2-way or 3-way?

 

So you can set the cut off for the 12" driver(s) at say 120hz-1.2kz [1 way], and then set the high pass to 1.2khz-20khz [2 way]...thus 2 way XO.  A 3 way passive would be if you have say a third driver in that same cabinet that you wanted to maybe have 3 highways of traffic open.

 

Follow me?

 

Now, here is where you are limiting yourself with the passive crossovers: Once you configure those settings inside that cabinet, you will have to open up those cabs and tweek that xo again. And depending on what cabs you have or dont have at a gig, you may not always want the same "traffic" controls in place.

 

With a external XO, you can change the settings on the fly and swap around cabs for different functions. Maybe at some gigs where you have better subs, you may want your 12"'s not to work as hard and restrict them to do more of the hi work. Or maybe you didnt bring the subs, and today you want those 12" to drop a little lower down to 50-60hz range and to do more low end work.

 

Again, the point is if you are only talking 1-3 cabs, then really you wont see a difference, however, if you got a 10+ cab system, to try and buy xo's for all of them is just insane, when you can get a cheap external and have more control over your tweaking.

 

Flexibility is the key term Barry....hope this helps

 

PS - im going to have to get with someone else on the ohn wiring question you had in the other thread....im not too sure if there will be a load reduction either way....there should be in parallel, but, not in series.