It’s only a matter of making connection options so you can choose to bypass the crossovers and connect directly to the drivers. However, some drivers won’t provide an acceptable load to an amp (and it’s possible PS Audios will be like that).
Yes, the last I heard, the only active portion of the speakers will be the woofer section. All else passive.
From what I can tell, the AN3 will still be capable of bi or tri amping, just not self contained (except the woofer). (?)
Yeah but give those of us with active crossovers the option to connect direct please?
Problem with providing an active option for all drivers is a lot of people don’t know what they’re doing. They’ll plug the high end in a full range amp and let the magic smoke out.
Sounds like customer support/returns/repairs headache.
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Sigh.
You’re probably right.
At least then, bear in mind whenn designing that some will want to open the back to bypass the passive crossover. Making that relatively easy with a screwdriver might be nice 
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Tri amping is not the same as active because by active I mean using electronic crossovers before the power amps so that the drivers are directly connected to the power amps. Admittedly this is most important in the bass. Certain driver types don’t present normal loads so would need some circuitry to make them ‘look’ normal. In my 3-way active system I use a pair of BHK250s for the mid/treble and an 1800 watt (into 2 ohms) Crown amp for the bass (the crossover is a DEQX HDP-5 which does EQ and crossover plus other clever things).
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Seems like a shame to use a crown amp alongside high quality amps like BHK, IMO.
The Crown amp that I’ve chosen, no longer available so I’ve acquired two spares, works very well (an alternative Crown model with similar power doesn’t work well). My two 15" bass drivers are paralleled so have a DC resistance of just 2.05 ohms - the 240V Crown CE4000 works just fine.
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Crown doesn’t sound from mids upwards, but is tight as hell in bass. I’d love to see/hear @danofesherintheuk‘s setup…crazy amount of power for an active setup.
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Crown amps are not even in the same zip code as BHKs! But probably are sufficient for subs. I’d suggest driving them with the (existing) BHKs. Probably be an improvement.
Sorry, I’ve done my homework and the Crown CE4000 sounds fantastic - I did try other amps, including stereo amps from Rotel and Bryston. I wouldn’t ruin my system for the sake of a few thousand pounds.
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To each his own. I don’t consider crown amps (especially with 3 speed fans) as audiophile quality. Just my opinion.
So, keeping with you thoughts…
i would say that soooo many don’t know how to set up their sub woofers also?..
Or not…
Dear kylemillsap, if you hate my bass amp you’d hate the fact that none of my speaker cables are expensive, and worse still, they’re different for each driver (so they don’t look similar in any way - some being copper, the tweeter being silver plated - no expense spared there at about £6/m).
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I never said I hate your amp, sorry I hurt your feelings.
My point was, your BHKs are far superior, IMO, you’d be more well served by using them to power speaker completely. I wish for you, nothing, but great listening!
Definitely regarding nearly all aspects of sound quality…if pure bass performance is better of the BHK I don’t know, but I know that the Crown have a very firm bass.
Dearest kylemillsap, I suggest you do your homework to understand what is meant by active operation. Active crossovers can be implemented digitally (i.e. in software) or by using analogue components (which are far less flexible than software can be).
To power the bass I could buy some well known monoblocks that have something like 1000w with a 350 or so damping factor, or I could pick up a Crown CE4000 with 1800w and a 700 damping factor (I’ll admit to always having a ‘thing’ about Crown amps ever since I read about their DC300A). Whatever, if I need/choose BHK250s for the mid and treble I cannot also use those same amps for the bass, i.e. in an active system each frequency range needs its own power amp and its common to provide more power for the bass drivers than will be needed for the higher frequencies. At least jazznut understands what active speakers are and how good some models of Crown amp are for bass.
These older Crown amps were designed to run sound systems in clubs where multiple bass drivers are used hour after hour to make one’s trousers flap - they are superb for bass usage and were in those days designed to drive very low impedences safely. The latest Crown amps tend to have dsp in them and no longer are designed for safe low impedence usage. I’ve never heard the fan move from its lowest setting. Here’s what Harman Kardon say about Crown: Crown Audio is a pioneer in amplified sound, designing and manufacturing world-class professional audio products for more than 65 years. With more than 60 patents on amplifier technology, Crown ’s amplifiers and system control products are a staple in live and fixed installations, from large stadiums and arenas to portable PA systems for musicians and DJs.
I rest my case.
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You are spot-on. An Active system when implemented properly would trounce any passive system when using the same speakers and equipment. Back in the 80s I used passive Linn Isobariks ( DMS – Domestic Monitor System ) I stripped out the front and internal bass drivers and fitted 12 x speaker sockets to the rear panel and wired each of the 6 speaker units to a pair of speaker sockets + / -.
I used 6 x Naim (chrome bumper) 250s (3 x 250 per loudspeaker). Initially I used a Naim 3 / 6 crossover: then later on I used the Linn Aktiv crossover with time alignment, etc. Each drive unit directly coupled to an amplifier channel was/is a HUGE improvement over one power amplifier / channel fighting against a passive filter network, separating bass/mid/top.
Only downside being expense: Multiplies of amplifiers, speaker cables, interconnects, an electronic Xover… ‘plus it takes up a lot of room space’! But the sonic’s of a fully Active Linn/Naim Brik system were on another level to the passive version of the system…!
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Indeed, options are always nice. I think where we’re at for now is internally amplified subwoofers in the AN3, and externally amplified midbass, midrange, and tweeters through an internal passive crossover. We’re going to make the crossover removable for future
options we provide to internally amplify, but that’s not likely going to help you do it yourself.
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