by Jonathan » Wed May 25, 2005 7:35 pm
If your crossover is 1st order (6db/oct), then it's ok not to run the woofer. If your crossover is 2nd order (12db/oct) or above, DO NOT run it without a load (woofer). Since high order crossovers use either caps or inductors in parallel (dependant on if it's a LPF or HPF) in the circuit, when the speaker is removed, the circuit becomes a resonant circuit. At the crossover frequency (or some multiple of the crossover frequency) the circuit will essentially present a 0 ohm load to the amplifier. The only resistance you will have will be in the speaker wire and the inductor or capacitor. Any time that there is audio at the resonant frequency, the amplifier will be stressed the same as if the speaker wires were shorted together.
If your crossover is 1st order (6db/oct), then it's ok not to run the woofer. If your crossover is 2nd order (12db/oct) or above, DO NOT run it without a load (woofer). Since high order crossovers use either caps or inductors in parallel (dependant on if it's a LPF or HPF) in the circuit, when the speaker is removed, the circuit becomes a resonant circuit. At the crossover frequency (or some multiple of the crossover frequency) the circuit will essentially present a 0 ohm load to the amplifier. The only resistance you will have will be in the speaker wire and the inductor or capacitor. Any time that there is audio at the resonant frequency, the amplifier will be stressed the same as if the speaker wires were shorted together.