seasterl Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Does anyone make an active crossover that uses a calibrated microphone and has its own frequency sweep tone and can automatically adjust slopes and time alignment for a two-way loudspeaker setup assuming I enter the crossover point? What’s the closest product currently available on the market that’s suitable for home use and high quality? If nothing available that does this, what’s the current best crossover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 The two active crossover companies that are the most common on here are miniDSP and Xilica. Neither will automatically run sweeps and do the calibration for you. With those two products, most get a umik calibrated micophone and the free software REW (Room EQ Wizard. You can find details on doing this in Chris A's thread on active crossovers: A few on here have use the DBX venue360 with success. You can get a calibrated mic with it and do more automatic setup. This model DBX does a 96k sampling/conversion, as does the Xilica and miniDSP HD. The DBX comes out of the PA/live sound market. The miniDSP is on the lower end price wise. https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2x4-hd https://dbxpro.com/en/products/driverack-venu360 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasterl Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 Thanks! I’ve heard of the miniDSP before, but didn’t know about the quality. I’d hate to have thousands of dollars worth of electronics all going through a $200 device that’s on par with car stereo quality. If there’s any anecdotal impressions about the miniDSP sound quality, that would be great. I’d read an old thread that praised the EV DC-One, and it looks great on paper, but wasn’t sure if it was still a great option. Years ago I used the Bryston 10B, but they’ve since been long out of production and worn-out used once’s still sell for more than they cost new. I didn’t know if that meant there was still no quality replacement. I suspect there is or Bryston would not have stopped making them. The downside to the Bryston peace was that you had to choose which model you wanted, and it was a compromise on slopes and crossover point options, and there was no time correction. It was a price unit tonight offer everything a person needed. With the community here agree that some of these newer options available do not degrade the sound quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalifornian Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://ramaudio.com/pdf/DSP_PowerPack_ASYM_UserManual.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi88cbMt5f1AhVnAZ0JHfkQCP4QFnoECCsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0KX_fcQk_C4P3kFcHwtIv4 Was looking at these for a two way. Might be of interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalifornian Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 And take my advice and skip the mini-dsp and just use a xillica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Would love to see a comparison of a minidsp HD and other actives. I think people look down their noses at it due to its low price and want to justify their spending more. It has a great interface as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grendel23 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I used to use a MiniDSP 4x10 HD and currently use a Xilica XP-4080. I didn't notice a difference in sound quality when I switched, but prefer the Xilica's user interface. I think either is a good choice. The MiniDSP is still in production. The Xilica is discontinued and may be hard to find. I also had a MIniDSP 2x4 non HD for my subs. I would not recommend the non HD. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 hour ago, grendel23 said: The Xilica is discontinued and may be hard to find. The Xilica XA series has been discontinued, but the XP series is still in production. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I've had a MiniDSP running for some time now, no problems. Velcroed behind the audio rack and works like a charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I have a DBX venue360, which I think will work great. I like that it has analogue and digital inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel TJ Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 MiniDSP 4x10HD user here. Unfortunately, there is no automated solution that provides what you are looking for. The process of setting up an active digital crossover and EQ is an iterative on that involves measuring, adjusting and repeating the process until it sounds and measures right. It really isn't too hard once you get it all figured out, and I find the flexibility on tailoring my system to sound the way I want to be amazing. I can't imagine going back to analog electronics again. As far as sound quality of the MiniDSP units goes, I have never heard a non-HD model before, so I can't comment on those. I have also never used any of the Xilica products. However, I can say unequivocally that my sound quality improved DRASTICALLY when I ditched the analog crossovers and switched to the MiniDSP setup. If the MiniDSP is messing with my sound quality, I sure can't tell. And it is certainly degrading it FAR less than an analogue crossover would. I think the doubts about sound quality with any modern-generation DSP based crossover are likely unfounded. They are at least as good as any other piece of equipment in a typical system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 The miniDSP HD models have more headroom and are quieter. I would certain not hesitate if they would fit your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalifornian Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 On 1/4/2022 at 7:38 AM, CECAA850 said: Would love to see a comparison of a minidsp HD and other actives. I think people look down their noses at it due to its low price and want to justify their spending more. It has a great interface as well. I used the minidsp. It was great except the very high noise floor that is obnoxious on high sensitivity speakers… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel TJ Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 18 minutes ago, Kalifornian said: I used the minidsp. It was great except the very high noise floor that is obnoxious on high sensitivity speakers… Was yours an HD? I have no noise floor issues at all with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 20 minutes ago, Tarheel TJ said: Was yours an HD? I have no noise floor issues at all with mine. That was going to be my question as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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