Linkwitz-riley active crossover

1. What is the difference between Butterworth and Linkwitz?
2. What is active crossover used for?
3. Does an active crossover need power?
4. How should I set my crossover frequency?

What is the difference between Butterworth and Linkwitz?

A Linkwitz-Riley filter is made by combining two Butterworth filters. The main difference between the two is that Butterworth crossovers are 3dB down at the filter cutoff frequency while the Linkwitz-Riley filters are flat.

What is active crossover used for?

Active crossover operating at low signal levels. Audio electronic crossovers allow to split the audio signal into separate frequency bands that can be separately routed to individual power amplifiers which then are connected to specific transducers optimized for a particular frequency band.

Does an active crossover need power?

Active crossovers always require the use of power amplifiers for each output band. Thus a 2-way active crossover needs two amplifiers—one for the woofer and one for the tweeter.

How should I set my crossover frequency?

Set the crossover point around 10 Hz below the lowest frequency your speakers can produce without issue. (keep in mind that the most common recommendation for crossover frequency is 80 Hz). Once again, play some music. But this time, slowly turn up your receiver's volume until you hear it begin to distort.