Amps that are Active capable

[Theride 10+ year member]

I would like to try going active to see how i like it.

I know the best way according to my research here is to get a HU that is active capable. But I already have an HU that is not. Pioneer 4200DVD. Which amp could I get that is fully active capable? I've read that Sundown amps are, but which other ones that are not too expensive that will work fine? I was trying to avoid getting a separate crossover unit.

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[Theride 10+ year member]

Any suggestions?

 

[ahole-ic]

Any amp that doesn't lock you into low pass or high pass is active capable. If it says "flat" or you can turn the passive crossover built in to it off, it's active capable. You're probably confused on what it means to go active since you worded your question this way. If your head unit isn't active capable, just leave any eq in it or bass boost off and get a digital sound processor.

 

[SRim23 5,000+ posts]

Any amp that doesn't lock you into low pass or high pass is active capable. If it says "flat" or you can turn the passive crossover built in to it off, it's active capable. You're probably confused on what it means to go active since you worded your question this way. If your head unit isn't active capable, just leave any eq in it or bass boost off and get a digital sound processor.

no, any amp that has a "flat" setting is NOT active capable. and if you read his post you would of seen he does NOT want a separate processor. I think you are the one confused on what active means.

OP, your amp needs to have a bandpass setting. I could be wrong but unfortunately most amps that are active capable seem to be a bit pricey. DLS has a few amps that are active capable, but again they don't come very cheap. Good luck.

 

[ciaonzo 5,000+ posts]

If your HU doesn't have any filters built-in and you don't want to buy an external crossover unit, you need amplifiers with built-in crossovers that will facilitate the not-so-common range of frequencies between the tweeter and midrange/midbass (usually a 500Hz to 5kHz variable adjustment range), as well as the ability to create a bandpass filter for the midrange/midbass. Some amplifiers have this feature but most do not. It's not necessary to have an amplifier that has a bandpass filter, you can create a bandpass filter by using multiple amplifiers that each have the ability to cross high or low for the power outputs, as well as the ability to cross high or low for the RCA outputs to feed the next amplifier (assuming it has them). If you use three 2 channel amplifiers that each have the ability to do that (including at least one that has the 500 to 5k adjustment range), you will have very flexible active capabilities. Countless people have been doing it that way since way before head units ever had built-in filters.

 

[Theride 10+ year member]

I was looking at these amps.

Sundown SAX100.4D

Sundown Audio - SAX-100.4D

Cadence ZRS 7504

ZRS-7504 - Cadence 600 Watt 4 Ch Competition Amplifier

I wanted to get something under $200. But im willing to spend the money and buy something good, with a wide range of capability and will last long.

 

[Theride 10+ year member]

I like the sundown because of its popularity around here.

My finger is on the trigger for the sundown but i wanna hear other suggestions if you guys have any.

 

[ciaonzo 5,000+ posts]

You can certainly achieve a full active setup with the Sundown 100.4 and one more amplifier for sub duty. Just use the x10 feature on channels 1/2 when high passing the tweeters (somewhere around 2 - 4kHz with most tweeters), then use the x10 feature on channels 3/4 to create the low pass section of the bandpass for the midrange/midbass. By using the subsonic on channels 3/4 you can create the high pass section of the bandpass for the midrange/midbass. Then just use the outputs from the 100.4 (or the subwoofer outputs from your HU to retain fade-ability) to feed your sub amplifier and crossover as you normally would using that amplifier's available features.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

What do you mean by "amps that are active capable?" Technically all amps are "active" because they run under their own power supply and "passive" means no external power needed, such as a passive crossover that comes with speakers or a passive radiator.

Do you mean you want to power your tweeter, midrange and woofer all with separate amplifier channels without using any type of passive crossover that comes with all component speaker sets? Keep in mind that if you want to skip the passive crossovers then you better make sure you set the highpass/bandpass crossover frequency within the speaker's specs or otherwise you can ruin them. You want a sharper crossover slope, like 12dB or 18 dB for the tweeters and 6dB or 12dB slope for the bandpassed midrange and 12dB or 18dB for the woofers.

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

By active capable, he means he wants an amp that has crossovers flexible enough to allow a wide range of midranges/midbasses and tweeters to be used so that he may power each individual speaker with its own channel. Ciaonzo pretty much explained exactly what he was looking for in terms of active capable, while pointing out that multiple filters can be used from different steps in the chain to achieve the same goal instead of relying on an amp that has everything clumped together.

Two amplifiers that come into mind that have active capable crossovers with a 10x multiplier are the Sundown SAX-100.4D (as you said) and the Audioque AQ4x90.

 

[Theride 10+ year member]

By active capable, he means he wants an amp that has crossovers flexible enough to allow a wide range of midranges/midbasses and tweeters to be used so that he may power each individual speaker with its own channel. Ciaonzo pretty much explained exactly what he was looking for in terms of active capable, while pointing out that multiple filters can be used from different steps in the chain to achieve the same goal instead of relying on an amp that has everything clumped together.
Two amplifiers that come into mind that have active capable crossovers with a 10x multiplier are the Sundown SAX-100.4D (as you said) and the Audioque AQ4x90.

which would u recommend? i like the price tag of the audioque but i like the sundown idea because of how its talked about around here. is the sundown a better amp since its more expensive?

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

Kenwood X4R

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

is the sundown a better amp since its more expensive?

Higher price does not equal higher performance. Both amps are terrific, and you most likely will not hear a difference at all between the two. Audioque is a highly respected brand on these forums, and their gear is top notch. They are a competitor to Sundown. Go with either one, you won't be disappointed - it's pretty much personal preference. The Sundown does appear to have a slightly more robust power supply, but I have yet to read of any complaints of the AQ4x90.

 

[Macklessdaddy 10+ year member]

The cadence zrs 7504 would do the job,great series of amps

 

[Haunz 10+ year member]

The cadence zrs 7504 would do the job,great series of amps

According the link posted the crossover bands are not wide enough for components.. it would not work..