Are 200W RMS 3-Way Crossovers Big Enough For 450W RMS Speakers??? Burnt Out Crossovers!, Help!?

Question

I have a pair of DJ Speakers and the other night my speakers caught on fire!, I pulled them apart and found that the crossovers in them got really hot and melted and caught fire. I have a amp pumping 450W RMS into each speaker at 8Ohm. The speakers are around the 350-450 RMS mark. The speaker are fine its just the crossovers. they are 3 way. Any ways i just need some new crossovers for them. The largest i can find are 200W RMS, 3 way. Will this be enough? i dont want the same thing to happen. I think the speakers are really just a rip off!, They look really good and sound good but when you look inside everything just looks really cheap. The speaker wires inside the enclosure are like 24gauge ( really small and thin) wire. I really need help on this one. If i cannot fix them i will go out and buy some new speakers. Out of these 2 what would be the best?

http://www.jblpro.com/JRX/JRX125.htm

http://www.nuloop.com/en/dj-equipment/item/39777/live_sound/wharfedale_lx215.html

Answer 1

Its the amp power that matters, not the speaker power.  However, since you have a 450W amp, you need a crossover that can handle at least that.  In fact, I would go for 900W.  A good 450RMs amp can output much more than that over short periods.

You may find this difficult to find, but keep searching.

An alternative is to "bi-amp", using an electronic crossover before the main amps, and using the high powered-amp for the low range speaker, and a much lesser powered amp (maybe 100W) for the upper two.  Use a low-powered 2-way speaker crossover for the upper two speakers.  You should keep the same crossover frequencies you now have.

Answer 2

I would go with the JBL's - the JRX series gets some pretty good reviews online.

Keep in mind it is distortion that damages speakers - watch the peak leds on your amp when you are playing the system loudly.  The peak led's should only come on occasionally if at all.  If they are always on, you will damage your speakers.

If you plan to fix the speakers, get a replacement crossover from the manufacturer of the speakers.

Answer 3

I'd buy the JBL speakers....

If you want the crossovers, I'd just go to the manufacturer that made your speaker, and beef up the wiring inside to 18 gauge....but that would mean your crossovers could blow again.

But the JBLs can certainly handle the power you are using.....

And since you are getting PAID to produce, you don't want to fall short with your customers, do you ?