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Adding Subs to full range tops

T

theshadow2001

Jun 17, 2004
3,089
8
Ireland
#1
So after saving some money my band is looking to upgrade the PA. Rather than buying a bundle deal of a full PA I'd prefer to get two higher quality tops and add subs at a later date.

I'm thinking that if I got full range tops that it would cover a lot of what we need and would suit as an immediate fix.

However at a later stage would there be an issue in adding subs to extend the lower range. I'm thinking that lower range of the tops would coincide with the upper range of the subs and this may cause an issue (or not, I don't know which is why I'm asking).

If the ultimate goal is to end up with subs would it just be better to go with a pair of mid highs and stick it out till we can afford subs

I know that I could use crossovers to over come the problem but then I would feel it's pointless having full range speakers if thats not what they are being used for

All thoughts welcome
 
#2
Well, if you're going to use subs and tops, you're going to HAVE to use some sort of a crossover. Otherwise, you'll be feeding a full range signal into a speaker that is designed to reproduce at the HIGHEST, maybe 200hz. It will sound muddy and bad, and you won't get the volume that you're looking for from the subs because you're feeding them a lot of signal that they can't reproduce effectively.

Pretty much all tops are more or less full range. The advantage of running them in a bi-amp situation with a crossover and subs is that you get a LOT more efficiency and volume out of them, because you're letting the subs do the hard work (the low bass) and allowing the tops to reproduce the higher frequencies. The crossover essentially chops the lower register of the signal off and sends it to the subs while sending MOST of the signal through to the tops. Depending on your setup, you'll probably want the crossover set to about 60hz.

So, in summation: If you want subs, you need a crossover.
 
#4
Been there, done that. Just bought a pair of Carvin 3-ways, Yorkie subs, and a dbx crossover....oh, and an extra power amp. I think I have the crossover set at 70 hz or so. No problems at all. If push came to shove, I could use the full-range mains by themselves. Just wouldn't sound the same.

BTW, you can get Yorkie subs at any Korean Quizno's.

Riis
 

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