Harman Kardon CXO-1 - Putting an Electronic Crossover to Work in Your Car Stereo System

Exploring the
CX0-1's Switches
and Controls
Putting the
CXO-1's Flexibility
to Work for You
Exterior Connections. Across the top of
the CXO-1 are the labels for the
inputs, outputs and power connec-
tions on the side of the unit. Each is
discussed further on.
Output Level. These rotary controls
determine the relative levels of
front, rear and subwoofer sections.
You will adjust them by ear (with a
screwdriver) as the final operation
during installation.
50Hz Equalizer Section includes a rotary
control for varying the amount of
boost, and the SUB ONLY/SUB +
REAR switch (Switch 3) which deter-
mines which channels receive the
equalization.
High and Low Limit Switches. Next are
the actual crossover controls which
determine what frequencies are
passed to each speaker. Low Limit
Because of the Harman Kardon
CXO-1’s unique input/output
switching ability, you can make use
of its features in many different
ways. For example:
® Want to be able to control the
amount of ultra-low subwoofer bass
from ahead unit with just 2 pre-amp
outputs and fader/balance control?
Connect one pre-amp output to the
front channel input of the CXO-1
and the other to its subwoofer input.
Switch 1 then lets you route the
same front channel input to the rear
channel, too. Adjusting the head
unit’s control lets you balance the
subwoofer vs. front-and-rear
speakers.
¢ Want front-to-back fader control
on a 2 pre-amp output head unit?
Connect one pre-amp output to the
CXO-1’s front input and one pre-
amp output to the rear input. Switch
2 is then used to route rear input to
the subwoofer section, too. Adjust-
ing the head unit fader/balance
control now controls the amount of
front vs. rear-and-subwoofer output.
determines the lowest frequency
which the midranges and tweeters
will reproduce. High Limit sets max-
imum frequency which will be sent
to the midrange and subwoofer. By
setting these switches, you effec-
tively set the upper and lower
frequency limits for each speaker.
Since crossover points are deter-
mined by the specific speakers you
have chosen to use, you should con-
sult with your Harman Kardon
dealer, or the specifications of the
speakers to determine each High
and Low Limit switch setting.
200Hz Notch Filters. Two rotary con-
trols are provided to vary the amount
of cut you wish to apply at 200Hz.
They should be set flat during initial
crossover level adjustments and then
applied by ear in the final stage of
installation.
e But what if you want to use a sub-
woofer with a head unit that has
only one pre-amp output? Connect
it to the CXO-1’s rear input and
close Switches 1 and 2. Now you can
connect amps to the front, rear and
subwoofer outputs.
© How abouta simpler system with
just front and rear speaker systems?
In this case, the rear speakers will
be doing the work of a subwoofer, so
that 50Hz boost circuit would be
especially helpful. Just close
Switches 2 and 3. The signal is first
routed through the 50Hz boost cir-
cuit, then enters the rear channel
circuits.
The next section will elaborate on
these and other possibilities.