Thanks @holmz for your response.
If you look at my system page you will see Aerial LR5s as main speakers, plus two Aerial SW12 subs. The LR5s use two 9-inch LF drivers in a sealed box. Acoustic suspension (i.e., sealed box) speakers can provide better controlled bass response with less distortion than bass reflex (i.e., ported) speakers, but they also tend to roll-off more slowly below their -3dB point. The LR5s are supposed to be pretty solid down to about 40 Hz and they actually sound pretty good rolled into the subs that way.
I have been curious about whether relieving the main amplifiers and speakers of trying to reproduce the very lowest bass in the roll-off zone would provide any sonic benefit. I could also accomplish that by using the crossovers built into the SW12 subs, but it would require using two runs of much longer balanced cables. Michael Kelly at Aerial told me simply letting the LR5s roll-off naturally and then rolling in the subs at a relatively low frequency would be a better approach, so that is what I have done to this point. Fortunately, since the subs also have remote controls, I can dial them up or down for certain listening levels and source materials. Since I have no issues with what I am hearing now, trying HP crossovers would be mostly to satisfy my curiosity.
I like the simplicity of the single value, in-line, crossovers sold by Vandersteen, but would rather cut-off the LR5s somewhere below 100 Hz. I am curious what makes Vandersteen's passive crossovers so different, so much better, and so expensive, given that Shure sells one for $56, or $40 on Amazon?
If you look at my system page you will see Aerial LR5s as main speakers, plus two Aerial SW12 subs. The LR5s use two 9-inch LF drivers in a sealed box. Acoustic suspension (i.e., sealed box) speakers can provide better controlled bass response with less distortion than bass reflex (i.e., ported) speakers, but they also tend to roll-off more slowly below their -3dB point. The LR5s are supposed to be pretty solid down to about 40 Hz and they actually sound pretty good rolled into the subs that way.
I have been curious about whether relieving the main amplifiers and speakers of trying to reproduce the very lowest bass in the roll-off zone would provide any sonic benefit. I could also accomplish that by using the crossovers built into the SW12 subs, but it would require using two runs of much longer balanced cables. Michael Kelly at Aerial told me simply letting the LR5s roll-off naturally and then rolling in the subs at a relatively low frequency would be a better approach, so that is what I have done to this point. Fortunately, since the subs also have remote controls, I can dial them up or down for certain listening levels and source materials. Since I have no issues with what I am hearing now, trying HP crossovers would be mostly to satisfy my curiosity.
I like the simplicity of the single value, in-line, crossovers sold by Vandersteen, but would rather cut-off the LR5s somewhere below 100 Hz. I am curious what makes Vandersteen's passive crossovers so different, so much better, and so expensive, given that Shure sells one for $56, or $40 on Amazon?