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Crossover

The filter system that hands work from one driver to another.

Basic Crossovers & filters 1 min read
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Why it matters

Most drivers only behave well over part of the audio range. A woofer handles bass and mids. A tweeter handles high frequencies. The crossover decides how the work is shared.

A good crossover protects drivers, shapes tonal balance, controls overlap, and helps the drivers sum cleanly.

How it works

A crossover uses filters. A low-pass filter reduces high frequencies going to a woofer. A high-pass filter reduces low frequencies going to a tweeter.

The acoustic result is what matters. The driver response, baffle, box, impedance, and filter parts all combine. A second-order electrical filter is not automatically a second-order acoustic result.

Common mistakes

Simple example

Phase Phase describes timing between waveforms. Around a crossover, poor phase alignment can make two drivers cancel instead of sum. Impedance Impedance is the electrical load the amplifier sees. It changes with frequency, so a speaker marked 8 ohms is not 8 ohms everywhere. Frequency response Frequency response shows how loud a speaker is at each frequency. It helps reveal balance, crossover behavior, box tuning, and room problems.

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