X-Over Breathing Room

[Steve Manning]

I am working on a cabinet design and I am looking at mounting the crossover components in a compartment at the bottom of the cabinet, closed off from the speaker itself. The plan is to have it more accessible if anything needed repairing or modifying later. The crossover board would be mounted upside down and the compartment that would closed to the outside world with a cover. The closest the cover would be to anything is ~1/4” which would be the largest capacitor, resistors are at roughly 2” and coils are 1-1 1/2” away. I was pondering if I needed to worry about heating issues having the x-over in a more confined area like this? I have seen similar stuff in commercial products, even having potting material surrounding the components; I think Sonus Faber does this. I do like the fact that batting material would not be coming in contact with the components as well.
Does anyone have any thought or experience going this route?
Thanks,
Steve

[JonMarsh]

I've done similar things, i don't think you should have any issues, UNLESS you use small wattage resistors for zobels and attenuator networks, THEN beat the speakers to death with loud compressed program material. Otherwise, what you're suggesting should be fine. Watch out for interaction between inductors, don't place air core inductors too close to each other oriented in the same plane- rotate them 90 degrees if they have to be close.

[AdelaaR]

I made crossover compartments for my Statements.
I used high wattage resistors and so they probably would have been fine with the compartment completely closed, but I decided that having a few holes in the cover of the compartment at the back of the speaker certainly won't hurt and it can possibly be good.
Closing of something that becomes hot is generally bad.

[Steve Manning]

Thanks for the feedback gents ..... The design calls for 5-10 watt resistors and I plan on going 10 watt for all of them. Thanks for the reminder on the coils Jon, I've been looking at that already since things could be a little closer together if I do place the x-over as described.

AdelaaR I had given the idea of some holes in the cover some consideration, with the speakers sitting on carpet, even spiked, I was not sure how much air flow I would get. Every little bit would help though.

Steve

[PMazz]

[Steve Manning]

Now that's a crossover ....

[AdelaaR]

Damn! Any special reason for the huge amount of capacitors in parallel?

[AdelaaR]

AdelaaR I had given the idea of some holes in the cover some consideration, with the speakers sitting on carpet, even spiked, I was not sure how much air flow I would get. Every little bit would help though.

If the compartment is in the bottom it probably won't help much.
My covers are at the back of my speakers and so a few holes in top and bottom of the covers ensure airflow in my case.

[PMazz]

Damn! Any special reason for the huge amount of capacitors in parallel?

Years ago, in a galaxy far away, Madisound sold these GE caps priced to go. ThomasW turned me on to them and I built quite a few xovers with them. If space isn't an issue and you can afford the solder it's no big deal. The design is Jon's MTM M8tas.