A cross-over?

A cross-over section in a loudspeaker usually is the element which splits up the signal for the different ways of the speaker (low, mid and high tone). However, any cross-over concept, used filters and components yield problems like phase displacements and altered delays through the different ways of the cross-over. Furthermore (end even more critical) are the frequency ranges where two or more drivers overlap. In these ranges one usually finds massive phase rotations and wrong summations of the single sound shares of each driver.

surrounTec™ has a different approach. As indicated in our concept, we follow a holistic concept to combine all drivers into one quasi wideband driver. Our cross-overs follow the same idea. The basis for the filters to work is the mechanical time-alignment of the acoustical centers of the drivers on a circular arc and thus the ideal step response of all surrounTec™ monitors.

The used drivers had to be modified with regards to F3, Q-factor, amplitude and other subtleties. We only use adjustment components to cater of the singularities of the used drivers so that all drivers integrate in a smooth collective frequency response (how this works in detail is our secret...). The emerging cross-over frequencies lie outside the spectrum of the human voice.

This concept yields wide overlapping areas since all drivers a quasi driven full-range. In consequence the human ear can not locate which driver is currently producing which frequency – we are approaching a natural sound radiation. The loudspeaker acts like one large unit – like a point source or a wideband driver. The frequency responses of the individual drivers summ up correctly to a smooth comprehensive frequency response.

We only use audiophile adjustment links from Mundorf (supreme silver/gold or silver/gold/oil) as well as tailor made sound neutral components from Duelund Coherent Audio for our diamond systems. It should be self-evident that we float-mount the zero order filters by hand onto a CNC milled acoustic board and only use silver solder ... since we have to tweak the filter to fit the used drivers every speaker is one of a kind. Pure precision, speed and colorlessness.