have passive subwoofers had their day???

[Village Plank]

Just looking around some hifi retailers In my city today and It hit me..... I did'nt see ONE passive sub anywhere. I have traditionaly enjoyed the passive sub / dedicated amp setup but mabe It's time to move on. Do YOU think they have had their day? What is the ratio of active VS passive subs today? One for the experts I think

Ric

[davygrvy]

Active subs have the benefit of an excellent match. An excellent match means less returns. Any manufacturer with a brain the size of a pea will strive for a product that doesn't come back for warranty repair. Active subs can include a line level cross-over which is at least 5 times less expensive than passive. Did I mention built-in EQ and over excursion protection?

I could keep going, but I got stuff to do

[Pallas]

It depends on what you mean by a "passive" sub.

If you mean one that has a passive crossover in it and outputs to mains, then those are (rightfully!) dead and buried. Except for at Bose. (Maybe even there; can't say I've checked recently.)

If you mean one that doesn't have an amp built into the box, that's likely not a sale-able proposition, except as in-wall subs. (Many manufacturers sell "custom install" subs that are ampless and then sell a separate box with amps/processing. Tannoy, Velodyne, and Polk are three such examples.) However, many DIYers build sub boxes without amps, and use external amps/processing. So if that's what you mean by "passive" then they're not totally dead.

[badman]

As far as "optional" subs go, yes, passives have had their day. The cost and components of doing any reasonable passive crossover is huge, and The sub needs to be as sensitive as the mains, so it limits the systems they can work in.

The only way they really work is as "bass bins"- dedicated woofer sections designed to match the mains.

[Charles Darwin]

PMC XB2, XB3 and SB100 are passive in the sense that they come without amps or crossovers and require an external processor and amplifier.

[Moondog55]

What?? No ability to say that you have both??

Horses for courses of course.
But then I almost always Bi-amp when building but not always and a simple passive as a .8 is often a simple solution to adding a little depth to existing systems.
I vote for both according to circumstances

[nigelwright7557]

I have never been the fan of the idea of putting an amp in a vibrating box.
Some of these subwoofer can be thousands of watts.
Thats a lot of vibrating power.

[Brett]

Originally Posted by Village Plank

Just looking around some hifi retailers In my city today and It hit me..... I did'nt see ONE passive sub anywhere. I have traditionaly enjoyed the passive sub / dedicated amp setup but mabe It's time to move on. Do YOU think they have had their day? What is the ratio of active VS passive subs today? One for the experts I think

Ric

Yep, deader than a dodo.
Manufacturers have different requiremnets for a saleable item, then a DIYer does. An all in one box with amp, xover, EQ, level and phase adjustments is an easier sale than an enclosure with separate electronics. But the latter is no issue for many DIYers who'll go for best performance of bang for buck.

Originally Posted by nigelwright7557

I have never been the fan of the idea of putting an amp in a vibrating box.
Some of these subwoofer can be thousands of watts.
Thats a lot of vibrating power.

There's nothing forcing you to use a plate amp. Pro amps are typically W for W cheaper anyway.

[Village Plank]

Originally Posted by Moondog55

What?? No ability to say that you have both??

Horses for courses of course.
But then I almost always Bi-amp when building but not always and a simple passive as a .8 is often a simple solution to adding a little depth to existing systems.
I vote for both according to circumstances

Sorry, I was having a Lewis hamilton moment......

[turbodawg]

Assuming that by "active sub" you mean a sub with an amp built into the box - they came heavily in favor in the 1990's for HT and mid-fi music systems.

Separately amped subs (typically with active line level crossovers/processing) are VERY much favored for high end hi fi, DIY, car audio and pro sound.