Car Audio Crossovers

In order to understand the function of the car audio crossover one must first review the role of the car power amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signal that is passing through the car audio system. The power going into the amplifier comes from the car battery. After passing through the amplifier, a stronger and more powerful signal then passes into the car’s speaker system.

Sometimes a power amplifier comes equipped with special features. The car audio crossover can be added to a car amplifier. A car crossover allows the amplifier to divide the music by frequency. The divided signal becomes strengthened by the amplifier and then leaves the amp and proceeds to another part of the car speaker system.

Once the different frequencies have been attenuated, i.e. cut, from the signal fed into the amplifier, then the strengthened signal can be sent to more than one of the components in the audio system. For example, signals representing low frequency sounds can be routed to the subwoofer. Signals representing high frequency sounds can follow more than one path within the car speaker system. If the system contains tweeters, then the signals for the very highest frequencies will be sent to the tweeters. Signals for sounds that do not contain very high or very low frequencies will be sent to the car speakers.

Not every car audio crossover operates in the same fashion. Crossovers vary as to the number of frequencies sent to other components of the car audio system. Crossovers also vary as to the rate at which the frequencies are attenuated or cut. This rate, however, is not fixed. The owner of a car audio system can adjust the rate at which the crossover attenuates or cuts the frequencies that become fed into the power amplifier.

In the absence of a car audio crossover the car audio system receives power from the car battery and electrical signals from the radio, the tape or the CD. The amplifier makes those signals stronger; it increases the power coming from the battery. In the presence of the car audio crossover those signals are separated according to their frequencies. The separated signals then pass on to the amplifier and the strengthened signals proceed along the audio wire to different components in the car audio system.