~Using Passive Crossovers~

A passive crossover is a circuit that uses capacitors and/or coils and is placed on speaker leads between the amplifier and speaker. The crossover delegates a specific range of frequencies to the speaker for optimum driver performance. A crossover network can perform one or three functions: High-Pass (Capacitors), Low-Pass (Inductors or Coils), and Bandpass (Combination of capacitor and coil).

The most commonly used passive crossover networks are 6 dB/octave systems. These are easy to construct and require one component per filter. Placing this filter in series with the circuit will reduce power to the speaker by 6 dB/octave above or below the crossover point depending on whether it is a high-pass or low-pass filter. More complex systems such as 12 dB/octave or 18 dB/octave can cause impedance problems if not professionally designed.

Passive crossovers are directly dependent upon the speaker's impedance and component value for accuracy. When passive crossover compnents are used in multiple speaker systems, the crossover's effect on the overall impedance should be taken into consideration along with the speaker's impedance when determining amplifier loads.

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