If you are running at power levels consistently higher than 200 watts you will fry the coils and pop the capacitors. If you like how it sounds at lower levels replace the caps with the same value but much higher voltage and replace the coils with heavier gauge wire used.
I wouldn't know. Each component in each crossover will be different. Even connecting a different driver will alter the power distribution.
Normally it's resistance you want to watch. Capacitors do not normally get hot and they may not be the limiting factor. They do however have parasitic resistance.. or maybe it's the Voltage rating, who knows?
Normally it's resistance you want to watch. Capacitors do not normally get hot and they may not be the limiting factor. They do however have parasitic resistance.. or maybe it's the Voltage rating, who knows?
Yes it will, the capacitors will be the first to fail but it will also just sound bad at higher drive levels. Go look up a 600w passive crossover online, you will see everything is bigger and it will have high voltage caps, large iron core inductors, and sand cast or metal case resistors.
At these power levels it doesn't make sense to use passive crossovers.
You reach a point where the copper costs of very high power elements exceed the cost of electronics and a second amplifier, and you get sonic benefits with the multi-amp set-up too.
You reach a point where the copper costs of very high power elements exceed the cost of electronics and a second amplifier, and you get sonic benefits with the multi-amp set-up too.
Right. Passive crossovers are just poor crude hold-overs from the past.
The power rating of drivers might come from the marketing department and hard to say what it represents. Not likely to represent putting 600 watts of 100 Hz signal into the driver. Likely 100 watts would cook that driver.
On the other hand, the XO might handle 200 continuous watts without any problem when connected to drivers. The caps might have voltage ratings because that can be easily engineered or calculated in reverse. So electrolytic caps are a possible limitation you don't want to bump against. But if there are electrolytic caps in the XO, you might want to read Moondog55's post again.
The whole estimation of power ratings are greatly exaggerated on this forum... since this is mechanical stuff, readers often are shy about taking out their oscilloscopes and seeing first-hand what kind of levels are flowing around with music signals and when you need to attend to momentary peaks and headroom and when you need to think about continuous power.
B.
If your x-over has a core of some ferrous material, at some point it will be saturated and start to distort. This comes before it gets hot and burns off. An air core inductor will simply heat up until destruction.
Anyway, passive x-over for high power woofers are a thing of the past, as anyone uses active ones, for the last 30-40 years.
Why has been explained...
Anyway, passive x-over for high power woofers are a thing of the past, as anyone uses active ones, for the last 30-40 years.
Why has been explained...