Question: I have purchased a set of brand new component car speakers. I have noticed that there is a small square shaped box that has come with it apparently its called a crossover system or something. Do i need install the crossover box for the car audio system to make the speakers work? Generally what crossovers do for car speakers and do they make a difference in sound quality?
Answer: That small box you have referred to their is called a crossover. It is used in car audio to separate the different frequencies to both the midrange speaker and small tweeter. This filters out the bass going to the tweeter, allowing only vocals to be received and the bass to be sent out to the speaker. This cleans up the sound and reduces the tweeter getting blown up or damaged Without a crossover box for your component speakers they won't work to their full potential. However, on the other hand coaxial speakers don't use any crossovers hence why they are cheaper. They use a simpler system to filter out the frequencies by adding a small capacitor onto the tweeter.
Now there are two types of crossovers that are used in modern car audio systems today. I am going to explain the differences to you to expand your understanding in this car audio category.
Active: This type of crossover requires 12 volt power to function, they are more bigger they won't fit behind your door and can be the expensive option. With providing the advantage of better control and sound separation to the different speakers and subwoofers used in car audio system. This connects in between the car headunit and the amp using a pair of RCA cables.
Passive: This is typically the small box that comes with your set of component speakers and works in a 3 way configuration. This doesn't need external 12 volt power to operate like with the active and can purely run from audio signals provided by the car stereo or amplifier. This usually can only be used for the car speakers and not for your car subwoofer. You connect the wires from the car stereo, tweeter and midrange speaker to the box and fit it behind the door card.
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