If you are anything like most people, you enjoy playing the stereo in your car while you drive. Whether it’s listening to a podcast during your morning commute or cranking up the volume on your favorite songs, our car audio systems are an essential part of the overall driving experience.

A car audio system sounds best when everything is set correctly and in optimal working order. Unbeknownst to many, integrating a crossover frequency in your vehicle can make your sound system even better. So what are crossover frequencies? How do they work? And how would you set a crossover frequency for your car audio system?

While this may all seem a bit confusing on the surface, a detailed explanation of these terms will make it much easier to understand why crossovers make such a notable difference in our car audio systems.

In physics, frequency is defined as the number of waves that pass a fixed point in unit time. It also is defined as the number of cycles or vibrations undergone during one unit of time by a body in periodic motion. 

A “fixed place” can be any number of locations, including your headphones, speakers, amplifiers, or any kind of acoustic component. The frequency response shows how well a specific audio producer can reproduce all of the tones we can hear. 

Frequency is measured in the hertz (Hz) unit, and the hearing range of humans is from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Frequency response is divided into three primary segments: bass, mid-frequency, and treble.

In the simplest terms, a crossover is a frequency at which sound transitions from one audio source to another, often a speaker. In a passive speaker, the electronic crossover components determine the sound transitions from the speaker channels to a subwoofer. 

Each speaker in your car audio system has a crossover frequency that is generally set in the AV receiver by a processor. This processor filters low-frequencies away from the speaker channels and redirects them to the subwoofer channel. This process is referred to as digital bass management, and it creates a seamless blend of sound between the subwoofer and the speaker channels. 

In many cases, crossover frequencies are set for each channel by the AV processor during auto-calibration. However, the crossover frequency can also be set manually when further optimization is necessary.

While our car speakers can blast our favorite tunes at the turn of a dial, they are not without their shortcomings. 

The most common speaker sizes installed at the factory are 3.5”, 4”, or 5.25”. These smaller speaker sizes allow for minimal bass reference, making it difficult to hear (or feel) your bass tones when playing audio. Even worse, they can distort the sound when you attempt to rectify the issue through manual EQ adjustments. Crossovers help because they block terrible-sounding audio frequencies that only cause problems. 

Crossovers are an electronic component circuit designed to react to specific frequencies. In laymen’s terms, every crossover can be set to the desired spectrum of sound where only frequencies within that particular range pass through. 

There are three types of crossovers: 

Keep in mind that there is not a perfect set of crossover frequencies that work for every speaker in every car. In nearly all situations, crossovers will require some form of adjusting to optimize their effectiveness. 

Depending on the exact type of speaker system in your car, these frequencies can vary slightly. But we’ve created a list of frequency ranges that will work well in most situations:

If your car has a modern AV receiver that features an auto EQ program, consider yourself lucky. Vehicles that have this program will assign the proper crossover frequency automatically, so it’s best to leave those settings the way they are, as they are already specifically tailored to your car audio system. 

For vehicles without a modern AV receiver, setting a crossover frequency on your own takes a little time and patience. It’s a process that requires a lot of listening and tweaking until you dial in the best sounding results. 

Here are the steps for setting a crossover frequency: 

Though it may sound mildly complex, installing crossovers isn’t too complicated if you’re armed with the proper knowledge. Passive crossovers are relatively simple, as you’ll only need to wire a crossover between your amp and your speakers. On the other hand, active crossover installation requires a few additional steps and may require a certain level of expertise. Active crossovers require power, so you’ll have to run power and ground wires to each unit. If you are going the DIY route, the best thing to do is ground your crossover in the same place you grounded your amplifier. 

The answer to the question of whether you need a professional or not lies in your knowledge and experience working with car audio systems. Suppose you have little to no practical experience with installing car audio systems. In that case, we suggest you employ a car audio specialist’s services and have your crossovers set by professionals.

Understanding how to properly set a crossover frequency for your car audio system begins with a comprehensive knowledge of how your audio system is configured. The type of receiver and speakers you have will have a direct impact on your crossover frequency. Though we have outlined the basic steps, keep in mind there may be other recommendations that vary from those mentioned above. At the end of the day, fine-tuning is the most important element of a successful crossover. Let these recommendations be a general guideline, but note that the final settings are dependent upon your fine-tuning and the quality of sound you find most ideal.

Real insights from real owners

© 2022 J.D.Power. All rights reserved.

© 2019 J.D.Power. All rights reserved.