AC 22 & AC 22B Active Crossovers
The Rane AC 22 and AC 22B Active Crossovers are configurable as Stereo 2-Way or Mono 3-Way. They employ state-variable 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley filter alignments to minimize phase difficulties in the critical crossover region. Two models are available with different connectors. The model AC 22 utilizes 1/4" TRS connectors with balanced/unblanced inputs and unbalanced outputs. The AC 22B uses XLR connectors with active balanced inputs and outputs.
Simply put, a Linkwitz-Riley alignment is two cascaded 2nd-order Butterworth filters exhibiting identical phase characteristics on their Low pass and High pass Outputs. This guarantees in-phase outputs at all frequencies, mandatory for proper acoustic summing of common signals from adjacent drivers in the crossover region. An added benefit of this topology is steep 24 dB per octave rolloff slopes. A slope of this magnitude guarantees drivers designed to produce a specific range of frequencies, and no more, will not be driven past their limits, thereby minimizing distortion and driver fatigue.
To further guarantee the transparent operation of the AC 22, adjustable time Delay circuits appear on the Low (and Mid when used in 3-Way mode) Outputs of each Channel to compensate for any physical misalignment of the drivers. Time correction ensures the mechanical phase alignment of adjacent drivers will be acoustically correct, thus maintaining the integrity of the electrical phase alignment of the crossover's filters. The Low Delay circuit may be internally transplanted to the High Output when neccessary. CD horn equalization is also possible with an internal modification. A Mono Subwoofer switch provides the option to sum both Low Outputs in Stereo 2-Way mode.