JL Audio CR-1 Active Subwoofer Crossover

The lucky few who have heard a well-integrated subwoofer in a great audio system know that the subwoofer’s effect is profound. While everyone expects the bass extension to improve, most are shocked at the transformation that occurs in the main speakers. They simply open up, delivering improved dynamics, superior imaging and more low-level detail. Many describe it as the greatest speaker upgrade they have ever made.

Over the years, JL Audio have calibrated many subwoofer systems in highly critical listening environments, and they have been frustrated by the limitations of active crossovers they have worked with. Tired of struggling with “blunt instruments”, JL Audio felt that a higher precision tool was needed, so they decided to build it and call it “CR-1”. When properly set up, CR-1 creates a listening experience in which the subwoofers and main speakers become one, delivering a cohesive and compelling sonic presentation.

The JL Audio CR-1 Active Subwoofer Crossover has been designed by audiophiles, for audiophiles. JL Audio believe it has no equal, offering a powerful combination of subwoofer/satellite tuning features, and a complete commitment to analogue signal purity.

The JL Audio CR-1 is built around two banks of precision Linkwitz-Riley low-pass and high-pass filters. Multiplying DACs with monolithic ratio matching are employed to adjust the analogue circuit’s filter frequencies. This offers superior tracking behaviour and far more precise left/right channel balance, compared to conventional approaches.

Another of CR-1’s unique and powerful features is a pair of rotary controls that control the damping of each filter bank. These damping controls dramatically improve the acoustic summing through the crossover region, by compensating for each speaker system’s frequency response. At the centre of the front panel, a single intuitive, rotary control permits quick adjustment of the relative level between the subwoofer(s) and main speakers.

To minimize distortion and noise, the JL Audio CR-1 employs top-grade component parts in its all-analogue audio circuitry: 1% precision resistors, JFET-input audio-grade op-amps, polypropylene film-and-foil capacitors and metallized-polypropylene film capacitors, to name just a few.

The JL Audio CR-1’s input-output design makes it equally adaptable to studio, mastering suite or audiophile two-channel playback environments. To accommodate dual-mode systems, JL Audio also include a bypass feature that engages a pass-through from a dedicated “Managed Bass Input” on the rear panel, to the CR-1’s subwoofer outputs. This makes it convenient to switch from two-channel to multi-channel mode.

Technical Specifications 

Max. Input Voltage: 8 Vrms (+18 dBv)
Input Impedance: Unbalanced: 50 kΩ Balanced: 20 kΩ (10 kΩ per leg)
Max. Output Voltage: 8 Vrms (+18 dBv)
Output Impedance:Unbalanced: 150 Ω Balanced: 300 Ω (150 Ω per leg)
THD+N: < 0.002% at 8 Vrms/10 kΩ20 Hz – 20 kHz, 90 kHz bandwidth
Channel Separation: >80 dB at 1 kHz
Low Pass Frequency Response: +0, -1 dB from 5 Hz to 1/4 of filter frequency
High Pass Frequency Response: +0, -1 dB from 4x filter frequency to 80 kHz
Power Consumption: 30 Watts (typical, with or without signal)
Mains Voltage: (Frequency) 120V (60 Hz) or 230/240V (50 Hz or 60 Hz), factory-set for destination country