Why aren't component active XOs more popular?

I am using an active crossover for my InnerSound EROS MKII
speakers and I like it bunches.

Who says they aren't popular? The reason you don't see many is once you have one in your system--You are not going to give it up! Occassionaly you will see one and they sell fast. For me the greatest single improvement was going from a passive bi-amp system to an electronically XO system. There are some caveats: With 3-way electronically XO's, (ie tweeter, mid & bass), there is a much higher probability of blowing tweeters (in my 3-way system I have blown 2 sets of tweeters in the last 5 years--and both times I did something stupid); then there's the hassle of 3 amps and the clutter of that much more cables and wires. But the sound makes it worth it IMHO. Marchand has wonderful kits for electronic XO's. You do have to set levels but this also gives you the flexibility to make it sound the way YOU like it. The other beautiful thing, is it frees up your tube amp to do the things they do best and allows you to use a solid state amp to do the grunt work of bass. And one more thing: If you are building your own speakers, designing a passive cross-over is extremely difficult. You can buy software or have someone do it for you (recommended if you must go passive) but by the time you buy first rate components, you probably could have bought an electronic XO and I think the electronic XO will sound better!

Again, I remind people that a major advantage of electronic crossovers is to reduce the power amplifier power requirement, and to avoid IM distortion. Both of these advantages have become less important with the advent of solid state power amps. For those who still use tube power amps, tube crossovers are available (for example from Marchand).

With old style tube amps the improvement with an electronic crossover is dramatic. With modern solid state amps the improvement is less, being related only to avoiding the problems of the passive crossover.

Suit-me with all due respect my wording in my post good have been more clear. I have limited knowlege when it comes to X-over but I am open to learning. I realize there are some speakers that would be diffacult to go active with and could be far to much trouble in the end. But I would think that a good many it would benifit if done properly which at times can be a tiresome task but worth it. The speakers you gave examples of are fine speakers indeed but you didn't give an example of a speaker that you heard in passive and then active and that was my question. I have heard 3 in active but only 1 did i hear it in both modes and that was Magenpan MG IIIa which are very simular to mine and is the reason why I am going to active it has made a very noticeable differance in my friends system. He used to have a set of Dal. DQ 10 in active and as a 5 way speaker I would think not easy to set up as he set it up as a 4 way and sounded pretty good as I used to own a pair of stock ones. I am some what Dollar challenged because of a disability and have a fixed income. Most of my system is older used but desent gear and I am just looking to get the best out of what I have. As I have extra gear (don't we all)my only needed gear was a X-over.For now the ribbon will be kept on passive but upgraded. I will upgrsde my amps when funds allow (tube or class A ss)for the top. But back to the thread as someone else said you don't see x-overs for sale often becuase people just don't part with them. I've been looking for a while for a desent one i could afford. I found the Marchand XM 44 up here in Canada for $ 400.US. I seen your thread on AA resently about going active with a sub. Interesting read, Thanks for your thoughts. benie

>But I would think that a good many it would benifit if done properly which at times can be a tiresome task but worth it. The speakers you gave examples of are fine speakers indeed but you didn't give an example of a speaker that you heard in passive and then active and that was my question

I have heard the Innersounds (and others) with active crossovers which sounded great, although I didn't hear the same speakers passively crossed over. So I cannot answer your question. But I do not wish to hear Vandie 2Ce Sigs actively crossed over, for example, because I don't think it would make sense.

I did not say that active crossovers don't have advantages, if I remember earlier posts of mine correctly without re-reading. I said they are not more popular because active crossovers can be all wrong for a given design or for a given price point. (My opinion would be different for active crossovers used for subs, because passive crossovers are much harder to implement well at low frequencies for a lot of reasons, and there's no baffle step compensation at 50 hz, and so on.)

This is why I asked what speakers you heard in both modes. Enjoy your Maggies!