Why do some speakers need an AMP and why are others working without one?

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Why do some speakers need an AMP and why are others working without one?

In: Technology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

All speakers have an amplifier, other than headphones which use so little power that they can use the un-amplified audio signal.

A speaker needs to filter some frequencies from of their signal, otherwise they’ll produce a lot of nasty noise. For this purpose, speakers usually have a so called “crossover”, a circuit using large copper coils and capacitors. The more power you’re running through the cross-over, and the lower the frequencies it’s used for, the bigger and therefore the more expensive these parts become.

However, it’s possible to just build an amplifier into the speaker itself, and filter the signal before the amplifier with a cheap electronic circuit. This is often used for subwoofers to save money, but professional audio equipment also often uses built-in amps. This type of speaker is called “active”, whereas a speaker that needs a separate amplifier is “passive”.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Some are internally powered, while others are not…therefore requiring an external amplifier to drive the speaker.