Loudspeakers My plan to add a sub- am I doing this right??

pond

Member
Here are diagrams of my setup and my plan to add a crossover, amp, and sub.

Current setup (click here for HUGE version)
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Planned setup (click here for HUGE version)
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Components:
limiter = Behringer AUTOCOM PRO-XL MDX1600
crossover1 = Behringer SUPER-X PRO CX2310
crossover2 = PA's internal crossover
amp1 = PA's internal HF amp
amp2 = PA's internal LF amp
amp3 = Crown XLS 602D

When all is said and done, the signal chain will be:

mixer -> limiter -> crossover1 -> crossover2 -> amp1 -> tweeter, total 100W RMS for the highs (2 PAs)

mixer -> limiter -> crossover1 -> crossover2 -> amp2 -> 15" speaker, total 400W RMS for the lows (2 PAs)

and

mixer -> limiter -> crossover1 -> amp3 -> 18" woofer, total 450W RMS for the sub

This is the best way to do it with the listed equipment, right? Are the power numbers suitable for each other? The only thing I am not sure about is running the crossover1 as the sidechain of the limiter instead, but that seems to be making it needlessly complex. Any suggestions are welcome! :>
 
Yep, that looks good. Be careful of the switches in the back of the crossover. You'll want to be on "Stereo 2 Way" and make sure you notice the x1/x10 switch that relates to the crossover frequency knob on the front of the unit. You might want to run TRS balanced cabling from the mixer to the compressor, that is if your mixer has balanced outputs. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "Speakon balanced?" as speaker cables are not "balanced" or "unbalanced." There's a high and a low and that's it. I'm not too familiar with that amp, but you might want to make sure that you do not need to do any modifications to your Speakon cable to get the full bridged mono signal. Some amps require both pins one and two to be connected for the combined signal. In which case you'll need to make sure you are using NL4 connectors rather than NL2.
 
My mixer is lame and only has unbalanced outs. 4 connector Speakons is what I meant to say.

Also I have found nothing but stories of regret and heartbreak from people who bought that sub, so I am going to build a pair of Tuba 24s instead :>

Thanks for your input!
 
You'd have to be careful of the crossover settings as it is a stereo two-way plus mono sub crossover, the 'high' outputs feeding the mains would still go through a low/high crossover. So you'd have to be sure the settings of that part of the crossover do not affect what goes to the mains, probably by setting the low/high crossover point as low as possible.

175Hz is a pretty high frequency for a true subwoofer crossover, 80-120Hz might be more common.

You need to be careful with the XLS602D Speakon output when running in bridge mode. Bridge mode uses 1+ and 2+ on the amp as + and - (see Page 14 of the XLS manual) so you have to have the appropriate wiring in the Neutrik connector and can't use a standard cable.

I believe that you are using the MDX1600 as a limiter. Just be aware that by placing the limiter in front of the crossover you are going to have to set it based on the worst case, whether it be the crossover, powered mains or sub amp that clips. That means that any changes to settings after the limiter could require adjusting the limiter. It also likely means giving up some potential performance on the components that would not clip except at higher levels. For example, if the B215As clip before the crossover or subwoofer amp then you'd need to set the limiter based on the level when the mains clip and would not be able to take advantage of any additional headroom or output for the subs.

On the Tubas, there are various width and single or dual driver versions, so you haven't really defined all the specifics. Tubas are usually recommended to be used in multiples, typically four or more. If you have just two you should probably group them together. I also believe that Bill recommends a high pass filter for the Tubas, you might be able to run the subs off the crossover's low outputs and then use what would normally be the high pass part of the sub crossover to provide some low frequency high pass filtering for the low (sub) outputs.
 
As a limiter so "guest engineers" don't destroy the drivers?

I will also be using it for some live band applications; I don't want to have someone elses gear plug into my stuff and have it esplode. Also during DJ gigs I have had people from the audience come and start fiddling with my setup while I was out on a smoke break. Pretty f-ed up I know.

Anyway, The more I research this setup, the more problems I am finding with it. Long story short, the recommendation of this thread should be [ THE SETUP IN THE OP SUCKS DON'T COPY IT lol.

I ended up getting a different crossover, a dbx 223XL instead, which matches my needs better and hopefully won't randomly self-destruct like the INTERNET says any Behringer gear will..

I'll report back once I get my Tubas up and running, ooh I can't wait :> :>
 
The setup doesn't necessarily "suck," but of course there is better quality gear for more money. I've never used that particular model, but you'll be glad you went DBX over Behringer. You could have no problems with the Behringer, or it could not even work new out of the box.
 

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