Active speakers VS passive speakers, how to choose?

When doing sound engineering, site renovation, shops and conference rooms, we can never avoid a core question: which speaker should we choose, active speakers or passive speakers?

Many people simply make decisions based on "sound quality" and "price level", and in the end, there is a high probability of a series of problems: troublesome wiring, redundant equipment, unable to push the sound, unable to expand in the later stage, and high failure rate.

In fact, there is no absolute good or bad between the two, only whether the scene is suitable or not.

Today, from the perspective of engineering practice, I will thoroughly explain the core differences, advantages and disadvantages, applicable scenarios and pit avoidance standards of active and passive speakers at one time, and I will never choose blindly after reading them.

First, the core essential difference: understand in one sentence
Active speaker: self-contained power amplifier and built-in frequency division circuit.

Just plug in+receive audio signal, and make a sound directly, without additional power amplifier equipment. The design is integrated and integrated, and the factory has completed accurate adjustment.

Passive speaker: only speaker unit+box, without any amplification circuit.

A professional power amplifier must be connected to drive the sound, and the whole system needs to be combined with power amplifier, sequencer and processor.

Simple summary: active and convenient, passive professional; Active weight is convenient, passive weight is upper limit.

Second, in-depth comparison: advantages and disadvantages are disassembled one by one
Active speakers | Advantages
1, the system is minimalist, plug and play.

There is no need to purchase power amplifier and match impedance power, which saves a lot of peripheral equipment, has less wiring, simple debugging, and can be used quickly without foundation, greatly reducing construction and after-sales costs.

2, manufacturers accurately match, and the lower limit of sound quality is high

The power amplifier, frequency divider and speaker unit have been uniformly adjusted in the factory, and the adaptability is full, so there will be no problem of "the power amplifier can't push the speaker, and the thrust is excessive and distorted", and the sound is stable and clean.

3. The wiring is simple and the site is cleaner.

Only power cord+signal cord is needed, and there is no need to lay thick speaker wire, which is suitable for the site with finished decoration, no complicated wiring and narrow ceiling space.

4. High cost performance and lower investment.

There is no need to purchase additional power amplifiers, cabinets and other equipment, the initial investment of the whole system is less, and the cost performance of small scenes far exceeds that of passive schemes.

Active speaker | short board
1. The upper power limit is limited.

The box space is limited, the built-in power amplifier is insufficient for heat dissipation and power reserve, and large-scale venues and large-scale dynamic performances are prone to lack of explosive power and dynamics.

2. There is almost no room for upgrading in the later period.

The parameters are fixed and the adjustment is fixed. If you want to improve the sound quality and increase the volume, you can only change the speaker directly, but you can't upgrade the power amplifier optimization system alone.

3. Single fault has great influence.

Each speaker is an independent live equipment, with scattered fault points, and multiple devices are powered on for a long time. Compared with passive systems, the failure rate and repair rate are slightly higher.

Passive speakers | Advantages
1, the upper limit of sound quality is high, and the dynamic explosive force is strong.

The speaker and power amplifier are designed separately, which can be freely matched with high-power professional power amplifier, with better heat dissipation, sufficient power reserve, no distortion at large volume and solid bass, which is suitable for professional sound reinforcement scenes.

2. The system is flexible and can be upgraded and expanded indefinitely.

In the later stage, I feel that the thrust is insufficient and the sound quality is average. I just need to replace the power amplifier and add an audio processor. I don't need to replace the speaker, so it is more cost-effective for long-term use.

3, stronger stability and high durability.

The box is only a sound generating unit, with no circuit, no heat dissipation pressure, high temperature resistance, moisture resistance and aging resistance, and its life is much longer than that of active speakers, so it is suitable for long-term uninterrupted use in commercial venues.

4, suitable for large-scale system networking

It can be connected to the sequencer, processor and feedback suppressor in a unified way, and the whole system is controllable and adjustable, supporting multi-area and multi-point large-scale sound reinforcement system.

Passive speaker | short board
1. The threshold is high and professional matching is needed.

The power, impedance and damping coefficient of the power amplifier must be accurately matched, and the parameters are wrongly matched, ranging from unpleasant sound and insufficient thrust to direct burning of the horn unit.

2. More equipment, complicated wiring and higher cost.

It is necessary to purchase additional peripheral equipment such as power amplifier, cabinet, sequencer, etc., with more wires, more complicated construction and higher initial investment of the whole system.

3, need professional debugging

The whole system needs debugging gain, equalization, delay and howling suppression, so it is difficult for non-professionals to get the best results.

Third, the scene is accurately selected: never step on the pit according to the selection.
The scene of [active speaker] is preferred.
1. Small meeting room and training room (10–80m2)

Clear voice, no need for big dynamics, simple and stable pursuit, no debugging, and active speakers are completely sufficient.

2. Classroom, training institution, live broadcast room, home audio and video.

Mainly based on human voice and background music, the less equipment, the better, reducing fault points and reducing after-sales pressure.

3, small bar, shop, exhibition hall background music

Simple wiring, beautiful installation, no complicated system, stable and worry-free daily use.

4. Temporary roadshows, mobile performances and desktop monitoring

Portable without building, ready to use, no need to carry heavy power amplifier equipment.

The scene of [passive speaker] is preferred.
1, lecture hall, multi-function hall, large conference room (more than 100㎡)

It needs sufficient volume and uniform sound field, supports multi-person speech and activity performance, and requires high dynamics and stability.

2. Bar, KTV, banquet hall and stage performance

Large dynamic, large volume, high low frequency requirements, need power amplifier to reserve thrust, support professional debugging and optimize sound effects.

3. School auditorium, gymnasium and outdoor square

Large-scale sound reinforcement requires that the system can be expanded, debugged and run stably for a long time to adapt to large-scale audio systems.

4, the pursuit of sound quality, long-term commercial, intends to upgrade the venue year by year.

The plasticity and service life of the split system are irreplaceable by active speakers.

Four, the project selection three pit avoidance guide (dry goods focus)
1. It is a waste of budget to force the small site to be passive.

A small conference room with dozens of square meters is equipped with a complete set of passive system and power amplifier cabinet, which makes the equipment redundant and the cost double, and the effect is almost the same as that of the active one, which only increases the debugging and after-sales cost.

2. Blind use of active power in large venues has obvious shortcomings.

When ordinary active speakers are used in large-scale venues, there will be: the volume can't go up, the sound field is uneven, the dynamics are insufficient, the bass is thin, and the atmosphere at the event site can't stand at all.

3, don't be superstitious "passive must be better than active"

At the same price: small scenes are more stable and cleaner; The passive upper limit of the big scene is higher and more shocking. Talking about sound quality out of the scene is all empty talk.

V. Final Summary (copy homework directly)
Pursuit of saving trouble, saving money, less after-sales and small space → Select 【 Active Speaker 】.

Pursuing professional sound quality, dynamic, upgradeable and long-term commercial use in large venues → Select [passive speakers].

There is no best equipment, only the scheme that best suits the scene. Appropriate collocation is the core key to a set of sound effects, less problems and the highest cost performance.