What is required for an active speaker system?

What features should you look for in a headunit and amplifier?

What is required for an active speaker system?

What features should you look for in a headunit and amplifier?

what is required? Well it depends....are you wanting an active 3-way or an active 4-way? An active 3-way is honestly a lot easier to do than say an active 4-way. A 3-way is just highs, mids, sub. Were as a 4-way is highs, midrange, midbass, and sub. Most headunits have built in options for 3 way, like alpine, pioneer, eclipse. If you want to do 4-way though your headunit options get narrowed down pretty quickly. Pioneer p9, clarion drz-9255, alpine h701 combo, which of course those cost a lot more than the other units which are in the 300 price range.

You really have to decide if you want your processing done in the headunit, or if you can go outboard. You could buy active crossovers that are external and also buy external EQs. Next you need amps to power the speakers. for a 3-way you need an amp to power your tweets, an amp to power your mids, and an amp to power your subs. Same goes for the 4-way except you could have a 4-channel amp powering the mid-range and mid-bass.

Active is really just $$$$ and also more time consuming as to setting it up. I've never actually ran active but I've read enough about it to know enough. I hope that gets your started, just search honestly there are loads of writeups on ca.com and here.

IMO active can actually be cheaper than passive assuming that you have an active capable headunit. You end up spending more on amps, but less on speakers to get the same quality.

I would say that 2k referred to 3 way and 4 way, but conventionally people will call those 2way and 3way as they don't count the sub. If you haven't ever done an active setup though I would recommend a simple 2way + sub and use fairly mundane drivers. Exotic cones and anomalies in the frequency response will create both crossover and eq'ing issues that are eventually easy to deal with but for the first time I would recomend you keep it simple. The other beauty of active setups is that you can easily buy used drivers and sell them for about what you paid for them. Something that is not so easy with stock components. It is a lot more fun and customizable as well. I haven't actually heard a set of components that I would even think of running for more than 5 times the budget of the drivers that I bought and are running active. If you are truly into SQ or have any particular portion of the musical spectrum you would like to focus on reproducing the best active is by far the most flexible and best solution for you. Setting up a system isn't trivial though, but there are some of us here who would surely help.

I have some more questions. I'm using a Sundown 100.4

What do I do with the crossover network that comes with the speaks? (use it or toss it?)

Which preamp out goes where? If I'm running my tweets on channels1+2 and my mids on 3+4...will my amp drive BOTH SETS of channels from ONE preamp input?

There's a sale on some CDT 3way's and a buddy was trying to convince me...but I don't want to cut holes in my doors (leather) and I'm just starting and want to K.I.S.S.

Anything else I should be thinking about?

Thanks.

If you're going active, the whole point is to get rid of the passives

I'd skip the CDTs...

I thought that getting rid of the passives was correct...but sometimes I read things wrong...thought I'd ask.

If I'm getting rid of the xovers...should I buy a component set? Or should I shop for tweets and mids seperately?

Recommendations? Tweeters that are outstanding...rainbow, morel?

What do you think of Image dynamics horns?

Who makes good mids?

should I buy a component set?

No real reason to.

Tweeters that are outstanding...rainbow, morel?

zaphaudio.com has an excellent tweet review that could get you started, at least.

What do you think of Image dynamics horns?

Excellent, but horns usually are more of a pain to install than typical speakers.

Who makes good mids?

Zaph and DIYMA should be both places you check...tons of good manufacturers out there. Vifa, Seas, Scan Speak, Focal, Rainbow, Morel...

The 100.4 has bandpass capabilities, using the SSF, so that might be all you need to go active. I've never looked at the crossover points it offers and don't know what drivers you plan on using though...

The lowpass on the Sundown goes up to 5k on channels 3&4 and the highpass goes up to 5k on channels 1&2. You can use it for most any driver combo.

The lowpass on the Sundown goes up to 5k on channels 3&4 and the highpass goes up to 5k on channels 1&2. You can use it for most any driver combo.

Very true and a great amp, but I would still prefer to have my controls up front whether it be a h/u or offboard proc.

Equalizer or Active Crossover ?

I suppose EQ would be better for SQ type systems ?

An EQ and an active crossover are two very different things...the former being used to change the levels of frequencies in the passband, and the latter used for dividing a signal into different frequency ranges.

Yes, I'd prefer both.

///M5 and others

Which active xover or eq do you suggest and why

I am currently looking into the three.1 from audiocontrol...

And suggestions or preferences.... ?

I ask why also to understand your choice and see if that is what i am intending to accomplish....

I'd like mine in my headunit or headunit controllable.

This leaves older Alpine headunits with Bass Engine Pro, lots of different Eclipse h/u's, the Ural, Panasonic 9255, Sony C90 and the off board procs: H701, P9, PPI DCX 730, Rockford 3Sixty

Personally I wouldn't use anything else. (except if I had a brain fart and left it off the list)

The Alpine 9887 will be out nexy month and finally brings back the Bass Engine Pro and still keeps the iPod direct connect and is compatible with the Imprint stuff do out soon as well.

I'd like mine in my headunit or headunit controllable.

This leaves older Alpine headunits with Bass Engine Pro, lots of different Eclipse h/u's, the Ural, Panasonic 9255, Sony C90 and the off board procs: H701, P9, PPI DCX 730, Rockford 3Sixty

Personally I wouldn't use anything else. (except if I had a brain fart and left it off the list)

Clarion DRZ?

I don't mean to thread jack but figured this was a good place to put it. Will alpines with just bass engine work to go active off the head unit? For example I have an alpine 7894 that I plan to use in my next car that I will be buying in a few months and going active seems interesting.

Bass Engine Pro has the ability to run active.

The 7894 has Bass Engine Plus, which will not.

I'd like mine in my headunit or headunit controllable.

This leaves older Alpine headunits with Bass Engine Pro, lots of different Eclipse h/u's, the Ural, Panasonic 9255, Sony C90 and the off board procs: H701, P9, PPI DCX 730, Rockford 3Sixty

Personally I wouldn't use anything else. (except if I had a brain fart and left it off the list)

Clarion DRZ?

I called it a Panasonic, that is a brain fart and a half.

I had a 7894 before I bought the 9835...it's a great unit if you plan to run outboard processing, but what it comes with internally is lacking.

I'd like mine in my headunit or headunit controllable.

This leaves older Alpine headunits with Bass Engine Pro, lots of different Eclipse h/u's, the Ural, Panasonic 9255, Sony C90 and the off board procs: H701, P9, PPI DCX 730, Rockford 3Sixty

Personally I wouldn't use anything else. (except if I had a brain fart and left it off the list)

you forgot the clarion hx-d2

The Alpine 9887 will be out nexy month and finally brings back the Bass Engine Pro and still keeps the iPod direct connect and is compatible with the Imprint stuff do out soon as well.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Rwo5MuJCjmU/c...=500CDA9887#Tab

WOW pretty nice

empeg riocar mkIIa

http://www.persiconi.com/wrx/downloads/empegsound/index.html

Edited May 23, 200718 yr by almond

empeg riocar mkIIa

http://www.persiconi.com/wrx/downloads/empegsound/index.html

Ha skinny puppy lol.

That unit while it would be cool if it did, does not offer crossovers.