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First Order Crossovers: Pros and Cons

I wonder if some folks might share their expertise on the question of crossover design. I'm coming around to the view that this is perhaps the most significant element of speaker design yet I really know very little about it and don't really understand the basic principles. Several of the speakers I have heard in my quest for full range floorstanders are "first order" designs. I have really enjoyed their sound but do not know if this is attributable primarily to the crossover design or to a combination of other factors as well. In addition, I have heard that, for example, because of the use of this crossover configuration on the Vandersteen 5 one has to sit at least 10 feet away from the speakers in order for the drivers to properly mesh. Is this really true and if so why? Another brand also in contention is the Fried Studio 7 which also uses a first order design. Same issue? Could someone share in laymans terms the basic principles of crossover design and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each. Also, what designers are making intelligent choices in trying to work around the problems associated with crossover design? Thanks for your input.
dodgealum
sean
6,229 posts
 
Drubin: Those aren't Walsh drivers, they aren't omni's or a point source, there is a crossover network and they are two way designs. The only thing "Walsh" about them is the name. Sean
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drubin
3,240 posts
 
Thanks. Okay, so who makes a "true full-range point source omni dirver" loudspeaker?
sean
6,229 posts
 
Drubin: I don't know of any that are currently in production. Even those that come close ( German Physiks, MBL, Huff, etc...) use an additional driver of conventional design ( woofer ) to cover the bottom end. The original Walsh's are very time consuming to build the driver and require tons of hand labor. Three different types of cone material have to be formed, bonded together and internally damped to duplicate the Walsh driver as found in the Ohm F. That's why it has been called the most difficult dynamic driver to rebuild. Sean
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viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
I owned Ohm Fs for many years and remember them fondly, I have also had a chance to spend a little time with the Ohm As, their bigger brother. You solve one problem and another is created. They ring quite readily. Once that heavy cone starts moving, it really does not want to stop. The claim is that there is no crossover, but I would disagree, they simply have mechanical crossovers, rather than electric, which are defined by the disparate materials used. They are certainly not point sources, and are only omnidirectional in the horizontal, not vertical, plane. That said, it is a unique engineering solution, brilliant and original. The strengths and weaknesses are quite different than with most me-too speakers where drivers are stuffed in a box. If they float your boat, simply nothing else will do.
zkzpb8
208 posts
 
It's true, today's Ohms are Walsh-inspired. They are, however a very cabable sounding design, comfortably outperforming most of today's cone 'n dome varieties.
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