What Is a Passive Speaker?

One of the most common pieces of household technology is speakers. Whether they are used for blasting music in the shower, listening to the radio in the car, or enhancing your television experience, speakers have become an integral part of our day-to-day lives.

In its most basic form, stereo hi-fi systems are comprised of a source component, an integrated amplifier, and a pair of passive speakers. If the signal path is broken down, it can be separated into a larger number of various segments, the majority of which are grouped together in a basic design.

What Is a Passive Speaker?

The source component, which is the piece of equipment that plays the music, comes first. This may be anything from a CD player to a music streamer to a record player to a computer or phone. The next part is the preamplifier, which regulates the volume level and switches between sources.

Say hello to the power amplifier, which can take the line-level signal from the preamp and amplify it sufficiently to drive a pair of speakers. This, however, is not directly linked to the driving units of your speakers.

Its output must travel via a crossover filter network, which separates the signal into merely high frequencies for the smaller mid/bass unit and everything else for the bigger mid/bass unit in a two-way speaker.

The crossover divides the music into three portions if you have a three-way speaker: treble, middle, and bass. This crossover network is termed passive since it does not require a power source to function.

The passive speakers only require a wire connection, making them easy to install. Additionally, passive speakers are easier to modify or replace their amplifiers.

Why Would I Need a Passive Speaker?

With passive speakers, all you need to do is run a speaker wire connection. Because an active speaker requires AC power, make sure it’s close enough to a wall outlet to prevent extension wires from trailing across your living room.

Passive speakers are a little easier to install because speaker wire is generally offered in 100-foot spools. Another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need an additional connection from the preamp/processor if you’re using a powered speaker for home theatre.

As a result, you’ll have two cords running to the speaker, one from the wall outlet and the other from the pre/pro. Now, if you’re merely wiring directly from a phone or another nearby device, this isn’t a major concern; however, if the audio source is a long distance away, an active speaker will require twice as many wires as a passive speaker.

Passive speakers are lighter than active speakers because they don’t have built-in amplifiers. This is a more apparent difference with standard Class A/B amps than with Class D amps, which are extremely light and used in our active speakers here at Aperion. As a result, if an active speaker uses a Class A/B amp, which normally has a large heat sink, it may be difficult to wall mount in your home.

Despite the fact that the powered and passive speakers we recommend are comparable in size, they do not necessarily sound the same. Powered speakers have smaller drivers since they have an amplifier built-in.

Larger drivers offer a more balanced, crisper sound, as well as the ability to make the speaker louder. This isn’t to say that powered speakers would sound noticeably worse, but it’s worth remembering. The amplifier in powered speakers, on the other hand, was created specifically to extract the best sound from that particular pair of speakers.

Upgrading your system is simple with passive speakers and independent amplifiers. We can upgrade the speakers, amplifiers, connections, and other components without having to replace the complete system.

Upgrade your stereo amplifier while keeping your passive speakers the same, for example. Upgrade the speakers to better match a specific amplifier. Because active speakers have built-in amplifiers, they don’t have this privilege.

Do I Need An Amp For My Passive Speaker?

An amplifier boosts the volume of a weak audio signal. There is no amplification system in passive speakers, hence they cannot produce adequate sound. To fully utilize their capabilities, they must be connected to power amplifiers or mixers.

For power amplification, generating cables are required while setting up passive speakers. Speakers will be able to create more audible and high-quality sound as a result of these enhancements.

The only way to use a passive speaker without some kind of amp is through a PC, which will typically already contain some kind of amp system built into it. The resistance a speaker provides to the applied voltage or current is known as speaker impedance. Any type of speaker’s usual impedance rating is between 8 and 16 ohms.

If you want to connect passive speakers to a computer, use speakers with an ohm rating of 8 or 16. This will result in a higher-quality audio output. The headphone jack can be damaged if passive speakers with 4 ohms are used.

The volume of sound is directly proportional to the size of the speaker. The sound produced by a larger speaker will be louder. Because you won’t be using an amplifier or a subwoofer, choose huge speakers to get the best results.

When you power passive speakers without an amp, you risk damaging your gear. Always remember that passive speakers need an amplification system to work properly. In some circumstances, connecting them to PCs may work, but you must proceed with caution.

Make sure your PC speaker has a built-in amplifier to make this work. Finally, for precise instructions, always refer to the user’s manual.