Active Speakers

[stevieboi]

Hi - what are the pro's / cons of using active speakers?

 

also has anyone used the behringer b212's? thoughts on them?

 

thanks

[Light Console]

IMHO, and quick thoughts:

 

Active - Less trips between van and venue, amps match speakers, no heavy speaker cables required, no amps to store, But if the amp dies, it is not quick to get back up and running, speakers are heavier and require a mains as well as signal cable.

 

Passive - use on any amp of suitable rating, lighter than active, (better internal airflow perhaps?) lower cost, less cabling, more trips between van and venue. In the case of my EVs, there are more flying options for passive, I have two flying brackets which the heatsinks of the active amps foul up!

 

I am very happy with my active EV rig, but at a total set up cost of £1,600 is not a cheap way to go, but it didn't require racks of amps and control gear, which was my main selling point. I already had EVs and built up the system over two years, starting with the bass bin, then the tops.

[Ben Langfeld]

Here's some to get you started. There's bound to be more though.

 

Pros:

Simpler setup - give it juice and a signal and you're off.

One less rack to cart around.

Don't have to worry about matching amps to cabs.

 

Cons:

Often not particularly powerful.

A lot of them are plastic.

 

It all depends on your application really.

 

Edit: Beaten to it.

[Jivemaster]

It all depends on the application. I have seen powered speakers up in a permanent rig which totally defeats the object of having the amp controls on the cab.

[Bobbsy]

It all depends on the application. I have seen powered speakers up in a permanent rig which totally defeats the object of having the amp controls on the cab.

 

Er, why? Surely the venue management can decide on a maximum SPL they want, then set the input attenuation to achieve this at whatever is considered the peak output from a mixing desk? Once set, what controls do you need regular access to?

 

Bob

[Adam Brinkworth]

At the moment I run an Active rig. But in the upcoming months I am going to be upgrading to passive.

 

I have had too many problems using active speakers. In my DJ system, the amps have blown. I am still trying to figure out a way to repair them :P Any Ideas? Its an American Audio Tri Pack. :P

 

Touchwood my FOH Active rig has been fine up until now, although it is temporary until I purchase my D&B C7 Stack system.

 

HTH

[Pete McCrea]

Cons:

Often not particularly powerful.

 

Not very powerful? Try This.

 

:P :P

 

As the others have said, it depends on the budget, and that old analogy of 'you pays for what you get.'

 

Spend £4k on a Powered box, and it will last. The Meyer stuff for instance is all self protecting, and will last for years. Damned solid cabinets, great build quality. And depending on your ear/preferences, a great sound.

 

Spend £400 on a box, and plastic is probably the easiest material to build it from. Consider the fact that you would have spent £250 on the same unpowered box, and that they've put in a amp too. Which leaves ?£150 for the amp. Now how many good amps cost £150/per channel?

 

As the others have said, there are pro's and cons. Although I used to work for a company that run Meyer, I'm not convinced by 'it saves time cabling up' argument. Running passive, you still have to run power to the racks, then cable to the stacks. With Powered there's possibly more cables. But then there are less cases on the truck, and few bits to run into the venue. But more weight in the cabs themselves.

 

As for me? If I was buying a new system, I'm not too sure which way I'd go, and it would be decided on a basis of crosshire-ability, Sound, price and ergonomics (like handles in the right places), and not necessarily that order.

[Chris Beesley]

I have had too many problems using active speakers. In my DJ system, the amps have blown. I am still trying to figure out a way to repair them :P Any Ideas? Its an American Audio Tri Pack. :P

 

Might be worth asking the guys at Prolight Concepts as they are the UK Distributer...

[rob.d]

Cons:

Often not particularly powerful.

 

Not very powerful? Try This.

 

:P ;)

 

 

or this.

 

 

136db SPL? 27kg? thats like 139db pure clean and clear peak output from two small(ish) boxes. The amplifier modules are made by Bang & Olufsen. Not cheap, but for portability, and the fact that there's a powerful and nicely configured adaptive, protective DSP and in there to boot means its an absolute winner.

 

I hear on the grape vine that Turbosound are getting bespoke super long excursion RCF drivers fitted in their new bass bins, which says it all.

 

I had 2 not-especially-powerful Matrix amplifiers in a rack box once, I'm not a small bloke and that box was by far and away the worst box of kit I've ever had to try and move around. Never again! Someone mentioned speaker cable, and thats a moot point too- you don't lose a great deal in a 25m cable run at balanced line level, or gain much noise, and even with something like decent and heavy 2 x 4mm speaker cable from amp to speaker, you'll lose 5-10% of total power over that same run. Thats a 5-10% warmer amplifier (actually its probably more) and you cant reinstate that voltage on the back of the destination cab. An active system is therefore, ceteris paribus, that bit more efficient of a layout than an equivalent passive system.

 

just my 2p :P

 

rob

[Rob_Beech]

Isn't a peak output based on the drivers peak power handling figures and worked theoretically, the continuous output usually being around 6db less than this?

 

Its a genuine question.... is that the same principle for powered boxes or do they use the maximum amplifier power or limiter threshold to determine the peak spl? is this still done in a theoretical sense or is it measured.

 

 

either way its a loud box! and knowing RCF a good one too.

[savman]

Active rig type person here, no complaints so far. There are many pros & cons to any rig, passive or active, some of which you've been given so far. I guess it really depends on whether you have a passive aggressive or active aggressive personality! :P

 

Passive/Active

Petrol/Diesel

 

Just a different way of doing the same thing :P

[Mark Payne]

Passive

 

When the wind blows and the rain comes down I want it to fly where I put it and not worry about water running through the mains cables running up to it. When the sun bakes the back of it I dont want the amps doing the thermal thing.

 

Just my 2ps

[timtheenchanteruk]

for a permanant install, actives are fine, however I prefer the ease of setting a mobile? (if thats the right word) rig just adjusting from a bank of amps rather than at each cab.

[BlueShift]

Flying weight is often a big consideration with bigger active rigs. the meyer line arrays are damn heavy, cant be flown in all venues due to limitations of fly points and the like

[Pete]

Just to add to the OP's reading-

You should do a search for Powered/UnPowered as that is genreally the terminology used,as opposed to active/passive which is genreally used to describe speakers that require an active crossover or include a passive crossover.