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Amp-Crossover-Speaker connection quiz...

Ha! This old thread again ;)

Does it work? Yes it does.

How does it work? Not as easily answered.

If you don't believe that conventional bi or tri wiring can improve 'speaker performance then you'll struggle to see how this can work. The principle is similar though, just that the bi or tri wiring is done on the output side of the crossover.

Something else to consider; If you've ever played around with 0V layouts on a PXO and heard small layout changes making very audible changes, you may start to think that there really is something to be gained in using 'unusual' wiring schemes beyond the crossover itself. Good luck trying to find the answer by running simulations though!

@ mega lord; Yeah I did blow a NCC200 board and a tweeter while running this setup at high SPLs, though I'm not sure the wiring scheme was to blame. Les did say the NCC boards are stable with this wiring config so could have simply been another issue I'd missed at the time.

Mr Tibbs
 
I intend to repeat the test on my own system using a slightly less puny Sugden A21SE this weekend. It will be a bit of a lash up using 2.5mm twin and earth ´cos my present long single pairs of thin World Audio OFC cable cables go underfloor. More anon.
 
Hello Mr Tibbs.

Glad to see you have popped in and confirmed your views of 10 years ago. It is a wonderful upgrade for me and i am just annoyed i did not try it earlier as it has been on my to do list for years.

Thanks for reassuring me about the blown ncc and tweeter. I have been very carefully monitoring the heatsink temperature.

I have still to take my tweeters parallel inductor 0V return directly to the minicap ac side 0V spade and make it separate from the tweeters 0V return wire all the way back. More star earthiness and maybe another small improvement but that could be asking too much.

When i am building my new amps i will try and get the xover in the box but just worried about heat messing with the xover components response and other nasties.

Stu
 
James said:
I was only half-joking when I suggested ...
Click to expand...

Oh well i am going to do it anyway. Gives me something to do whilst i wait for my lovely Canterbury Windings transfomers to arrive :)

cant wait to get the xovers in my lovely new build amps about 3 or 4 inches from the amp boards.

Stu
 
Mr Tibbs said:
If you don't believe that conventional bi or tri wiring can improve 'speaker performance then you'll struggle to see how this can work. The principle is similar though, just that the bi or tri wiring is done on the output side of the crossover.

Mr Tibbs
Click to expand...

But surely that's how speakers are wired anyway? All drive units are connected by a single dedicated run to the crossover. The only difference is that the length of cable running to the crossover from the amp is shortened and the other, existing, cables are lengthened. If the difference is down to moving the return point closer to the amp then bi or tri-wiring will do exactly the same (but a few inches better).
 
Of late, I don't much believe in bi or tri-wiring, but I did once tri-amp my E-IIIRs. Each driver had its own separate filter and amplifier. On MF and HF duties was a Densen B-340 four-channel amp (60W x 4) and a pair of B-350 monos (125W) drove the LF.

When I reverted to just the monos, I wasn't struck by a reduction in fidelity or enjoyment. If anything, I thought everything sounded more coherent. Maybe it's because the B-350 is a bit better than the B-340. Who knows.

I still think there could be merit in an ultra low impedance path for the 0V to return to the amplifier. But, it becomes a vanishingly small return when I already have barely measurable resistance in my cables.
 
My Ncc is connected to my Audio Note NZ speakers (they allow for detaching midrange and tweeter Xo) via 8TC Kimber cable and again they sound better than bi-amped. Curioser and curioser!
 
Yesterday I tried this out on my own main system. Same results despite the lash up of joining the last few feet of my Xover to speaker cable. I would liken it to how I imagine a top level Zyger tip and mineral cantilever might transform my Expert Paratraced Troika. The noise floor has disappeared so apparent higher volume for same setting and oh so black silences between tracks. Listening to Joan Armatrading´s eponymous LP after having had it for how long, say 30 years ??! There are loads of guitar hooks, vibratos on keyboards etc. etc I had never heard. Cymble splashes last for ever but don´t grate. Try it if you can
 
This thread has gone quiet. I have taken some pics recently (does not happen very often) and so thought i would show how close i have got the crossover to the amp (approx 10cm of wire). It is all a bit messy at the moment as i experiment and try things out.

DSCF7302.JPG



DSCF7305.JPG


I have given the air cored inductor in parallel with the tweeter it's own 0V return to the AC side of the minicap along with the tweeters 0V return, the mid / bass 0V return and the transformer centre tap. This amp is going in to a much larger wooden case and so i will have a lot of scope to play about with layout and minimizing cross talk between inductors and other components.

Speakers have Avondale blacklink hardwired straight to the drivers. There is only one binding post connection on the back of the amp.

Sounds sweet to me !

Stu
 
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