getting new system need advice , whats difference between active and non active setup

[assassin1840 10+ year member]

so i sold pretty much everything i have still got some w3s but my buddy is picking them up in a week but im looking to get comp set that fit a civic in the fronts there 6.5 and idk if i should do rears also when i was pushing 500 rms in the back it riped my old speakers apart so im thinking just do fronts. maybe they blew apart due to them being 15 yrs old. im looking to just put a single 12 or 10 in the back that can do 500-600 rms. can any 5 channel amps do that much on the sub out put. and for fronts whats the difference between active and non. should i just do a 2 channel for the fronts or 4 and then a single for the sub. i want a nice sounding system. not crazy expensive but decent. would like matching amps doesnt really matter if they match the comp sets. but let me know what you guys think or if you have any suggests what do buy system between 600-800

not looking to do this in a rush since i want this system for a while i had diff systems every month and i just had the jl w7 13.5 and i had 1k running it and that was just way to much for my little car to much pressure inside

Click to read more...

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

Active setups mean you have full control of the crossover settings. Passive systems use crossovers that are plug-and-play with little or no adjustments. (The crossovers you see that come with components.)

Actives require more tech or more pieces to the system to make it work correctly, and each speaker has to have its own channel of amplification. Much more complex, and takes more effort to get setup correctly, but in the end can sound much better.

 

[All_Logix 10+ year member]

to put a physical illustration on what ultimate just said, active setups are basically running your tweeters directly from the amp...so if you had a 4 channel amp you would have ch.1 to right tweeter, ch.2 to left tweeter, ch. 3 to right woofer...etc. He is right though, generally you want someone who knows what they are doing to set it up, making sure the power is right , the xover setting is good, and such... personally I use a processor to help me out with this. I think you will get a good sound with a passive crossover tho if you have a quality component set. To answer the your question about the 5 channel.....I only know of the kicker IX1000.5, just came out, does 500 on sub and 125 for each of the 4 ch portion...as for components, if you want quality but not break the bank, I would say MB Quart, they have been impressive to me for their price range

 

[supermaxx123 10+ year member]

AudioControl DQX (Silver) 2-channel digital equalizer with 3-way crossover at Crutchfield Outlet

Running active means no crossovers in-line of the amplified speaker signal. That device up there splits the signal then you run that to the amp and yes, 1 speaker per channel. It's not the only thing to use but it's what i use and love it. Some headunits are also active capable but i have no experience with them.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Elemental Designs NINe.5 amplifier will suit your needs perfectly. Here are specs: Elemental Designs: Car Stereo, Home Speakers, Electronics

Solid tank of an amp. Well known to be underrated as well, and all rated at 12.5v. I currently have their 4ch on my speakers, and mono amp on my sub.

Also, I know this guy is selling one as well: http://www.caraudio.com/forums/members/ge_off_me.html

Does an underrated 600w @ 1ohm @ 12.5v.... you could probably find a good sub for what you wanna do & actually just run it at 2ohms. A smaller sub at an affordable price, that's still quality, I'd recommend the SSA Dcons or Incriminator Audio's 187. Both rated for 300w, and known to take a bit more. If you wanted to run at 600w at 1ohm there's certainly a handful of subs to fit the bill sub $200.

 

[Ge_off_me 5,000+ posts]

I sure am selling a Nine.5 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

I sure am selling a Nine.5 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

He sure is... and I may sell my Big Belle 5ch...