# Which model number was the oldschool Flagship Alpine dividing network crossover



## coomaster1

Hi, I am looking to some one who knows oldschool Alpine electronic dividing network crossovers. I want to know what was Alpines top of the line ,Flagship active dividing network crossover. I need to know the model number. Also I would definitely like to know if I am able to control all my speakers and do detailed crossover settings and detailed frequencies settings with it. I need it to fully separate a 3 way front stage,and a two way rear stage,and control the two rear subwoofers as well. The model alpine 3672 active dividing network comes to mind when I think back,but I'm not sure.Anybody with personal experience in how the sound quality was when you had the same speaker set up .I would love to hear about it. I've always ran my speakers through the passive alpine flagship Spx-F17t crossovers. Surely the flagship alpine dividing network crossover can give me better control ,detail and separation to my music than the alpine passives can. Looking forward to hearing from all the oldschool alpine fanatics like myself that have high volume listening experience with such a crossover. Thanks


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## --Kei--

The digitalmax model was the 3681 which had time alignment and an M-bus connection. (not certain if it worked with all M-bus headunits or just the 7618/19/20 units that could control the 3900 dac) The 3672 was the top end analogue dividing network. I have a 3672 in my system, giving me 3 way front end a sub and bandpass rear fill.


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## coomaster1

Hi Thanks for the quick reply.Just before replying to you I was listening to some you tube videos of a guy that had the alpine 7915 deck and the alpine 3672 active crossover. Also listened to a couple of videos that used the alpine 3672 with the clarion addzest deck.Are you the same guy that posted those sound quality videos. I definitely like the sound quality. I can only imagine how good it sounds in person. I was going to reply and ask how the sound of the alpine 3672 is,but if you are that guy,your videos speak for themselves. I would like to have a 2 channel amp for each of my 2 sets of speakers.Meaning 1 amp for the two front tweeters,1 amp for the two front midrange speakers and 1 amp for the two front midbass speakers. Then another 2 channel amp for the back two tweeters and one more 2 channel amp for the two midrange speakers and one final 2 channel amp for the two subwoofers in the trunk. Will the alpine 3672 have any problems hooking these 6 amps up.,And will I be able to control all the frequencies and crossover settings for each two speakers.My passive alpine spxf17t crossovers are pretty good,but I think the alpine 3672 will bring my stereo to the next level like yours. After hearing yours,I will definitely be going with the 3672 active crossover. I already have a high end alpine anniversary 7909 and seas and focal midranges and will pull out my alpine 6062GD midranges to give them a whirl after hearing your set up with them in.Judging by the videos it definitely sounds like the clarity is there.Is there a nice full sound to the 3672 crossover. Please tell me all about the alpine 3672 active crossover.You were the guy I was hoping to talk to.Some one serios about his car audio sound quality ,and some one that has years of experience using it. Thanks Carey.


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## --Kei--

Those videos on youtube are indeed mine, used to sort of document the progress of setting up. Can't say i've got years of experience as this is my car & first build. I started it 3 years ago and it's still a work in progress. I don't actually have the manual for the 3672 so I only know some of the functions that it can do. AFAIK you can't adjust overlaps on anything other than the sub to midbass and you can't adjust the slopes either. Frequencies and gain levels are set as pairs on the crossover. What you are after should be work fine. The hardest part is setting the crossover points and gain levels.


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## SUX 2BU

I use the predecessor to the 3672: the 3656. Here is a shot of an older iteration of my system in my truck:









I love using it. So very flexible especially when you want to use a 3-way front stage and a sub. The downside to it I find is the fixed 12 dB slopes. Otherwise, that's it. Mine unfortunately lost a ground I think, as it has become very noisy. It's worth it to me to try and either fix it, get it fixed or find another 3656 or 3672 to replace it. While I do am not of the opinion that it "beautified" the sound of my system, I do appreciate the zero noise level it has and it's ease of use.


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## coomaster1

Hi,That looks like a nice set up.I like the look of those oldschool alpine active crossovers. When hooking up these alpine active crossovers. If I have three sets of speakers aka 2 tweeters, 2 midranges and 2 midbasses .,And in the back I have another 2 midranges and 2 tweeters and 2 subwoofers in the trunk. Do I need 6 amps.One 2 channel for each of my 2 speakers since on the alpine 3672 active crossover there is a jack to plug your amp for low,a jack to plug your amp that says mid and a jack that says high,and then a low and high located beside it for your midranges and tweeters in the back. I wouldn't think an amp like the alpine 3566 which is a 6 channel amp would work for these crossovers because you would just plug it into either the low ,mid or high jack and you would loose the sound separation by not keeping you low to low,you mid to mid and you high to high on the active crossover. Is this the case. I only want to use oldschool alpine 2 channel amps ,the alpine 3544 amps so I have lots of headroom for each of my 2 speakers,but installing and finding a place for six of those amps and two 12 inch subwoofers could be a problem. Please refer me to the best way to achive this and if I am correct in my thinking. Thanks.


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## --Kei--

You would need 12 channels in total. I did mine with a 3566 and a 3553, the amplifiers have their built in crossovers set to off so the 3672 does all the separation on the channels. My 3566 handles low frequencies only and the 3553 handles the mids and highs.

For tweeters and mids you wouldn't need the amplifier to be as powerful as the sub/mid bass. I'd say work with 4 channel amps like the 3555 or 3554 for the mids and then something like a 3552/3553 for the highs and then a more powerful 2 channel amp for the midbass/sub(s) like the 3544 or 3549.

To minimise on amps, you could do the whole front end with a single 3566 running the 2 powerful channels to the midbass and the 4 lower power channels to the mids/high. Then run a 4 channel amp for the rears like the 3553 or 3555 depending on how much power you are after. Then a single 3544/3549 for the subs.


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## coomaster1

Hi, I have another quick question about using the alpine 3672 active crossover with my alpine 7909. The voltage on the alpine 7909 ,I think is 4 volt.Will there be any compatibility issues with the voltage on the alpine 3672 crossover making my sound coming out sound quieter.,or will everything be just plug and play. You wouldn't think so since they are both oldschool alpine. Thanks


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## SUX 2BU

I've used a 4v-output Pioneer deck with my 3656 for a long time with no issues at all.


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## --Kei--

I'm using a DRX9255 with mine now which is 4V pre-out and as above its fine. It was also fine with my old 7915M with 0.5V preouts.


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## coomaster1

Thanks guys,You have all been a great help to me.Did any of you originally have quality alpine passive crossovers before the switch to your alpine active crossovers.The reason I ask this is because I myself have the alpine 3 way spxf17t flagship crossovers.They sound very good to me,but I think Alpine must have made the active crossovers for a reason., and am contemplating the change to the alpine 3672 active crossover hoping to get an even fuller and better sound at high volume listening levels like I like .As you already know the passive crossover is located after the amp, and the passive crossover,just after the deck.It will mean I will half to rewire a lot of my stereo differently,and add more amplifiers.From everybody's experience.Will my sound quality be a lot better and fuller than the flagship alpine spxf17t crossovers are offering, or am I best to stay with what I have. Thanks


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## --Kei--

I built my system around the crossover, never actually tried passive crossovers in my system. I wanted maximum quality and flexibilty for minimum outlay. A passive crossover saves you a lot of hassle with setting up but you forgo the ability to tune the crossover points and levels. i'm still pondering about fitting a 3401 parametric EQ before the 3672, but can't make up my mind.


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## coomaster1

I have an equalizer in my set up and I think it allows me to fine tune the stereo a lot better.It is the alpine 3321 11 band equalizer.Not sure how those pararamic equalizers work. I definitely think I have a problem with the passive crossover not letting all my power come through freely and not being able for it to allow me to fully adjust my midranges to sound full and detailed.I was always wondering if when adding say ,the alpine 3672 active crossover,if I keep the alpine 3321 equalizer and added the active crossover after it or was it better to do away with the equalizer and add the 3672 directly to the deck for the best sound quality.I've never had a stereo without an equalizer.It would seem to me you would be at the mercy of how good your deck sounded.


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## --Kei--

At present my system has no equalizer and never has. I'd say a parametric EQ before the crossover is what you would need. The 1/2 din equalisers usually only have one pair of RCA inputs and a sub out. The 3401 i'm looking at takes 4 channels in and the eq points are adjustable in frequency, gain and Q. I think audiocontrol made a unit that was extremely similar. An RTA is probably necessary with an EQ to stand any chance of getting things right as you end up with too much control. I still find myself occasionally making tweaks nearly 2 years on. I find that the customisations that you get from the 3672 can give you a form of EQ as you adjust the gain on each set of speakers which play a specific frequency range. (which you can alter) The separate EQ would be useful for combating car environment/speaker issues where you get peaks and dips in the frequency response.


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## coomaster1

Thanks for all the input sounds like the 3672 should help,not hinder my sound.The 3401 equalizer sounds like it might be another option for an oldschool alpine fan like myself as well. Thanks again.


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## SUX 2BU

In that pic I posted above, I had a 3401 in that system too:









I ended up bypassing it as I found I had better control of my sound with using just the 3656. It seemed to 'choke' the sound a little bit too. The 3401 is extremely flexible though and I may try using it again, once I have a couple of the RCA connections fixed.


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## coomaster1

Hi,Thanks for the pic.I kind of figured that adding the extra component like the alpine 3401 might make it harder to set.Usually the more you have in the system,the more complicated it gets, and as you found out.,harder to get the sound just right. Nothing beats talking to guys like yourselves with personal experience with these oldschool alpine pieces. If I was going to get rid of my alpine passive crossovers for one of these active crossovers. Will I need to get rid of my alpine 3321 equalizer that's coming off the deck since the alpine active crossover will be all I need to get great sound quality.,and to keep the signal simplified., or do you guys think keeping the alpine 3321 eq in the system will be a benefit to the sound quality.If the active crossover can do all the precise setting of all my speakers,then one less component in the signal path should be a good thing for optimizing my sound quality. Thanks


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## fabrique au japon

Parametrics are difficult to adjust while driving. Set it and use your bass and treble for minor adjustments. Driving and adjusting is as bad as texting. Parametric equalizers are best suited to level out the dips and peaks in your frequency response. Hence, set it and leave it alone. Actual frequency response and personal settings are two different world's. Your other eq works well for your personal likes while adjusting and driving. 
As for the crossovers, active will blow your mind!!! I'm running the 3656 plus an audio control ESP 3. Eight amps, yeah. A fleet of 3525's, a pair of 3537's, and a 3539. Only Active crossovers gives you the clearity at high or full volumes. Passive crossovers become bottle necks to the speaker. Definitely do it with active even though you have to rewire. You will love it hands down. 
The 3656 is better than the newer ones. Better precision of the internal componets. Actually the 3654 Dividing Network (din model) was the best, as for frequency response. No dips and peaks from an RTA with that baby. Dividing Networks are 3 to 6 active crossovers packed into one chassis controlling the whole system by dividing the frequency response precisely to your componets. With that, your componets can handle much more power. FYI, 30 watts for tweeters just isn't enough.
If your into clearity. Then separation, front stage , rear fill, imagery, and Oh my God will be a part of your new vocabulary when running these complex crossovers. Not to mention aiming each and every speaker at the listener, via molded panels.This greatly increases the decibles, separation, and imagery. Kind of makes those 30 watts for tweets acceptable.


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## coomaster1

Hi, Nice to hear from someone like yourself, that is running the oldschool alpine active set up.Sounds like you have a great oldschool system. I finally got my stereo rewired,so I can add amplifiers easily now. I will be using the alpine 3672 active crossover.Since it has 6 channels,and front and rear settings.This will be my first active system.and after talking with you.It should sound fantastic when I'm done. I have a question about my tweeters though.I'm used to tweeter protection in my passive crossovers protecting my tweeters.,and so far I have never blown a tweeter,since the alpine spx-f17t crossover has a light bulb fuse that get brighter if it needs to protect the tweeters. When I go active.What will protect my tweeters.Is there anything I can put in before the tweeter.,To protect the tweeter from getting to much power,and blowing.Thanks


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## vwdave

There is no real protection. Going active is kind of dangerous and a more advanced setup because you lose some of those protections. It's possible to set the frequencies incorrectly and blow a speaker. You want to be very careful when setting it all up to not blow anything.

That being said, you amps still have fuses to protect against a power surge and higher end equipment will be more accurate, so as long as it's set right you shouldn't have any problems. The only thing I hear is a possible issue is turn on pop and turn off pop.

Is this really a revival of a 2 year old thread?


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## coomaster1

Hi, Thanks for the heads up on setting up an active system.Sounds like it would be worth it sound quality wise.,but a little tricky setting it up to keep speakers safe. I looked at the year this was started,and I guess 2 years later,and it still goes. I have no problems with that.If someone has input for the better or worse,I'm all for it.


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## ATOMICTECH62

You should always put a high quality cap(Poly or Film Foil) on the tweeters positive lead.
This will give it protection from any low frequency or DC thumps if a setting gets changed or something like an RCA comes loose.The value of the cap should be set for about 1 octave lower then the crossover frequency.Usually something like 15-30uf will work.
If the crossover frequency and slope are correct for the tweeter then no further protection should be needed.Removing the passive power robbing parts from the signal is the reason we go active.Those light bulbs cause compression and the PTC type breakers cause the tweeters to cycle on & off or drop to a lower power if they are bypassed by a resistor.
I am running 130 watts each to tweeters rated at 40 watts and listen to my music LOUD with no problems.

If you feel you must add tweeter protection for some reason the you can very easily add light bulbs or PTC breakers to the positive leads.The bulbs are nothing more then 12volt interior bulbs and the PTC breakers can be found at places like Parts Express.They come in different sizes(amps).


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## fabrique au japon

All right well said. Allow me to challenge that. 
A two year old thread is just a drop in the bucket because vintage Alpine reclaims its roots and conquers everything that wants a challenge......
Alpine equipment has soft turn on circuitry. My set up was exclusively Alpine. No thump from turn on and off. If you have that thump, it can be problematic when its the obnoxious type. I think a mild thump if anything wont hurt them.
My theory is eliminating any disruptions in the speaker wire. Speaker wire diameters have a cross sectional area. Changes of one cross sectional area to a smaller cross sectional area and then back to a larger cross sectional area, are bottle necks. Certain crimp connectors and etc. ... are culprits . You need to simply allow the electrons to flow and oscillate freely. 
Crossover frequency as mentioned earlier is a huge factor. I prefer 9.6kHz. Yeah it's not as bright, but you can turn up the level to compensate. 
Tweeter construction is critical in respects to whether or not it is ferrofluid cooled.
Broken connections from a mobile environment reek havoc on all your equipment. Your Alpine is getting to be 20 years soon. I kept a maintenance schedule on my equipment. Just open them up and examine the circuit board solder connections about once a year or so. Resolder especially at the RCA, all potentiometers, and switches. That is if you have a daily driver. Now would be the best time to do this. 
Everything we're talking about happens. Keep in mind you're in good hands with your 3672. You're going to be ok without any protection. Its an ////lPINE, enjoy it my friend!


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## coomaster1

Hi, Thanks for all the options on tweeter protection.When I looked at the light bulb on the crossover when the stereo was up loud.The light bulb was not coming on or off. It must just come on when things are getting to the extreme. I looked at my old alpine big 6010 tweeters,and they have what looks like a gray poly cap on each tweeter right from the factory.What is the best sounding cap you can put on a tweeter. I know no cap is probably the best.But if I wanted to put one on ,I'd like it to be the most protective for the tweeter,While being the best sounding.Is there a place that sells high quality tweeter caps? In the back,I have the big alpine 6022 tweeters that are ferofluid cooled,There was a time when I lost my licence,and the tweeter sat for a couple of years.I always wondered,does the ferofluid dry up inside the tweeter,and if so does that mean your tweeter is no longer cooled properly,and does it make it sound differently. Also I have run alpine amps for many years,and have always just flipped a switch I see on the side of the amp that says (fixed or variable) to fixed,and my stereo has always been able to be turned up to loud high volume without distorting whatsoever,and able to turn the volume knob right to the end.My question is :How much power are you allowing the alpine 3544 amp to put out when you have you alpine 7909 turned up to full volume. Is fixed on the amp giving me 1/2 or 3/4 the full output the alpine 3544 amp has to offer when the volume knob is turned up.Thanks


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## coomaster1

Is there nobody that has answers to my final questions in my last thread.Pretty please.


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## fabrique au japon

The light bulb not coming on is a good sign. Is clean power. Doesn't look like you will really have an issue with protection. Again I suggest no cap. There is really no better cap. One cap is a 6db/octave slope. Anything better would be the Passive Crossover you had previously. That makes the setup a little senseless. Besides the fact of a cap running with an active system can cause dips in your frequency response curve. That's like holes or missing sound. All of the componet Alpine Tweeters as far as I know are ferrofluid cooled. It doesn't go bad. You see when the light bulb came on eventually, that's the amperage developing from the amp. Amperage makes heat in all cases. Ferrofluid designs enable the voice coil of the tweeter to cool and not burn up. Passive crossovers are a dirtier sound which is distortion which is also heat. Keep your settings to fixed. Yeah cleaner. Use level control to make louder. This the difference between mV levels and db levels. The 3544 is 150 watts x 2 at most levels. Though it can dynamically be more than that as seen by its power vs distortion curve.


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## coomaster1

Thanks for answering my final questions ,and finishing up with me.You guys are the best.


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## Angga

coomaster1 said:


> Thanks for answering my final questions ,and finishing up with me.You guys are the best.


Hi all master alpiners,

I just bought used 3566 and plan to start my audio journey with it.
i plan to use audison bit one to get 6 channels separate for tweeters, midrange and midbass and use another amp (audiosystem twister F4600) for 2 rear (coax) and sub (i plan to use bridge for maximum power). is this a correct plan?

Is there anybody had an experience combining 3566 with audison bit one?
also when i opened 3566 case, i found one greem capacitor near the battery input is burnout, but when i try to run all the speakers i did work perfectly...
so what it is burnout green capacitor? should i do something with it?


i hope there is anybody can help me with this...appreciate it so much

regards


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## ATOMICTECH62

The only things that are green in these amps are the square looking filter inductors and the base resistors for the power supply switching transistors.
If its the inductor then its not that big of a deal.If its one of the base resistors it is.
If the resistor is burnt then that means the transistor it was driving has a short and it is no longer working correctly and both the transistor and resistor will need replaced.
The switching transistor should be a D1669 and the resistor is 10 ohm at 1 watt(brown,black,black).
There are other green 10 ohm resistors but they are on the other side of the amp.Each one sits next to a circular copper coil.One for each channel.

You should probably start a new thread about the bit one into the Alpine.


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## Angga

ATOMICTECH62 said:


> The only things that are green in these amps are the square looking filter inductors and the base resistors for the power supply switching transistors.
> If its the inductor then its not that big of a deal.If its one of the base resistors it is.
> If the resistor is burnt then that means the transistor it was driving has a short and it is no longer working correctly and both the transistor and resistor will need replaced.
> The switching transistor should be a D1669 and the resistor is 10 ohm at 1 watt(brown,black,black).
> There are other green 10 ohm resistors but they are on the other side of the amp.Each one sits next to a circular copper coil.One for each channel.
> 
> You should probably start a new thread about the bit one into the Alpine.



THANKS!!

I tried to collect picture from google and found this 3553 opened case.
I pointed with yellow circle, which green resistor that i meant.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=56736&stc=1&d=1414239580

So with this picture can you help me what component that i should replace?


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## ATOMICTECH62

That's the parts I was referring to.The D1669 and the 10 ohm resistor needs replaced.
Usually all the D1669's go out at the same time but I have seen this before.If you are going to go to the trouble of taking it apart to replace the one you should just replace them all.


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