Which subwoofer should I choose, active or passive? The main differences between passive and active subs. What is the difference between an active and passive subwoofer and which subwoofer is better to choose for your car?

Any type of subwoofer has its fans who will foam at the mouth to prove its exclusivity. Which subwoofer is better: active or passive - this debate continues unabated. Let's look at what's so special about the design and sound of each type.

Active or passive

Subwoofers produce bass. What then is the difference between active and passive systems:

Passive subs are distinguished by their laconic simplicity of design. A case and a speaker that connects to an external amplifier - nothing superfluous. you can look.
The design of an active subwoofer includes a housing, a speaker and an amplifier. That is, an active sub is a passive sub with a power amplifier located inside or outside the housing.

Thus, if in the active subwoofer model the developer has already taken care of the buyer, then in the case of the passive model the amplifier will have to be purchased additionally. However, you can find sets on sale that include a passive sub and a separate amplifier selected by the same manufacturer. This kit must include a set of wires.

Which sub is better

The choice of subwoofer depends on the purpose of its use. An active sub with standard settings is good for listening to dance, rhythmic and heavy music. The device perfectly transmits low frequencies, allows them to be adjusted, and is also easy to set up.

However, a passive subwoofer, when properly configured, will produce a cleaner sound that is superior in sound to an active one. Of course, to achieve this result you will need to make some financial investments, invest time and effort. But for a true music lover, these barriers are not barriers. The advanced user will be rewarded with exceptional, super-clean sound. Thus, we can summarize that an active subwoofer is suitable for the average listener to listen to music, and purchasing a passive one should be recommended for advanced connoisseurs of high-quality sound.

Why does a passive sub sound better?

So, after all, connoisseurs of true correct sound will agree that a passive sub, with the right settings, will delight you with denser surround sound. Why? Thanks to the fact that:

the air inside does not overheat due to the built-in amplifier;
you can connect additional filters;
there are no unnecessary obstacles to sound in the case;
External amplifiers have more settings.

Which subwoofer to buy

If you are choosing a subwoofer and are faced with a choice dilemma, it is better to buy an active subwoofer. It's easy to install, easy to set up and sounds good. Whatever purpose you choose a sub for: listening to music or watching movies, an active sub from a good manufacturer will be able to satisfy almost all the buyer’s needs.

No need to be embarrassed by the price. A passive sub will, of course, be cheaper because it does not have an amplifier. But you will definitely have to buy it in addition, and also select a set of wires for it, which in the end will cost no less. One more point: buyers of passive subs usually know why they need a passive sub, and go to choose it.

Comments:

The profile publication MySmartPrice shared European prices for such expected smartphones as the Nokia 9 ...

Two days ago, Xiaomi introduced the flagship smartphone Mi 9, which caused a huge stir among...

Samsung Galaxy A50 is the older model of the line, has the same body, dimensions and screen as...

The difference between an active subwoofer and a passive one

The difference between an active subwoofer and a passive one is obvious, since both devices perform different functions. A subwoofer is a low-frequency speaker designed to reproduce a wide range of frequencies, working in conjunction with any type of speaker system.
Knowing how an active subwoofer differs from a passive one, you can safely make your choice in favor of one speaker or another.

Types of subwoofers

For a subwoofer to work, three elements need to interact. This is the housing itself, the subwoofer and the amplifier.
Depending on this layout, subwoofers are divided into two types:

Active subwoofer;

Main differences between subwoofers

A passive subwoofer is a low-frequency speaker enclosed in a special acoustic housing. For it to work, you must connect to an external amplifier.
It can also be connected using an electronic frequency separation filter. This arrangement allows you to achieve deeper bass and significantly expand the frequency spectrum.

Note: it is worth considering that at higher volumes, linear sound distortion is significantly reduced, so it is advisable to listen to songs at an average sound volume.

A low-frequency subwoofer is usually complemented by a home theater system or a car speaker system. This allows you to achieve rich bass and separate sound.
An active subwoofer can significantly reduce the load on the receiver in a home theater system. When choosing a subwoofer, you need to take into account the properties of the space where it will be installed.
A subwoofer with a bass reflex has deeper bass and is designed for a larger cubic capacity of the room. In a confined space, such as a car, this type of subwoofer may begin to resonate.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Each type of subwoofer has its own advantages and disadvantages, due to its design features. A passive subwoofer has deeper and richer bass compared to an active one.
This is due to many different factors:

No air overheating inside the case;
Possibility of connecting additional electronic filters (see);
The external power amplifier has a large number of settings;
Due to the absence of foreign components in the housing, the power and depth of the bass becomes more saturated;
Lower cost compared to an active subwoofer with similar technical characteristics.

Can be used as a portable device if there are outputs for additional speakers;
Various execution options.

When choosing between an active and passive subwoofer, you should decide directly where it will be used and what sound characteristics are needed.

The effect of the enclosure on the sound of the subwoofer

The subwoofer housing is the main element of the speaker system. Thanks to it, you can create directional, dull or diffuse bass.

Many people wonder, in search of high-quality music sound, what is the difference between active and passive subwoofers. Which one is better to choose? Let's look at the features, advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

What does active subwoofer mean?

For high-quality music sound you need a subwoofer. These devices can be divided into two groups: active and passive.

In order to understand the difference between an active and passive subwoofer, you need to understand what each of them represents.

You should not choose a speaker system based only on power - some manufacturers deliberately underestimate or overestimate it.
The optimal speaker size for high-quality sound is 12 inches (30 cm).
You should only choose products from trusted manufacturers.
Knowing the size and height of the voice coil, you can easily check the real power of the speaker.
A car amplifier should be less powerful than a subwoofer.
It is worth choosing an aluminum box and a rubber top suspension.
Depending on the location of the subwoofer in the car, it is worth taking an additional amplifier. If the speaker system is located in the trunk, then the sound may be somewhat distorted.

The era of cassette car radios and the “tinny” sound that poured into the ears of passengers and car drivers from homemade acoustic systems or speakers from the NONAME company is receding into history. Very quickly, car enthusiasts appreciated the benefits of digital sound and the advantages of high-quality audio equipment, in particular subwoofers. These devices complemented the standard acoustics with powerful bass, which made it possible to enjoy rich sound that caused a friendly run of “goosebumps” on the skin. In our rating of the best active and passive subwoofers for cars, we tried to cover the most interesting (according to reviews from car enthusiasts and experts) models in different price categories.

How to choose a subwoofer

Selecting a subwoofer wisely is not only a question of the quality of the speaker or the power of the amplifier. Its design itself has a noticeable “sharpening” for specific styles of music- for example, subwoofers with a bass reflex are perceived by ear as having a sharper attack (the rear volume does not dampen the movement of the diffuser, and also acts as a sound source), therefore they have long been loved for the synthetic “tink-tink”, while a softer and more natural-sounding attack Subwoofers with a closed rear volume will allow you to enjoy not only the blues, but also many rather extreme styles of instrumental music on the move. A Band-pass type case, where the diffuser works on the internal volume on both sides, and all the sound comes out through a hole in the box, gives maximum efficiency, but with a pronounced “hump” in the region of a certain frequency band - such a subwoofer can only be recommended for certain tastes , so in any case you need to listen to a specific instance.

Which subwoofer is better - active or passive? Here the question is solely about budget and requirements: of course, an active subwoofer is easier to connect and install, but sound quality will most likely have to be sacrificed - it’s not for nothing that most high-end products are passive, the amplifier for them is already selected for a specific installation.

Closed enclosure, bass reflex or bandpass? But we’ll answer this question simply - choose a subwoofer by at least listening to it in a car of similar volume, and not in a store: the difference will be very strong. And, of course, listen to exactly the music that you like - then you can understand exactly how suitable it is.

Which brand's car subwoofer is better? Over the years, the domestic car audio equipment market has developed a group of favorites whose products are always popular. Car subwoofers from companies such as Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Helix, JBL, Kicx, Yamaha and other famous manufacturers have long proven themselves to be the best.

Probably, any fan of high-quality music would like to enjoy their favorite compositions on good and powerful sound equipment. Well, this is why speaker systems with powerful subwoofers appeared. As a rule, the main dilemma when purchasing such a system is which subwoofer to choose - active or passive.

Definition of passive and active subwoofers

Passive subwoofer It is distinguished by its extremely simple design - it consists of a housing and one or more low-frequency heads, which are then connected to an external amplifier. There are also two types of passive subwoofer connections. The first type is the least preferable due to the presence of sound distortion and lower quality of its transmission - in this case, the stereo amplifier signal is supplied not only to the subwoofer, but also to other speakers. Connecting with an electronic crossover filter makes much more sense because it effectively separates the bass from the signal going to other speakers.
Included active subwoofer includes both a crossover filter and a power amplifier. Thus, an active subwoofer is a mobile combination of several devices that can be found separately. The active subwoofer has line inputs and outputs, as well as a function for adjusting the signal level and crossover frequency. As a rule, a good active subwoofer significantly expands the dynamic range of the speaker system, which, of course, will have a beneficial effect on the quality of music.

Comparison of passive and active subwoofers

Firstly, an active subwoofer with its standard settings is on average better suited for heavy or dance and rhythmic music, since it conveys bass frequencies better and has more flexible settings and adjustments (except when using an expensive speaker system and a very high-quality passive subwoofer ). Secondly, active subwoofers have their own amplifiers, while passive subwoofers require external amplifiers. However, a system with a passive subwoofer can be tuned to sound better than a system with an active subwoofer, but this is a very painstaking and delicate process. In this regard, an active subwoofer is much more convenient, because it is much faster and easier to set up, but many connoisseurs of good sound prefer to spare no time and effort in setting up passive systems.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between a passive and an active subwoofer is as follows:

An active subwoofer has a built-in amplifier. A passive subwoofer requires connection to external audio amplifiers.
Setting up a speaker system with an active subwoofer is much faster and easier.
With the most accurate and high-quality tuning, a system with a passive subwoofer, as a rule, produces more spacious and dense sound than a system with an active subwoofer.