For those who are new to speakers, active and passive may be a very vague concept. In fact, the core difference between the two is whether they have crossovers and amplifiers. This is the key to distinguishing active and passive. The most effective distinction of passive.
Active Speaker：
Active Speaker is a speaker with built-in crossover and power amplifier. This type of speaker only needs to be connected to the power supply and the music signal can be input to produce sound. Many recording studio monitor speakers are specially designed for engineering use.Professional speakers are active speakers. At the same time, computer speakers and Bluetooth speakers that are often used in daily life are also active speakers.
- Advantages of active speakers:
1.The simplest feature of an active speaker is to connect it to the power supply, input audio and then play it, which is very suitable. Suitable for novices.
2.The parameters of this type of speaker have been set before leaving the factory, and they are equipped with some professional hardware, which is very simple and convenient.
3.Save space. Active speakers do not need to be connected to an amplifier, which can reduce the space for placing other equipment, such as it is neater for desktop speakers.
4.The signal connection methods of active speakers are generally RCA and XLR. The advantages of connecting XLR are higher fidelity, less intermodulation distortion (IMD), higher dynamic range and larger output. Sound pressure level (SPL).
- Disadvantages of active speakers:
1.Active speakers need to be adjusted separately, and some are passive designs. The output of the left and right channel speakers needs to be adjusted independently, so it will be a little troublesome to adjust the volume, and you need to make fine adjustments together.
2.Although the active speaker speaker requires one less Amp, in addition to the signal line, it requires an additional power line for each speaker. If the speakers are placed far apart, wiring will be more troublesome.
3.Because active speaker has been adjusted according to certain standards when it leaves the factory, different people will have different feelings about this speaker based on their understanding of sound.
Passive Speaker
Passive speakers, contrary to active speakers, do not have a built-in amplification circuit and need to be driven by the output of a rear stage or a combiner to produce sound. Most speakers purchased on the market that have speaker terminals on the back can be considered passive speakers.
- Advantages of Passive Speakers：
1.Sound quality comes first, suitable for speaker enthusiasts. Gives speaker enthusiasts ample room to play. You can arbitrarily adjust the speaker quality to get the sound you want. Increase your flexibility in tuning and customize your own unique product.
2.Freely match the output units. Because the input of the passive speaker is provided by another power amplifier, you can freely define the output of high, medium, low or even more units.
- Disadvantages of passive speakers:
1.The learning cost is high and it requires a basic understanding of speaker power, amplifier output, wires, etc. Only by purchasing the appropriate equipment can you have sound. That’s right, it just can only have a certain sound. To get the sound quality you want, it is necessary to keep changing.
2.There is no independent power supply, and a power amplifier is required to provide power; relevant accessories must be purchased.
3.Because passive speaker speakers are so diverse, with different specifications, designs and materials. If we want to talk about a common shortcoming, they need to be connected to an amplifier driver, which requires additional equipment and space.