Active speakers have an in-built power amplifier and just need a power source (or battery) to operate, where passive speakers require an external power amplifier to operate. In short, you need an amplifier for passive speakers, you don’t with active speakers. An active speaker is essentially an all-in-one system that powers your speakers, just like a combo amplifier that guitarists or bass players use. The amplifier is built in to the speaker cabinet, so all you have to do is connect the PA speakers to power (or use a battery) and feed a line-level signal into it. This could be a vocal microphone, a guitar or even an MP3 player.

A selection of active PA speakers also include mixers already built in, with EQ settings and even microphone pre amps, so you can mix the sound directly on the speaker to professional standards easily. These are ideal for bands, DJ’s, professional public orators and the likes of café owners or schools who want to be able to play both live and pre-recorded music, without too much fuss.

There’s also a huge range of battery powered and portable PA’s that are ideal for buskers, public speakers and even functions. An active speaker system is by far the best PA system for orators, or even small places of worship. 

Passive speakers are a little different, as they require separate amplifiers or mixers to power them and they also need speaker cables to be able to transfer the sound from amplifier to speakers.

As passive speakers are NOT an all-in-one system, you will have to make sure that your speakers and amplifier are compatible with their respective impedance and power ratings. If you get this wrong, you risk either blowing your speakers up, or not getting the best sound out of them. To do this, you’ll need separate crossover components installed within the speakers or the amplifier. 

• Active speakers are usually set up as an all-in-one solution, which means all you have to do is plug your line-level sound in and you’re good to go.

• In most cases, the amplifier is completely tuned to the speakers already. Which means you get the best sound straight out of the box.

• If you want to make changes, active speakers have the ability to sculpt the sound to how you want it on the back of the speaker, so there’s no need for a sound engineer.

• You don’t need any technical experience to use one, they are easy to set up.

• Most are designed to be battery powered, making them a great portable solution.

• If you want to upgrade your system and you’ve got active PA speakers left over, you can re-use them for monitors on stage as the cabinets are often designed with an angled back so the sound projects upwards towards the artist or speaker. All you have to do is connect your extra speakers to the pre-fader aux send which will be found on the back of your PA system and you can get a direct monitor mix fed to you.

• Due to the fact that active PA speakers have an amplifier built-in, they can be a little (or in some cases, a lot) heavier to carry. For the likes of touring bands, this can get tedious pretty quickly!

• If you install your active PA speakers in a setting permanently and the amplifier breaks down, you might have to get an engineer to come to you to fix them. As the amplifier is inside the speakers, you have to take the entire unit to get fixed rather than just replacing the broken element.

• If your active PA system goes down, you can’t just swap out the broken element. The whole speaker will need to be sent for repair and will be out of action.

• As passive PA speakers and amplifiers are separate entities, you can upscale your operation easily. You might have an amplifier with 4 channels on, but only 2 speakers. But when the time comes, you can add more speakers to it easily. Just match the power ratings and impedance and you’re good to go.

• You can upgrade your amplifier or speakers separately without having to replace an entire PA system.

• Passive speakers are lightweight thanks to the fact they don’t have amplifiers inside them. This means they’re easier to lift and install. Especially handy if you’re taking your PA on the road or to different venues.

• Servicing your PA system is a lot easier! If the amplifier breaks down, you just replace that. If the speaker blows, you can swap it out for another one while you’re getting the broken one fixed. Maintenance is a lot easier with a powered system.

• After you’ve installed your speakers around the room, church or school, you can go back to the mixing area and change settings from your control centre rather than run around the room to make changes to each speaker separately. This is a great benefit if you’ve hardwired your speaker system into your venue.

• Getting the right amplifier for your speakers in terms of power ratings and impedance can be a little difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. 

• If you’re running a lot of speakers around the room, there’s more of a chance of signal loss. Signal loss starts to occur once the distance of cable from amplifier to speaker exceeds 18.5ft, so if you’re running a large setup with standard loudspeaker wire, this can sometimes have a negative impact on your sound. Just make sure you buy good quality loudspeaker cables.

Often known as a stage monitor, a foldback speaker is used for performers to hear their own mix of vocals and instruments while performing. They are often active speakers in the shape of a wedge.

It is now very common for foldback to be used with radio in ear headphones with a transmitter to reduce the number of speakers on the stage. 

They are sent through the auxiliary send outputs on the audio mixing desk.

A guitar amplifier (or amp as it is commonly called) houses loudspeakers for the purpose of producing sound from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar.