{"id":2850,"date":"2021-11-02T08:54:32","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T08:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/?p=2850"},"modified":"2021-11-02T09:05:34","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T09:05:34","slug":"what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"trp_language_switcher_shortcode\">\n<div class=\"trp-language-switcher trp-language-switcher-container\" data-no-translation >\n    <div class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-current-language\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-disabled-language trp-ls-disabled-language\" title=\"English\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault()\">\n\t\t\t English\t\t<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-language\">\n                <a href=\"#\" class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-disabled-language trp-ls-disabled-language\"  title=\"English\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault()\">\n\t\t\t English\t\t<\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850\" title=\"Deutsch\">\n             Deutsch        <\/a>\n\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850\" title=\"Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\">\n             Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico        <\/a>\n\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850\" title=\"Fran\u00e7ais\">\n             Fran\u00e7ais        <\/a>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <script type=\"application\/javascript\">\n        \/\/ need to have the same with set from JS on both divs. Otherwise it can push stuff around in HTML\n        var trp_ls_shortcodes = document.querySelectorAll('.trp_language_switcher_shortcode .trp-language-switcher');\n        if ( trp_ls_shortcodes.length > 0) {\n            \/\/ get the last language switcher added\n            var trp_el = trp_ls_shortcodes[trp_ls_shortcodes.length - 1];\n\n            var trp_shortcode_language_item = trp_el.querySelector( '.trp-ls-shortcode-language' )\n            \/\/ set width\n            var trp_ls_shortcode_width                                               = trp_shortcode_language_item.offsetWidth + 16;\n            trp_shortcode_language_item.style.width                                  = trp_ls_shortcode_width + 'px';\n            trp_el.querySelector( '.trp-ls-shortcode-current-language' ).style.width = trp_ls_shortcode_width + 'px';\n\n            \/\/ We're putting this on display: none after we have its width.\n            trp_shortcode_language_item.style.display = 'none';\n        }\n    <\/script>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re listening to live music in a club, to a film soundtrack at the movie theater, or enjoying some tunes while wearing headphones, the sound you\u2019re listening to is reproduced by loudspeakers. Everyone understands that. Now, designing loudspeakers, which produce sounds that are accurate and enjoyable, can be done in a few different ways. You can have passive loudspeakers, active loudspeakers, or powered loudspeakers. When describing such designs and their technology, it is very common to read erroneous use of the terminology. So, let\u2019s bring some technical clarity here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before looking into the details of each technology, we need to define a few elements around our explanations. First, this article assumes that we have an audio source feeding a line level signal (the most common level for professional equipment is +4 dBu, and -10 dBV for consumer equipment) to each design we are going to discuss. Line levels are documented in green in the drawings below, while full swing (many tens of dB\u2019s), post power amplifier signals are indicated in bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Passive Loudspeaker<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Danish engineer Peter L. Jensen and Edwin Pridham manufactured the first practical moving-coil loudspeakers in 1915, in Napa, California. They invented the commonly called passive loudspeaker design, which is still in use and globally manufactured by many brands, including QSC (see our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qsc.com\/solutions-products\/loudspeakers\/portable\/passive\/portable-pa\/e-series\/\">E Series<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Passive loudspeakers are made of an enclosure, one or more transducers (also called loudspeaker drivers), and a passive crossover network. They do not require any mains power &#8211; the electrical power taken from wall sockets (230 V, 110 V, etc.) &#8211; as their transducers are working with passive electrical components and electromagnetic forces. They receive an amplified line level signal (in bronze below) from a standalone power amplifier. The power amplifier boosts the line level signal from the audio source and\/or preamplifier to an adequate transducer signal level. Next, this signal is split into different frequency bandwidths &#8211; typically two or three &#8211; by the passive crossover network mounted inside the enclosure before being sent to the appropriate transducers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"774\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png 774w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1-300x136.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1-768x347.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1-250x113.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1-550x249.png 550w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1-398x180.png 398w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1-663x300.png 663w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 1 &#8211; Simplified passive loudspeaker signal flow diagram.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that the power amplifier\u2019s output rating and the passive loudspeaker admissible power must be carefully matched to achieve optimal performance. A too weak amplifier will be incapable of driving the loudspeaker to its full performance and will distort the audio signal before the loudspeaker even gets close to its loudest. Conversely, too powerful of an amplifier can overload the passive loudspeaker crossover and transducers, leading to distortion and transducers blowing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Active Loudspeaker<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first active loudspeakers were designed in the mid 60\u2019s by the likes of JBL and Klein &amp; Hummel, and soon after by Altec and Meyer Sound. An active loudspeaker design implies the use of one or more enclosures, one or more transducers, an active crossover network and separate, dedicated power amplifiers for each of the frequency bands split up by the active crossover network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An active loudspeaker is designed to receive a line level signal from an audio source and\/or preamplifier and amplify (and process) this signal internally. To do so, mains power is required. First, the line level signal is separated into different frequency bands by the active crossover network. Then, each band is amplified separately to transducer level before driving each appropriate driver (tweeter, midrange, woofer &#8211; depending on the design).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"653\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2.png 653w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2-250x134.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2-550x295.png 550w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2-336x180.png 336w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-2-560x300.png 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 653px) 100vw, 653px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 2 &#8211; Simplified active loudspeaker signal flow diagram where all electronic components are mounted within the loudspeaker enclosure, which is connected to mains power.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"906\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3.png 906w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-768x297.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-250x97.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-550x212.png 550w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-800x309.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-466x180.png 466w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-3-777x300.png 777w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 906px) 100vw, 906px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 3 &#8211; Simplified active loudspeaker signal flow diagram where the active crossover and power amplifiers components are separate from the loudspeaker enclosure. Note that certain large venue PA systems will use separate enclosures for high, mid and low frequency bands. No loudspeaker enclosures are connected to mains power.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Using that technology, active crossover networks can be better optimized to split the audio signal with clarity and precision since they are independent from any power handling issues. The line-level signal separation occurs at a much lower amplitude than transducer level signals. In addition, as the designers have full control on all components in the design, each element can be optimized to achieve the best possible audio performance. One example is the perfect impedance matching between each power amplifier output and the corresponding transducer input impedance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several other technical benefits exist in active designs such as the possibility to have on-board driver equalization, advanced protection circuitry (thermal dissipation, driver excursion, electronic clipping, etc) as well as digital signal processing (DSP) using additional A\/D (analog-to-digital) and D\/A stages as featured in QSC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qsc.com\/solutions-products\/loudspeakers\/portable\/powered\/portable-pa\/k2-series\/\">K.2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qsc.com\/solutions-products\/loudspeakers\/portable\/powered\/powered-line-array-loudspeakers\/kla-series\/\">KLA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qsc.com\/solutions-products\/loudspeakers\/portable\/powered\/portable-pa\/kw-series\/\">KW<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qsc.com\/solutions-products\/loudspeakers\/portable\/powered\/portable-pa\/cp-series\/\">CP<\/a> Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Powered Loudspeaker<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Powered loudspeakers and active loudspeakers are often confused. If the terms \u201cpowered\u201d and \u201cactive\u201d are used interchangeably to describe loudspeaker designs &#8211; in marketing communications especially &#8211; a clear differentiation between these technologies should be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technically, powered loudspeakers are either similar to passive loudspeakers or using a combination of passive and active technologies. The big difference is that a powered loudspeaker does not strictly have individual power amplifiers for each transducer. Also, the presence of a passive crossover network in the design sets it apart from a pure active loudspeaker design. The inherent compromises of passive crossover networks (not covered in this article) are part of the powered loudspeaker paradigm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In figure 4 below, the powered loudspeaker design illustrated works in the same way as a passive loudspeaker, except that a single channel power amplifier is built inside the loudspeaker enclosure. Thus, the term \u201cpowered\u201d loudspeaker, as it requires mains power. In terms of electronic and acoustic performance, this \u201cpowered\u201d loudspeaker is no different from a conventional passive loudspeaker. Such designs are common in compact personal loudspeakers such as those used to amplify portable digital music devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"601\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4.png 601w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4-250x146.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4-550x320.png 550w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4-309x180.png 309w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-4-515x300.png 515w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 4 &#8211; Simplified powered loudspeaker signal flow diagram where a single channel power amplifier is built inside the enclosure, requiring the loudspeaker to be connected to mains power. The electroacoustic design and performance are identical to a passive loudspeaker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the next figure 5, the powered loudspeaker design features an active crossover, which separates the line level signal in two distinct bands. If the woofer channel has a dedicated power amplifier before the actual transducer (making this channel truly \u2018active\u2019), the second channel is then split once more via a passive crossover network to retrieve a tweeter and a midrange frequency band. If such a 3-way powered loudspeaker design requires mains power, it is technically only partially active (woofer channel).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"717\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5.png 717w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5-250x122.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5-550x268.png 550w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5-369x180.png 369w, https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-5-615x300.png 615w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 5 &#8211; Simplified powered loudspeaker signal flow diagram where an active crossover splits the signal into two bands. The woofer channel is active with a dedicated power amplifier, while the tweeter\/midrange channel is split once more using a passive crossover network. The loudspeaker requires mains power but is not an active design, technically.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of studio monitors and hi-fi loudspeakers are designed in that way with the aim to reduce costs, as they only need two power amplifier channels rather than a more complex 3-way active crossover network feeding three separate power amplifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your loudspeaker &#8211; and its internal passive crossover &#8211; is not connected to mains power, then you are listening to a passive loudspeaker. Beside large venues complex PA systems, if your loudspeaker is connected to mains power, then it is beneficial to know if your loudspeaker features an actual active design or a \u2018hybrid\u2019 powered one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To summarize, all active loudspeakers require mains power (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active. So, watch out and make sure you purchase precisely the loudspeaker technology you need. Do not be fooled by words. Happy listening!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re listening to live music in a club, to a film soundtrack at the movie theater, or enjoying some tunes while wearing headphones, the sound you\u2019re listening to is reproduced by loudspeakers. Everyone understands that. Now, designing loudspeakers, which produce sounds that are accurate and enjoyable, can be done in a few different ways. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,83,18,79,14,63,25,65,19,8,1],"tags":[145,160,107,146,129,26,112],"class_list":["post-2850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-av-rental-presentation","category-cp-series","category-djs-dance","category-educational","category-events","category-house-of-worship","category-k-family","category-k-2-series","category-musicians-bands","category-production","category-uncategorized","tag-active-loudspeakers","tag-french","tag-german","tag-loudspeakers","tag-passive-loudspeakers","tag-powered-loudspeakers","tag-spanish"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers? - Blog | Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If passive loudspeakers are not connected to mains power, all active loudspeakers are (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers? - Blog | Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If passive loudspeakers are not connected to mains power, all active loudspeakers are (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog | Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-02T08:54:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-02T09:05:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Christophe Anet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Christophe Anet\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/\",\"name\":\"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers? - Blog | Resources\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-02T08:54:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-02T09:05:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#\/schema\/person\/a8866d0b07d2d57a44a4940d6e2dc4a0\"},\"description\":\"If passive loudspeakers are not connected to mains power, all active loudspeakers are (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/\",\"name\":\"Blog | Resources\",\"description\":\"QSC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#\/schema\/person\/a8866d0b07d2d57a44a4940d6e2dc4a0\",\"name\":\"Christophe Anet\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8477b4735e81f241edc3cc5da4d26cba5c0f45cabc80bb23e9ab99ff47335da?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8477b4735e81f241edc3cc5da4d26cba5c0f45cabc80bb23e9ab99ff47335da?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Christophe Anet\"},\"description\":\"Christophe Anet is an electroacoustics engineer and live sound professional. Over the years, his passion for acoustics led him to design recording studios, lecture about psycho-acoustics and calibrate recording studio control rooms around the world. When not playing guitar, you can find him either rock climbing in the Swiss Alps or painting landscape watercolors in the wilderness.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/author\/canet\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers? - Blog | Resources","description":"If passive loudspeakers are not connected to mains power, all active loudspeakers are (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers? - Blog | Resources","og_description":"If passive loudspeakers are not connected to mains power, all active loudspeakers are (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/","og_site_name":"Blog | Resources","article_published_time":"2021-11-02T08:54:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-11-02T09:05:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Christophe Anet","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Christophe Anet","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/","name":"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers? - Blog | Resources","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png","datePublished":"2021-11-02T08:54:32+00:00","dateModified":"2021-11-02T09:05:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#\/schema\/person\/a8866d0b07d2d57a44a4940d6e2dc4a0"},"description":"If passive loudspeakers are not connected to mains power, all active loudspeakers are (they are \u2018powered\u2019), but not all powered loudspeakers should be called active.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Blog_Figure-1.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/what-are-the-differences-between-passive-active-and-powered-loudspeakers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What are the differences between passive, active and powered loudspeakers?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/","name":"Blog | Resources","description":"QSC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#\/schema\/person\/a8866d0b07d2d57a44a4940d6e2dc4a0","name":"Christophe Anet","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8477b4735e81f241edc3cc5da4d26cba5c0f45cabc80bb23e9ab99ff47335da?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8477b4735e81f241edc3cc5da4d26cba5c0f45cabc80bb23e9ab99ff47335da?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Christophe Anet"},"description":"Christophe Anet is an electroacoustics engineer and live sound professional. Over the years, his passion for acoustics led him to design recording studios, lecture about psycho-acoustics and calibrate recording studio control rooms around the world. When not playing guitar, you can find him either rock climbing in the Swiss Alps or painting landscape watercolors in the wilderness.","url":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/author\/canet\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2850\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/live-sound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}