Users who are thinking about purchasing a subwoofer have a variety of goals. Someone wants to improve the sound of an existing speaker system. Someone wants to get a unique feeling of body vibrations from a juicy, powerful bass in a car. Another part of consumers wants to create a crystal clear, completely authentic sound environment of the concert hall. Active or passive subwoofer have certain advantages and disadvantages, they can solve certain problems.
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What is the difference between an active subwoofer and a passive
To better understand the difference between an active subwoofer and a passive one, you should start by familiarizing yourself with the device of a simpler product. The case in which the large-diameter speaker is placed, the frequency filters are a classic design. This is how the passive subwoofer can be described.
There are several options for this type of equipment. The most common design is a sealed enclosure with a speaker. This is called an indoor passive subwoofer.
Another type of device is a housing with a path for air circulation, called a bass reflex. Such subwoofers have a stable rate of increase in volume from the supplied power, which closed systems cannot boast of.
There is one design option in which a passive subwoofer can be very different from an active one. In the latter, it is used extremely rarely. The bandpass system is a dual-zone emitter. The sealed housing segment, in which the speaker is located, is connected to the area of the channels for air passage.
As a result of the work of such a tandem, the sub sounds very good, especially in large rooms. It forms a juicy, saturated bass due to intense air vibrations.
A passive subwoofer requires a good external amplifier to operate. The more adjustments to signal parameters it provides, the better sound picture quality you can achieve.
Active subwoofer is self-sufficient. It is a case where not only a speaker is located, every inch of which provides high-quality bass, but also its own power amplifier. Such a scheme is convenient, compact, and generally rated by users as quite practical.
Features, Pros and Cons of Active Subwoofers
An active home subwoofer is an almost perfect device. He has everything on board. Here is an amplifier, an adjustable filter to adjust the cutoff frequency. In expensive models, there is the ability to change the phase shift of the signal. Individual products may have a difference in the proposed sets of inputs and outputs, signal formats.
Active sub has the following advantages:
- just connects;
- does not require an external amplifier;
- differs in a compact design;
- if there are outputs, you can connect speakers to the device, creating a compact speaker system;
- You can buy top models with many adjustments and high power.
Active sub has a good rating among consumers. Mainly due to the affordable cost and the widest range of applications. Active subwoofer perfectly complements the sound of an existing speaker system. It is easy to put in the house thanks to its compact size.
The disadvantages of the active system are as follows:
- due to the heat generated by the amplifier, the air inside the speaker’s chamber is heated, which can affect its electrophysical characteristics and impair sound;
- working at critical volume levels is fraught with the failure of the amplifier due to an increase in temperature in the case.
You need to choose an active sub carefully, focusing on the power of the sound system, which it will complement. It is also recommended that you strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding placement, cooling conditions.
Features, Pros and Cons of Passive Subwoofers
Passive subwoofer - extremely simple design. This may mean that it is easy to do it yourself to install in the car. The passive system has several advantages:
- scope of construction;
- bandpass class solutions that are rarely found in active systems;
- even a homely passive sub sounds juicy, producing clear and rich bass;
- there is no overheating of the speaker and air inside the case during the operation of the system;
- You can easily modify the characteristics of the subwoofer by adding self-made or purchased frequency filters.
But the main thing that distinguishes a product of this type is its low price. And this attracts not only fans of experiments, but also music lovers who want to improve the sound of an existing speaker system. But there is a passive subwoofer and disadvantages.
- The main disadvantage is that an external amplifier is needed for the passive subwoofer to work. Its power should be at least one and a half times the maximum performance of the sound emitter. Such a product is, firstly, expensive. Secondly, installing a passive subwoofer to improve the sound of existing acoustics may require a complete replacement of the amplifying equipment, since the available one will not be able to pump a woofer without distortion.
- The disadvantage associated with the formation of an external signal: a passive type subwoofer will not work with conventional amplifiers. You need to buy a device that works only in the low frequency band.
- All sound adjustments are purely external. The quality of playback is controlled by an amplifier. The number of its adjustments is directly responsible for the juiciness of the bass, the cutoff frequency, and other parameters of the subwoofer.
- In closed subs, the necessary increase in the power supplied to the device, depending on the volume, increases exponentially. This is due to air resistance in a sealed enclosure.
However, these shortcomings do not detract from the wonderful sound of a passive subwoofer. According to the average estimate, it will always show stable results, in contrast to the active one, where there is overheating and the influence of vibrations on electronic circuits.
Which is better to choose
To give an exact answer, whether an active or passive subwoofer is worth buying, is not difficult if you focus on the needs of the average user (except for motorists). Active sub wins by all criteria. This is a self-contained device with its own amplifier, the power of which is carefully selected for the good work of the installed speaker.
Today you can buy an active subwoofer with a variety of functional equipment. Devices can offer adjustment of cutoff frequency, phase shift to perfectly complement the sound of a multi-point speaker system.
With an increase in power, active amplifiers begin to cost significantly more. However, if you do not want to bother with installing additional filters, looking for a suitable amplifier, the additional investments are justified, and the cost of a subwoofer with built-in electronics goes by the wayside.
For motorists - their own rules. Only passive subwoofers are installed in the car. The reason is that the devices are mounted in a confined space where air circulation is small or absent. Therefore, an active subwoofer will overheat and fail.
But the amplifier for the passive subwoofer can be placed in an area where it is convenient to provide the necessary temperature conditions, including using forced ventilation.
