# 12db slope vs 24db slope



## SQplease (Jul 23, 2008)

In what application would you want to use a steeper slope?


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

When your drivers are not capable to produce the intended frequency of your crossover point...ie you dont want a driver to exceed it capabilities and play into distortion and overexertion

Crossover points and slope are always different for every system, you really just have to play around and figure out what works best with what you have. There are no hard fast rules here. The only limiting factor that I can think of it what your drivers are capable of producing


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## SQplease (Jul 23, 2008)

I'm always trying out amps drivers and things of that nature, I had morel caw938, and now I am trying out the dynaudio mw182, the morels seem to be a little smoother in transition, and the mw182 are a bit more punchier, I like the punch, but I would like for them to hit the smooth notes also, can I achieve this by playing with the the curves


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

Need more technical information. 

"Punch" is way to ambiguous.


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

A steeper slope tends to create a more punchy sound in my experience, because the transition between drivers is less gradual. I would try a 12db slope on the mids and maybe a little EQ work around the 125-200hz range, depending on what your processing options are, and see if that helps. Also, rather than a xover point of say [email protected]/oct, bump it up to [email protected]/oct, and see if that helps. I'd match the xover point between your mids and sub(s) as well, and use the EQ to fine tune things.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

mikey7182 said:


> A steeper slope tends to create a more punchy sound in my experience, because the transition between drivers is less gradual. I would try a 12db slope on the mids and maybe a little EQ work around the 125-200hz range, depending on what your processing options are, and see if that helps. Also, rather than a xover point of say [email protected]/oct, bump it up to [email protected]/oct, and see if that helps. I'd match the xover point between your mids and sub(s) as well, and use the EQ to fine tune things.


Depends on the drivers completely. I'd disagree with matching the x-over points. With 24db/oct slopes it would make more sense to get them closer, but not equal. You will end up with a spike, depending on room accoustics. 

A 12db slope would have you pushing those frequencies further apart between sub and mid. Plus, if you have a mid driver that is capable of playing lower, you can keep the stage further toward the front of the vehicle, rather than turning up the sub and having it fade to the back as the notes go lower. 

It is also extremely tough to find a driver that will "punch" out the low notes AND be smooth up to a decent x-over point for a tweeter. I take that back, its tough to find an inexpensive driver that does both.

It also depends on how much bass you want. Some are perfectly ok with little to no bass, and sometimes can do without a sub. Others need that super punch, and the problem with that is you end up turning the x-over point up to like 125hz, which grabs the stage and throws it out the back window.


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

It's also going to be vehicle-dependent as well, and it seems that we're both giving advice based on our own experience/vehicles. I don't have a "back window" as I drive a single cab truck, so I don't have the same problem as most guys with their subs in the trunk. So for my setup, I can run my subs a bit higher without running into that problem. I would also say that by crossing your mids lower, you're sacrificing output for stage. A 12" speaker does a lot better job reproducing <125hz than a mid, so to try and cross the mid at 63 or 80 as so many guys do doesn't sound as good (to me). A lot of guys do this and like the results; I'm just not one of them.

Either way you look at xover solutions, you're always going to have a small dip or spike. Depending on vehicle acoustics, this may be compensated for, or made worse. For me, that's where the EQ comes in. If you run a steep slope (i.e. 24db) and LP your subs at 100hz and HP your mids at 125, you're probably going to have a hole. If you run a more shallow slope, you may run into some overlap. The only time I ever leave a gap between xover points is when I'm running a shallow slope. When I run 24db/oct or higher, I always match xover points between drivers and tweak with EQ/TA as needed. All of this though is based on my vehicle and install, so I'm sure it is different for other people who have to try and pull their lower end up front.


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## MIAaron (May 10, 2005)

I usually get the best results with underlapped 6db or 12db slopes between mid & tweet and use 24db for everything else. The only exception is that I will occasionally use a shallow slope HP filter to help tame the extreme low end of an IB install.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Foglght said:


> I'd disagree with matching the x-over points. With 24db/oct slopes it would make more sense to get them closer, but not equal. You will end up with a spike, depending on room accoustics.


Some filters account for overlap, and the stated point is at -3db.


Just sayin'.


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