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Why are active crossovers uncommon in home audio?

Welcome to ASR.

I think you are right, most home audio customers don't want to design their own speakers.

Active crossovers are almost universal in pro-PA sound, and are common in pro studio monitors. On ASR, if you go to Review Index > select Speakers > search for Powered, you will find many reviews.

For DIY, there are many DSP 2- and 3- way plate amps based on Hypex and Ice Power, two class-d amplifier module manufacturers. Dayton makes DSP plate amps, and the miniDSP has one using ICE Power. Plate amps seem to include a premium, probably because they are low manufacturing volume.

The Analog Devices SHARC DSP chips are inexpensive and make crossovers easy to design.

At home I use a pro-PA active processor, the DBX Driverack. The current version has a pad app which makes it easier to use. I use it to cross over to my sub. If you don't mind rack mount, and you don't need a choice of crossover filter types and slopes, the Driverack is often available on the second hand market. Behringer has a lower price one and Lake Processing from Lab Gruppen has a much more expensive one. Other pro sound companies have them sometimes under loudspeaker management.

Parts Express has small preamp/crossovers from Dayton, ART, and Rolls.

Since you are going down the DIY route, you might look into the free software Room EQ Wizard and a calibrated microphone to tune your system, you may have used it before in car audio. Design of Active Crossovers by Doug Self is a good reference.
 
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