CROSSOVER NETWORK DESIGN
The function of the crossover is to route the incoming signals to the intended driver locations. This results in a cohesive blending of the sound from the woofer, midrange and tweeter elements. The crossover affects the entire performance of a loudspeaker design. An ideal speaker possesses both flat on-axis frequency response and smooth off-axis response; this is particularly important for in-wall speaker designs.
The sound character of a speaker in a home environment is a combination of the on-axis, and the horizontal and vertical off-axis responses. Due to reflections off the floor, ceiling, side and rear surfaces, evaluating and engineering the response of the speaker both on-axis and off-axis become critical components of the overall design.
In-wall speaker designs also have the additional challenge of being mounted in a wall which can immediately reflect sound into the listening room. Sonance Silhouette’s off-axis frequency response is optimized to eliminate that specific coloration. The sound directly from the speaker and those reflected are all equally critical to the overall sound quality.
A major innovation in the Sonance Silhouette design is the application of low crossover frequencies. These lower frequencies allow the woofer, midrange and tweeter to operate within their ideal frequency ranges. The result produces the ideal flat on-axis and smooth off-axis performance. The low 135 Hz crossover frequency from woofer to midrange was specifically designed for the woofer and midrange to work together without exciting wall vibrations. The crossover point from the midrange to the tweeter is located at 2150 Hz. High quality 18 dB per octave slopes are used on all crossovers to ensure correct and unaffected interaction between drivers with an increase in power handling and maximum vertical dispersion. Three separate PC boards are utilized for the design.
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