Choosing the Right Crossover Point

How to Choose the Best Subwoofer, Part 1

The first step in choosing a good subwoofer is determining your ideal crossover
point. Usually, the lower you can cross over, the better. A 10-inch or 12-inch fullrange box will not be able to be crossed over as low as a 15-inch full range box.
Below 80-100 Hz, cone excursion and power requirement in full range boxes starts to
rise tremendously. The more you can keep 80-100 Hz and lower out of your "top
boxes," the better they will sound at high power.
To really know the importance of a good crossover point, you need to understand
an important phenomenon called source localization . Source localization is how you
perceive where a sound is coming from. Ideally, you want to perceive the sound
coming out of your subwoofer full-range combination as a single source, not a dual
source. You do not want to hear the subwoofer functioning as a separate unit. This
becomes more pronounced as the distance between the subwoofer and mid-high
speaker increase. For a good starting point, calculate the distance between the two
components (in feet) and then divide that distance into 1130 (the average distance
sound travels in one second.) This will give you the highest frequency you can cross
over at. The equation looks like this:
Maximum Crossover Frequency Equation:
Maximum crossover freq. = [distance between components) / 1130
If this Fmax equation results in a frequency higher than 100 to 120 Hz, try to cross
as low as your system output will handle at the sound pressure level you feel would
represent the maximum output you will need. In other words, try to cross over as low
as possible keeping in mind that both components need to be capable of the same
acoustic output at that crossover point. If you need to cross over higher than 120 Hz,
it's best for the speakers to be as close together as physically possible.
Next, make sure that your sub and mid-high speaker can obtain the same output at
the crossover point. If for example, you choose 80 Hz, make sure your mid-high
speaker can keep up with the subwoofer's output at 80 Hz. Usually, the larger the midbass component you use, the lower it can go. This also works the other way. An 18
inch speaker may not sound as clean and tight as a 15 inch speaker if you are trying to
use a higher crossover point. We at Ramsdell Pro Audio always shoot for an 80 Hz
crossover point if we can get it, but a lot of our customers like slightly higher ones in

the 100 to 120 Hz area.

If you need to move lots of air in the 30 - 40 Hz region you will want to consider
larger units like 18 or 21 inch subs. If your low frequency needs don't go lower than
the 45 Hz region, consider a good 15 inch sub. When compared, the 15 inch
subwoofer is usually tighter and cleaner, while the 18 inch sub moves more air in the
lowest octaves.

What Type of Subwoofer Design

Would be Best?
How to Choose the Best Subwoofer, Part 3

There are 3 main types of enclosures used for subwoofer design. These are sealed,
vented, and horn loaded designs. The rest are combinations of these three.
Sealed Boxes:
In professional sound applications, you don't see many sealed box subs. They are
mostly used for mid-bass output in larger vented full range designs. They are more
popular in home theater and car audio sound applications. Sealed boxes roll off in
their low frequency limit curve at 12db per octave instead of 24 db like their vented
box cousins. Cone excursion requirements are a lot higher in sealed boxes as the
frequencies go lower. However, this is why they are slower to roll off below the cut
off of their tuning frequency. Sealed boxes do not require as much air (cubic space
inside the box) to go as low as vented boxes, but they are nowhere as efficient either.
Vented Boxes:
Vented box designs are by far the most popular box for subs in professional sound

applications. Properly designed, vented boxes handle much more power in the lower
frequency ranges. This is because the port actually produces most of the lowest notes,
reducing cone movement tremendously. If you want high efficiency in your
subwoofer with modest box size this is a good compromise. You should note that your
box size will grow quickly if you want your box to go lower then 40 Hz. We at
Ramsdell Pro Audio achieve better all around results in the pursuit of the low note by
mutually coupling smaller, punchier subs than by larger boxes tuned lower. You may
notice this in the design of our subwoofer products.
Horn Loaded and Bass Horn Subwoofers:
If you are a no compromise individual, or you need to be for a particular
application, then this is the subwoofer design for you. When it comes to being able to
extract the maximum capabilities of a low frequency transducer, the low frequency
bass horn stands alone. Horn loaded speakers can be as much as 12 db louder on a
watt by watt basis then their vented box cousins! Basically, a smaller group of horn
loaded subs can outperform a much larger group of vented subs and do it with less
amplifier power. This smaller grouping of subs will result in more even coverage with
less peaks and dips in your low frequency levels. Also, voice coils of speakers in horn
loaded boxes can run much cooler for the same acoustic output levels. This 'cool coil'
property of horn-loaded subs results in a lot less power compression and reduction of
long term output loss. Bass horns are finding a new lease on life in the professional
sound world as one of the few types of boxes that can produce the output needed to
keep up with today's line array systems. As the professional sound industry rushes to
re-invent the past, we encourage you to consider this unparalleled enclosure design.
Low frequency notes travel more effortlessly through air than high frequencies,
because they don't get absorbed by the air as fast as high frequencies do. Because of
this property, they travel farther. In technical terms, air is not an acoustically linear
medium. Over the years, we've had a number of our customers tell us that bass horns
"throw better" then other types of subs. We have never been able to measure this with
single units placed side by side and run at the same level. However, we have
measured that properly designed bass horns couple better than vented types when
placed in groups of four or eight units. Also, low frequency horns need to be allowed
one wave length of the lowest frequency they are going to be called on to reproduce
to fully develop. In the case of a 30 - 40 Hz note, this could be 40 - 50 feet from the
box. This phenomenon probably contributes to the perceived increase in "throw" of
the box design. On the flip side, this property makes bass horns more difficult to work
with in smaller rooms. It seems to complicate this problem even worse if more than
one location in the room is used for subwoofer placement. Vented box designs usually
will work better when you encounter this type of problem in an installation.