Would i need to use a crossover if i was running 2 amps?
a 500-1 for the subs and a 300-4 for the front and rear speakers.
I'm confused since the speakers i bought come with crossovers.

Thanks

 

Most amps these days have both high pass and low pass x-overs built into them. If you are using the x-overs that came with your speakers you will also want to use the x-overs in the amps so that you can fiter out the bass on your mid/tweets and filter out the mid/tweet from the sub. If your amps do have x-overs then no you will not need to add additional x-overs.

On another note if you did get an electronic x-over that will allow you to set output for tweet midrange and sub independently it would give you more overall system flexibility but it is not required.

 

I agree. You don't need one, but an electronic crossover would work a little better than built in Xovers with the amps. It allows your amps to run a little more efficiently not having to filter out or push frequencies the speakers will not be playing.

I have an AudioControl 4XS for my system which will allow me to send the exact frequencies I want to my subs and component speakers. For me it was worth the extra money.

 

how much are these extra crossovers and r they really worth the extra control for the average listener (not me necessarily jw)?

 

I got mine for $100 used from a guy I know. AudioControl is more on the top end, you can find one cheaper than that. It should make your music a little clearer and it will be easyier on your amps.

 

Tons of companies make high quality electronic x-overs these days. A x-over is probably the simplest circuit that there is to build. Quality of the components used however make up the bulk of how good the unit will sound. In short if your going to use a x-over don't buy the cheapest you can find because you will wind up inducing more noise into your system and defeating the whole purpose of adding one in the first place. I would choose a well reputable manufacturer for the x-over such as Audio Control, Zapco, Autotek, Rockford, HiFonics, etc.

Let me reiterate. If you are merely a casual listener then you really don't need the electronic x-over. The reason for this is that most amps today have electronic x-overs built into them and will do everything the casual listener want to do which would be to prevent damage to speakers primarily. Adding on an electronic x-over would give more flexibility to a system so that a tweaker could dial in response curves and help to prevent cancellation between mid/tweet etc. This would require test equipment such as an RTA and I don't think the casual listener has one of these in their possession. You can tweak a little by ear but an EQ would be the better option for the casual listener and even someone that wants to become an audiophile.