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+--- Thread: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) (/Thread-Going-active-with-a-2-way-speaker-Naim-SBL-s)
Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - pisabell - 16-Nov-2017
Hello all,
I am currently runnng a D400 into an old pair of Naim SBL speakers, and the result is more than convincing.
However it has often been stated that you cannnot get the best of Naim SBL's until you go active. I am therefore planning to make an experiment in which:
1) I remove the passive crossover from the SBL's;
2) I feed the SBL tweeters with one of D200's and the SBL woofers with the other one; and
3) since the crossover frequency of the SBL's is supposed to be at 2.7 Kz with a 18db/octave slope, I will set the low- and high-pass filters accordingly on each D200.
Does anyone has relevant knowledge and advice regarding such an experiment?
Many thanks!
Pierre
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - Pim - 16-Nov-2017
I don't have any experience but I would assume the crossover would also have some resistors in it to lower the output to the tweeter. A tweeter doesn't need or can handle as much power as a woofer. I don't know if the high / low pass filter will accommodate for that.
Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - Waiski - 16-Nov-2017
Please read this. You need to set the crossover slopes according...
https://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=4639
Then measure and set tweeter level (+/-db).
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - pisabell - 17-Nov-2017
Hello Waiski,
Thank a lot for trying to steer me in the right direction.
I am not sure I understood correctly the discussion you are pointing me to. What I think I understood is that, given that my target crossover frequency is 2.7 Kz with a third order slope, I should set:
* the low-pass filter to 1.307 * 2.7 Kz = 3.53 K; and
* the high-pass filter to 0.765 * 2.7 Kz = 2.07 Kz
Is this correct?
Many thanks,
Pierre
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - ogs - 17-Nov-2017
Pierre
when you say 'go active' does that mean Naim has an active cross over for your speakers? In that case you could verify slopes and frequencies with Naim to be sure.
Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - Waiski - 17-Nov-2017
^^ Correct.
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - pisabell - 17-Nov-2017
Waiski:
Thanks a lot. Now, I need to better understand what you mean by "measure and set tweeter level". Can you explain a bit more?
ogs:
Yes, Naim used to sell an active crossover called the SNAXO 2-4 for the SBL speakers. The figures i cited in my original inquiry (2.7 Kz, 18db/octave) were drawn from the SNAXO manual.
Thanks again,
Pierre
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - watchnerd - 17-Nov-2017
(16-Nov-2017, 05:01)Pim van Vliet Wrote: I don't have any experience but I would assume the crossover would also have some resistors in it to lower the output to the tweeter. A tweeter doesn't need or can handle as much power as a woofer. I don't know if the high / low pass filter will accommodate for that.
You can handle this by adjusting the relative level of the tweeter downward in the configurator.
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - pisabell - 25-Nov-2017
Hello all,
Now reporting on my experiment. In a word: a huge success!
What I did exactly:
- configured the high and low-pass filters exactly as suggested by Waiski (high at 2.07 Kz and low at 3.53 Kz); 3rd order slope in both cases.
- as suggested by Pim and watchnerd it prroved necessary to reduce the level of the Tweeter. After extensive listening I settled for -7db.
The result is quite amazing, not subtle at all! I can hear loads more detail and there is now a much greater sense of immediacy and presence, as if a thick veil had been removed. If don't feel any integration problem between the mid/bass and the tweeter. Thus the cutoff frequencies suggeted by Waiski must be pretty much right on target.
This result leads me to wonder whether the use of any passive crossover will ever make sense again for me. I had been thinking about the possibility of acquiring Focal speakers because of all the good things I heard about them. But now I am wondering how good can their passive crossover can really be, and whether or not it is possible to drive them in active mode?
Thus the results of my experiment are leading me to a complete reassessment of my priorities.
Huge thanks to the Devialet for the flexibility they built into their equipment, thereby making such experiments possible! And huge thanks to all of you for helping me through it!
Pierre
RE: Going active with a 2 way speaker (Naim SBL's) - watchnerd - 25-Nov-2017
(25-Nov-2017, 18:01)pisabell Wrote: Hello all,
Now reporting on my experiment. In a word: a huge success!
What I did exactly:
- configured the high and low-pass filters exactly as suggested by Waiski (high at 2.07 Kz and low at 3.53 Kz); 3rd order slope in both cases.
- as suggested by Pim and watchnerd it prroved necessary to reduce the level of the Tweeter. After extensive listening I settled for -7db.
The result is quite amazing, not subtle at all! I can hear loads more detail and there is now a much greater sense of immediacy and presence, as if a thick veil had been removed. If don't feel any integration problem between the mid/bass and the tweeter. Thus the cutoff frequencies suggeted by Waiski must be pretty much right on target.
This result leads me to wonder whether the use of any passive crossover will ever make sense again for me. I had been thinking about the possibility of acquiring Focal speakers because of all the good things I heard about them. But now I am wondering how good can their passive crossover can really be, and whether or not it is possible to drive them in active mode?
Thus the results of my experiment are leading me to a complete reassessment of my priorities.
Huge thanks to the Devialet for the flexibility they built into their equipment, thereby making such experiments possible! And huge thanks to all of you for helping me through it!
Pierre
That's great to hear!
Now if only Devialet would add a band-pass filter option, to allow 3-way / sub-based systems.
