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Do Zu loudspeakers use crossovers To clarify, as there seems to be some confusion out there on the net. Network components or bandwidth limiting elements are not used on any of the full-range 10” drivers. Cable comes in and runs full bandwidth directly to the voicecoil. No inductors, resistors, capacitors, nothing. There is a high-pass network on the super-tweeter. Yes, Zu’s full-range drivers do exhibit aggressive high frequency attenuation starting at around 12k, but this is a function of the intrinsic behavior of the transducer which cannot be defined as a component within a crossover network.If a driver is running within its usable bandwidth without any network filtering or resistive influences, it’s low / high roll-off or slope (knee, also referred to it as phase angle—dynamic behavior of the transducer as resistive elements, i.e. mechanical, acoustic and electrical functions of the motor...), should not be referred to as a crossover function. The definition of a crossover as used in the audio lexicon, short for crossover network, must function as an isolated component and cannot require external reactive elements to complete it. A crossover network must perform the following functions: split a single input signal into at least two output signals, one output limiting bandwidth to the lower frequencies and the second output limiting bandwidth to the upper; having a “crossover" point between the two bands which will (hopefully) sum to zero attenuation. In a three-way crossover network you would have the addition of a band pass—one input signal, three output signals; low frequency band, mid band, high frequency band, with each crossing point between then summing to roughly zero. There is of course an acoustic crossing point between the super-tweeter and full-range driver, which can certainly be observed or described as an acoustic crossover since both sources have a common input signal, but the term crossover used in this way is attributive, not a definition of technology. |