Noob Question...

[chevydudesixty9]

Whats the difference between Active and Passive Setups... Thanks...

[Exalted512]

passive is using the crossovers that come with components, active is using external processing to crossover the speakers. Whether it be an actual processor or an amp with really good crossovers
-Cody

[chevydudesixty9]

So having 2 Tweeters and 2 Midrange hooked up to a 4 Channel amp with each Driver with their own channel would be an Active setup?

[95stroked1500]

not nessecarily. you can still use caps and/or coils with the tweets and mids, even though they're still on their own channel. those are passive xovers.

there's more to it, but it's easiest to think of like this....

using a network on the power side of the amplifier is going to be generally passive. using filters before the amplified signal is generally going to be active. like an "electronic active xover". it is going to require it's own power and ground source and actively does it's thing. passive is a simple circuit, where the natural charictaristics of the cap or coil start "choking off" the signal.

it's hard for me to explain. passive,..... is just that. you aren't actively altering the signal. active,..... you're doing something more aggresive to alter the signal. like a passive eq, just tweeks the signal some. and active eq tweeks it and can also boost it. a kind of crude example.

[///M5]

Passive --

All frequencies go into your amplifier and come out to a little box, aka passive crossover, that then separates the frequencies to go to their corresponding speaker. Passive drivers are usually sold with crossovers.

Active --

You only send certain frequencies to each amplifier channel which is then connected to corresponding frequencies. Active crossovers require the use of electronics that are DC powered in this case to separate these frequencies, where the passives are just electronic components like capacitors, resistors and such. Drivers used in active setups are regularly home audio, or raw autosound drivers that come completely separate.

One side note: It is possible to have an active setup if your amplifier has an active crossover internally. In this case the amplifier is still only amplifying the particular frequencies that go to each speaker.

[chevydudesixty9]

Ok, I see what you guys are talking about... I have an old Alpine Processor that has RCA Outputs for Sub, Low, Mid and High and has Frequency settings for each... This Processor with an Amp for each Output would be considered an Active Setup right?

[///M5]

It sure sounds like you could use that to run active.