Speakers aren’t the easiest to shop for. People prefer buying speakers with a certain purpose in mind. However, they are greeted with different styled, sized, and priced endless speaker collections. So, selection can be pretty intimidating if you don’t know much about speakers. The first thing you need to know here is whether you are buying an active vs. a passive speaker. Don’t know the difference between these? You are at the right place.
Active Speaker vs. Passive Speaker: Key differences to know.
Are you laying any plans for the speaker system? Or are you thinking of shopping for loudspeakers? Then it would be best if you learned about active speakers vs. passive speakers.
Therefore, here we have a detailed overview of active speakers vs. passive speakers you must know.
So, here we go:
The simplest difference between an active speaker vs. passive speaker is that an active speaker needs power. However, the passive speaker doesn’t need the power to work.
Besides that, active speakers contain a built-in amplifier. Therefore, these are also familiar as powered speakers. It is because you don’t have to plug these into a battery or socket.
Edifier R1850DB Active Bookshelf Speakers
Moreover, active speakers don’t require extra components to produce audio. Additionally, you can plug your audio devices into active speakers directly.
On the other hand, passive speakers are the ones that don’t contain a built-in amplifier. Therefore, passive speakers need an external amplifier to work.
ELAC Passive Bookshelf Speakers
Which is better active speaker or the passive speaker?
Both active and passive speakers have benefits you must know before jumping to conclusions.
What are the benefits of an active speaker?
Active speakers don’t require any technical knowledge to set these up. These can benefit you in multiple ways. For example:
- Active speakers are easy to set up. You just need to connect your audio device directly to it. These work without any additional components need.
- Although active speakers are heavier than passive ones because of the built-in amplifier. However, these occupy less overall space. So, these are preferable if you have less space for speaker setup.
- Moreover, active speakers often feature wi-fi and Bluetooth to connect devices and play audio.
What are the benefits of a passive speaker?
Passive speakers can allow you to make additional customizations and offers the best sound quality than otherwise. Here are some amazing benefits of passive speakers you must know:
- Passive speakers don’t need the power to work, and that’s arguably their biggest benefit here. This is the handiest option when you want to have fewer wires around.
- Passive speakers let you choose the amplifier you want. Moreover, these speakers offer you more options in terms of sound quality. So you can have a better chance to experiment with different components easily.
- When it comes to upgrading your speaker system, passive speakers are the best. Whether you want to upgrade the amplifier or replace a component, you can.
- For the same reasons, this type of speaker is easier to repair. If an amplifier or any other audio system component isn’t working, you can simply replace that.
Do you need an amplifier for passive speakers?
Yes, these do. As passive speakers don’t have a built-in amplifier. Therefore, this type of speaker requires separate mixers and amplifiers to power. Moreover, these speakers also require cables for transferring the sound from amplifiers to speakers.
In shoer, a standalone passive speaker is imperative to passive power speakers.
Final Thoughts
Overall, both active speakers and passive speakers have their pros. We have already mentioned the key differences between active speakers vs. passive speakers. Knowing about each option can certainly give you clarity here. Therefore, you can easily choose the best one based on your needs and preferences.
