Going active, please recommend crossover settings + amp settings

[13ms13]

Hi,

I know there's been tons of threads about this but I would really appreciate it if you could recommend some crossover settings that I could use.

My speakers: Morel Tempo 6 (component 2-way). No sub.

Frequency response: 40-22000Hz

Crossover point (passive): 3800Hz, 6dB/octave

My HU is a Pioneer DEH-80PRS. I can set the slope all the way up to 36dB/octave.

What settings would you recommend?

Also, where do I set the gain on my amp since I can control gain from my HU too? On my amp, I can control both channels but there are no values, it's just min - middle - max. I guess if I set it in the middle it will be flat, @ 0dB. Thanks a lot in advance.

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Gain on an amplifier does NOT work that way. There are plenty of tutorials on how to set amplifier gains, but the basic idea is to get the voltage of the signal coming from the head unit to be matched with the input section of the amplifier. This is to protect the speakers from getting damaged.

I assume gain on the head unit means level control. You'll want to refer to the owner's manual. When you run a component set active you want to set the levels of the tweeters, mids, and subwoofer separately. Usually the tweeters are set a lot lower than the mids and the sub. Level control is separate from EQ and it's separate from gain at the amplifier.

I prefer to use 24 dB/octave slopes at all crossover points, but you can try different settings. I don't know why Morel chose a 6 dB/octave slope for the mid/tweeter crossover, but for an active setup a steeper slope is wise. It helps protect you from blowing up the tweeters with too much power. A 2,500 Hz crossover point is probably very safe for those tweeters. On the midrange I recommend starting with a high pass filter of 80 Hz @ 24 dB/octave. For the low pass filter use the same 2,500 Hz crossover point and the same slope as the tweeter crossover.

What amplifier will you be using?

 

[13ms13]

Thanks, I'm using an old-school Sony XM-2545.

I read up on amplifier gains so as far as amp gain is concerned, everything's set.

Are you sure that the 2,5kHz crossover point won't damage my tweeters? The factory passive crossovers are set @ 3,8kHz.

I'll go back to tweaking now. Either my expectations were too high, or this setup really does sound like crap.

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

Nobody can recommend anything for you. We can give you a rough estimate on a starting point. Beyond that its going to be different for every car, every speaker, and on what sounds good to you.