know it sounds stupid, like i'm trying to hurt my center, but it needs to able to stand out and hold it's own. Soo much of the sound goes through the center channle, and smaller chenters just don't seem to do it. I love listening to the really expensive ones because they are so LOUD and PRECISE, it's not muffled or cut out. It actually sounds like the person is talking. Then there are other parts were the fronts and sub are not suppose to play, and it's all up to the center channle to shine...my current one just annoys me.

I've tried looking at different diagrams and it's not hard to see what goes where, I just don't know how somebody would know what to use, and where to put it.

Is there any really nice (Free) software I could download so it can tell me what i need where? Most of this stuff you can't really fully understand until you've taken a corse or two on it, and have mastered calculus.

I really want to use the highest sensitivity drivers i can, but how important is it to make sure that the drivers are "Matched", and what aspects of the drivers should be matched. Ohms, SPL, brand?


The what to use and where to put it comes with experience and a certain learning curve. You can't match up drivers based on brand, ohms, SPL, or published frequency response. There are too many variables at work. Here's a program that uses measured data to help with XO design, so it takes into account the varying parameters:

http://audio.claub.net/software/jbagby.html

No college courses, no calculus, just some time to learn how the program works and what it's capable of. Some of the talented folks here use it, so help is available. There's also a good tutorial, but I don't have the url. There was a thread a few days ago about using some of those tools to design speaker and, IIRC, another one last week about matching drivers.

John A.

[Mark65]

I'll second what John is saying here. Picking drivers based on sensitivity is probably not the best way to do things, as a very sensitive driver is just that....sensitive. That means that you'll be hearing everything put out by your amp, including noise. Phil Arcario got rid of some highly sensitive speakers that he had because they hissed.

I built a CC using some buyout midwoofs that I had laying around, along with a silkie.

Check it out here

I have a cheapie CC like you do, and I run that about 6dB down from my mains. The one that I built has to be run 10dB down, and the mains turned up 3dB, to get the same integration, so output is not an issue. I designed the xo in PCD, and I'm a relative newb, and not all that bright when it comes to this stuff, so it's not that hard.

I guarantee that Curt's and Roman's designs are WAY better than mine, though. I'm just saying that you can do it, if you want to.


Mark