[IMPERIUS]

So whats the difference? I tried looking it up but I didn't quite get it. The message I got was something to do with amps, passive don't have it (or external) and active have them (and inside body), correct?
 
Also, what are the pros and cons of both? I'm looking for a 2.0 system for gaming, movies and music, looking at some audioengine stuff (that are passive speakers) or the mackie cr4 (active ones)
 
Thanks!

 

[earthpeople]

Yes, basically active speakers have an amp built into the unit, meaning you only have to supply it with a signal.
Passive speakers require a separate amp to work. 
 
Pros and cons are hard to say beyond the fact that active is generally more convenient since they're self-contained. Passives might be considered more flexible and the speakers themselves are usually lighter since they don't have the amp built in. 
Unfortunately, there's nothing as simple as "passive or active speakers always sound better" 

 

[IMPERIUS]

Yes, basically active speakers have an amp built into the unit, meaning you only have to supply it with a signal.
Passive speakers require a separate amp to work. 

Pros and cons are hard to say beyond the fact that active is generally more convenient since they're self-contained. Passives might be considered more flexible and the speakers themselves are usually lighter since they don't have the amp built in. 
Unfortunately, there's nothing as simple as "passive or active speakers always sound better" 

So I also need to buy an extra amp if I want to use passive speakers?

 

[earthpeople]

So I also need to buy an extra amp if I want to use passive speakers?

Yep, you'll need some sort of amp for the speakers. Power amp, integrated amp, receiver, etc will all work, you'll just want to make sure you get something that matches up with the requirements of the speakers. 

 

[IMPERIUS]

Yep, you'll need some sort of amp for the speakers. Power amp, integrated amp, receiver, etc will all work, you'll just want to make sure you get something that matches up with the requirements of the speakers. 

Would a sound card do? About 50$, for 200-300 speakers (pair)?

 

[earthpeople]

No, a sound card won't be able to provide enough for a set of speakers. You'll be looking at a standalone unit that sits apart from the computer. For $50, you'll probably have some luck looking for an older receiver, maybe on Craigslist or at your local thrift shops. Or you could just get a pair of active speakers! 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMPERIUS /img/forum/go_quote.gif

So whats the difference? I tried looking it up but I didn't quite get it. The message I got was something to do with amps, passive don't have it (or external) and active have them (and inside body), correct?

 

Also, what are the pros and cons of both? I'm looking for a 2.0 system for gaming, movies and music, looking at some audioengine stuff (that are passive speakers) or the mackie cr4 (active ones)

 

 

1. Depending on your desk size and what headphones you are using alternately with them, an active speaker might have an advantage. It's easy enough to find powerful headphone amps or DAC+HPamps with preamps, so they can power the headphones and send the preamp signal to the amp on the monitors. Using a passive speaker necessitates a separate amplifier, and most of them can be too large and yet have issues with driving headphones even with all that size - some newer integrated amps have too high output impedance for example. Rotels use 380ohms fo example. A NuForce Icon would do well and still be compact, but that might not be enough for some headphones.

 

One exception though - if you're DIY savvy you can always build a compact Gainclone or Class-T power amp (no preamp, not even a potentiometer), so you can use the preamp output from your headphone amp to feed it without taking up as much space as usual speaker gear. A lot of the commercially available Class T amps have preamp stages of some kind, and the pure power amps are either expensive or come as kits.

 

 

2. Most active speakers use FOUR channels of amplification, with separate amplifier channels on each tweeter and midwoofer. They might have been designed for nearfield but you can more likely use them in a thumping party than passives.

 

 

3. On top of that kind of amplifier architecture pro monitors tend to have a more scratch resistant finish, so you can definitely have them near where your intoxicated friends are. I have a friend who just tosses his KRK Rokits (note that this is the same friend who we laugh at because  his damn car smelled like McDonald's back in college, so that gives you an idea of how he doesn't really take care of his stuff) into his car, then meets us at his house and hauls them up to the roofdeck and we have them less than 3meters away from a gas grill (well, in fairness, at least it doesn't make a lot of smoke like a charcoal grill wood), and they still look like he hasn't owned them as long as he has, considering what all his other stuff (or the cases on his other stuff, like his phone, tablet, and Macbook) looks like within weeks. I have camera bags that have been through wet, muddy weather and they look newer than his bags that haven't been further than the gym.

 

[cel4145]

2. Most active speakers use FOUR channels of amplification, with separate amplifier channels on each tweeter and midwoofer. They might have been designed for nearfield but you can more likely use them in a thumping party than passives.

And powered speakers that only have one amp between them are technically not active speakers. It's the active crossover where the driver and tweeter are individually amped that make them "actives."

 

[buson160man]

I myself have become a big fan of active speakers. They can be surprisingly better than a lot of much more expensive passive designs. Plus you do not have to buy an amp to drive them. That saves money and space. That can be a good thing if the intended system is for a desk top set up. My absolute desire would be to get a pair of atc monitors but they are a bit pricey. But they are damn good speakers that can show a clean pair of to a lot of esoteric passive designs especially in regards of resolution. The atc 100s I heard were unreal. The salesperson played back a count basie recording in his large loft showroom. It sounded like the count basie orchestra was literally in the room wow. And that awhile ago.

 

[jologskyblues]

And powered speakers that only have one amp between them are technically not active speakers. It's the active crossover where the driver and tweeter are individually amped that make them "actives."

This.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

And powered speakers that only have one amp between them are technically not active speakers. It's the active crossover where the driver and tweeter are individually amped that make them "actives."

 

At some point they all just got referred to as "active" since the alternate is "passive" in terms of amplification.

 

In my car though I ditched all passive crossovers and just use an entirely active system. -6dB on the processor's tweeter output plus lowest gain on the 75w amp channels is what blends it well with the midwoofers at 0 on the processor and around 40% of the knob's radius on the 150w  amplifier. Never went back to passives after that, especially when I can tweak crossover settings as well as apply time alignment so everything syncs properly from the driver's seat.

 

[RonaldDumsfeld]

Technically a set of speakers with passive crosovers and a single stereo amp hidden in one of the boxes is known as a powered or self powered design.
 
So we have choice of passive, self powered and true active designs.
 
Try and find a pair that go down to 60Hz (+/~3dB) or lower. (good 4" or very good digital 3")  That way you can add a sub to get a full range system later without having to sell and rebuy. If you can get down to 40Hz (+/~3dB) you probably will not need a sub for music (but might for films/games). That's a ~7" driver.