DJ Speakers

Passive speakers require a power amplifier to provide its power. An active or self-powered speaker has an amplifier built-in. There are advantages and disadvantages to going powered or passive. Powered speakers are lightweight and simply plug into your mixer and a power outlet. The amplifier is also perfectly matched to the speaker so you stand less chance of blowing the speaker with a mismatched amplifier. There are also less cables to deal with and less points of connections which means less troubleshooting in case of problems. Powered speakers are great for mobile DJs that often travel from party to party. Powered speakers also make great DJ Booth monitors due to their independant, self-powered/EQ qualities. Passive speakers are usually employed in fixed installations such as restaurants, clubs and bars and in a variety of other places where they often remain in their original location. The advantages of using an amplifier/passive speaker set-up is that it allows for more room to easily scale the size of your system by simply adding additional amps, rack components and speakers. You also have greater control over sound quality in such situations. You can use crossovers to maximize your sound by splitting frequencies among a variety of horns/tweeters, woofers and subwoofers and a variety of eq's and sound processing units. Unlike powered speakers, when a speaker or amplifier has a problem, all you need to replace is that particular component. With powered speakers the entire unit needs to be serviced and that can cost $$$ in lost earnings while waiting for your unit to be replaced. For passive speakers there are many variables that can go into choosing the right amplifier to match with a loudspeaker. A good rule of thumb is to select an amplifier that can deliver 100%-200% of the loudspeaker’s continuous power rating at its nominal impedance. TopDJGear's Preconfigured Speaker/Amplifier Packages help take the guesswork out of matching the appropriate amplifier to speaker.