Crossover Calculator
Design passive speaker crossover circuits with precise component values
Design Your Speaker Crossover
Typical range: 2000-4000 Hz for tweeter/woofer crossover
Component Values
Tweeter (High-Pass Filter)
Woofer (Low-Pass Filter)
Configuration: 1st-order Butterworth crossover at 3000 Hz
Filter slope: 6 dB/octave
Example: 2-Way Butterworth Crossover
Design Specifications
Configuration: 2-way, 2nd-order Butterworth
Tweeter: 6 Ω impedance
Woofer: 4 Ω impedance
Crossover Frequency: 3000 Hz
Calculated Components
Tweeter Capacitor: C₁ = 0.1125/(6×3000) = 6.25 µF
Woofer Capacitor: C₂ = 0.1125/(4×3000) = 9.375 µF
Tweeter Inductor: L₁ = (0.2251×6)/3000 = 0.45 mH
Woofer Inductor: L₂ = (0.2251×4)/3000 = 0.30 mH
Filter Order Comparison
1st Order
6 dB/octave slope
Simple, minimal components
2nd Order
12 dB/octave slope
Best compromise design
3rd Order
18 dB/octave slope
Good protection, more complex
4th Order
24 dB/octave slope
Steep slope, most complex
Typical Crossover Frequencies
Speaker Driver Types
Tweeter
High frequencies (2kHz+)
Midrange
Mid frequencies (200Hz-5kHz)
Woofer
Low frequencies (20Hz-2kHz)
Subwoofer
Very low (20Hz-200Hz)
Understanding Speaker Crossovers
What is a Crossover?
A speaker crossover is an electronic filter that divides an audio signal into separate frequency bands, directing each band to the appropriate speaker driver. This ensures each driver operates within its optimal frequency range, improving sound quality and protecting the drivers from damage.
Why Use Multiple Drivers?
- •Single drivers can't efficiently reproduce all frequencies
- •Tweeters excel at high frequencies but lack bass response
- •Woofers produce good bass but poor high-frequency response
- •Crossovers prevent damage from inappropriate frequencies
Filter Types & Characteristics
Butterworth
Flat frequency response, good phase behavior
Bessel
Excellent phase linearity, minimal group delay
Linkwitz-Riley
Flat summed response, no amplitude ripple
Chebyshev
Steeper roll-off, some passband ripple
Design Considerations
Component Quality
Use high-quality capacitors (film or polypropylene) and air-core inductors for best performance. Avoid electrolytic capacitors in the signal path.
Driver Matching
Choose crossover frequency within the overlapping response range of both drivers. Consider driver sensitivity matching for balanced output.