Is it possible that installing a better component as defined as being closer to theoretically ideal could sound worse because the crossover design took the series resistance into account and therefore removing or reducing this resistance is less optimal?
I had a long chat with the head designer, at DCM, many years ago. They actually did factor in the ESR of
all of the crossover components. Putting in a coil, with a larger gauge wire, would change the Q of the network. He also factored in how much flux from one coil would affect another. I forget what model speaker this was, but they did get a patent issued for the crossover. I forget the nuance they used to get the patent. Too bad I no longer have the JAES that patent was reviewed in. This particular model had
lots of coils. I have a feeling most where there for FR/phase/time correction.
Even more o/t, but maybe of interest..............had to measure the crossover network, for a customer, who wants to bi-amp his speakers. (We are doing the electronic crossover, so I had to measure the existing one.) There are anomalies, in the FR, as I strongly suspect all the coils, lined up in a nice row, are talking to each other.
So, to answer your question: yes.
"It is just a crossover. How hard can that be to make?"
Depends. Are you going to factor in ESR? Are you going to assume it is constant, as a function of frequency? Are you going to line up all the coils? Lots of ways to make it less than optimum, without any effort.
Pat