How do I go Active with my Setup?

[icehellion 10+ year member]

Im planning on buying a P99RS, and from what I understand, to get the most out of this deck I need to go Active.

How do I go Active with my Setup?

I already have my SPZ60 and Boston GT2300, I prefer not to discard the Passive Crossover that came with them, I would rather purchase an additional amplifier and speakers and augment.

Any suggestions?

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[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

Run the mids on the Boston GT2300 and buy a small 2 channel amp to run the tweets. Use 2 sets of RCAs on the deck (one to each amp)....run active.....

But, if you're going active, you're gonna have to ditch the passive xovers, otherwise you are not active and there is no need to add extra drivers just to say "I'm running active" because you'll probably cause more issues than benefits.

IMO, if you want to use the passives, then there's really no need to spend that kind of cash on that HU. If you're liking the T/A and L-R independent EQ then the Pioneer 80PRS should be fine for you. If you dont know how to tune, get an external DSP like the JBL MS-8 and that way you can keep your passive xovers, get the same processing as the Pioneer and its all set up for you within 5 minutes.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

The P99RS is basically a head unit with a high-end processor built in. It has Auto-EQ but it's not as good as what the JBL MS-8 can do. If you want to go active get something in the $250-400 range that has 3-way crossovers and time alignment built in. There are many choices out there and since you appear to want a used P99RS there's no point jumping up to that one when you don't know what you're getting.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

The 99RS has enough T/A, crossovers, and filters for any 2-way front system. Active or passive doesn't matter. It's a very nice HU with an excellent signal path - one of the best HU's on the market today.

OP - "Active" means not using passive crossovers. if you want to use passive crossovers, then don't worry about active and run as-is with the 2300 on the front outputs. Adding speakers would not constitute an "active" system and would probably worsen the sound quality you have now. You can certainly pull off rear fill with that HU, so feel free to try some midrange drivers.