What difference does the "order" make with x-overs


Hi all,
I notice that some speaker cross-overs (passive) are "1st order", "7th order", etc. What does this mean and is one better than the other? Why? Any suggested readings/sites for getting information about this or cross-over/designs in general?
Thanks and happy listening!
myraj

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

Your question has been pretty well answered above, so I won't elaborate except to add one point. As noted, the higher the "order" of the crossover, the more severe the roll-off. What was NOT mentioned is that as the "order" of the crossover goes up (say, from first order to second order), there is also a phase shift. The higher the "order", the greater the shift in phase. This can present a real problem to properly integrating the drivers. Thiel and Vandersteen both use first-order crossovers because their speakers are designed to be time and phase correct -- so, using a first-order crossover results in fewer complications with phase shift.