Passive vs Active?!?!
11-28-2006, 11:38 AM
#11
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 13
Thanx everyone!
it seems like Active is geared more to the audiophiles that know what they are doing. unfortunately that is not me (not yet at least) but im willing to try it out, once i get enough funds!
I will post anoher thread when i try the Active XO in the near future
thanx
mt
it seems like Active is geared more to the audiophiles that know what they are doing. unfortunately that is not me (not yet at least) but im willing to try it out, once i get enough funds!
I will post anoher thread when i try the Active XO in the near future
thanx
mt
11-28-2006, 12:21 PM
#12
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 16,855
^ Actually, unless you use the passives that come with the speakers, it takes far more talent and knowledge to construct and tune passive crossovers than using an active crossover. Active is easy.
I find merits in either type of crossover.
I find merits in either type of crossover.
11-28-2006, 12:33 PM
#13
^^totally agree, passive can sound just as good, and can be cheaper and easier to get going with (if you use the ones that came with the comps). I like active mainly because of the tweaking capabilities...just love to mess with things!!
11-28-2006, 01:15 PM
#14
I use the PG MX2 for my components. What i meant to mention in my earlier post is that i use the HPF built into my alpine to cut off the low end at 100 hz. Most 2 way component systems don't like low frequencies and thier passive crossovers might protect them from the really lows.
So, If you go active, don't forget to protect your mid-bass as well.
The good thing about going active is the flexability, and i know some might not understand that, so here's some examples.
I bought MXT black gold components with passive crossovers.
Didn't like that, so i got an active crossover and another amp, one for each door. That was better, but i didn't like the dash speakers running off the deck, so I replaced them, and ran them in paralell with my door tweeters.
Next car, new setup. I bought Image dynamics mid-bass and Kaption 4" 2- ways. Active crossover, alpine amps, bass blocker caps for LPF. That was pretty good, till the car was stolen and robbed.
Got the car back, new system again. This time i used JL 6" woofers for midbass and eclpise 3 way for mid-tweet-supertweet. That was the best sound i had up front.
New car, In this car i only had room for 6" and 1". Bought MBQ RCE-216 and used the passive crosover that came with them, because i was runing it off the factory HU. Now that i've got my alpine installed, i removed the passive crossover, use the PG active crossover, from my last car. It's ok, but i still need more sound. I'm considering replacing, or adding pillar tweeters.
So, If you go active, don't forget to protect your mid-bass as well.
The good thing about going active is the flexability, and i know some might not understand that, so here's some examples.
I bought MXT black gold components with passive crossovers.
Didn't like that, so i got an active crossover and another amp, one for each door. That was better, but i didn't like the dash speakers running off the deck, so I replaced them, and ran them in paralell with my door tweeters.
Next car, new setup. I bought Image dynamics mid-bass and Kaption 4" 2- ways. Active crossover, alpine amps, bass blocker caps for LPF. That was pretty good, till the car was stolen and robbed.
Got the car back, new system again. This time i used JL 6" woofers for midbass and eclpise 3 way for mid-tweet-supertweet. That was the best sound i had up front.
New car, In this car i only had room for 6" and 1". Bought MBQ RCE-216 and used the passive crosover that came with them, because i was runing it off the factory HU. Now that i've got my alpine installed, i removed the passive crossover, use the PG active crossover, from my last car. It's ok, but i still need more sound. I'm considering replacing, or adding pillar tweeters.
11-28-2006, 01:17 PM
#15
passives may be cheaper because you don't need the extra amplifier channels... but as mentioned not long ago biamping can increase effective power two fold, which may ofset that......
Iam also sure a decent 3way crossover can probably be had for $100... and I can attest that a good pair of high power passives can cost that or even much more
most mainstream stuff that comes with component sets is crap IMHO... and I generally build my own suited to specific woofers and tweeter of choice.... (unless I know I am getting something good from a prefab set)
one advantage of passives is that the drivers are usually less prone to being blown up by overzelous use....
But the panacea of audio reproduction has got to be multichannel setups with digital crossovers......
that probably isn't going to come cheap either
Iam also sure a decent 3way crossover can probably be had for $100... and I can attest that a good pair of high power passives can cost that or even much more
most mainstream stuff that comes with component sets is crap IMHO... and I generally build my own suited to specific woofers and tweeter of choice.... (unless I know I am getting something good from a prefab set)
one advantage of passives is that the drivers are usually less prone to being blown up by overzelous use....
But the panacea of audio reproduction has got to be multichannel setups with digital crossovers......
that probably isn't going to come cheap either
Last edited by Haunz; 11-28-2006 at 01:23 PM.
11-28-2006, 04:08 PM
#17
^^exactly, you use the right tools for the job. In a car, frequency response can be very uneven, so you need a tool that can correct or compensate for this and other problems that you would not encounter in a typical home environment. That is active's forte, adjustability, smoother response, and accurate cross over points that are not affected by frequency induced impedance changes. Home audio systems have a much more friendly environment, and as such rarely requires all the corrective measures that mobile audio systems do. IMHO.
11-29-2006, 07:02 AM
#19
Originally Posted by Newb
Active has it's merits... but show me the high end home systems with 8 channels of amplification for the fronts with active crossovers.
My Pioneer 1015 has 7 amps in it. You can run 5.1 surround with 2 amps for each of the front speakers, built in adjustable bi-amp crossovers. That's not even the elite series which has nore functions.
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