Active with DRT-26A tweets

[KOL]

Hello CDT Forum :D

I have a couple questions regarding DRT-26A tweets run active.

1) How much power can I safely give them?
2) How low can I safely HP them & at what slope should I use? 6, 12, 18 & 24 dB/oct are my options -keep in mind I'll be giving them as much clean power as they can safely take.

Thanks in advance

[VertexAudio]

Hello KOL and welcome :)

I'm going to address question 2 first:

First, make sure you fully understand how to tune your system before diving into an active setup. An active system is not about playing your tweeters as low as you safely can. Rather, it's about finding the most optimal crossover points and slopes for your specific setup. Not only does this take into account the drivers used, but it largely focuses on your vehicle and it's acoustic environment.

The key to active tuning is trial and error. Nobody can tell you what points, slopes, etc. your filters should be set at to achieve an optimal response. Every vehicle is different. You need to take the time to mess around with your specific setup until you've dialed in optimal settings. Experiment with many different crossovers points and slopes until you find a setting you're happy with.

That being said, the lowest I would recommend playing the DRT-26A's is 2.5kHz. We've done many cars with active DRT-26 setups ranging from 40w RMS up to 100w RMS per channel (disclaimer: this is above CDT's RMS rating for these tweeters). There's nothing wrong with a little headroom when used appropriately. If this is your first active setup though, I'd recommend staying conservative until you've got a full grasp of active tuning. Note that though the amps may have the previously mentioned power ratings, we make sure to tune everything exactly where it needs to be...including the sometimes overlooked details (such as gain - you can find an excellent tutorial here: Gain Tutorial (http://www.cdtforums.com/showthread.php?p=555#post555))

So give us a few more details regarding your planned setup and at the least, we can recommend some general starting points for tuning. :)

[Steve]

Will you be running a 2 or 3 way front stage? What all are you using (mids, amps, processor)? I agree with everything Mike has told you. Test out different tweeter locations, different crossover points and slopes. The tweeter is hands down the biggest PITA when it comes to tuning and placement.