So, I thought I knew a decent amount about car audio....at least as far as general concepts, I haven't looked at gear in years to know what is good to buy right now. While researching about rear speakers here (don't worry I've already answered that question) I came across a term I'm not familiar with. "go active" what is that? It's possible I know it just not with that name or something.

 

to go active means to NOT use a passive crossover in your front stage, but rather use active crossover(s). The active crossover could come in several different forms. Such as built into a high end headunit, built into the amplifier, or an outboard processor.

One reason for going active would be if you are going to use separate components, meaning not from a component kit. Madisound.com is a great source for individual components that you can piece together your own component set. If you do your research and understand some theory, you can usually put together a very nice sounding set for a lot less money than a high end kit. The crossover/EQ/processing plays more of a role in an active setup, it is NOT plug-n-play!

Another reason would be........Maybe the included passive crossover that came with a set does not really work (not ideal xover points/slopes) for your particular install. It's true that most better companies spend a lot on crossover design for their component kits, but they can't build a crossover that is perfect in ALL install situations. Car acoustics are absolutely horrible and are not the same from car to car. So a crossover that would work in a Honda Civic, most likely would NOT be ideal in a Ford Excursion.

 

Ah ok I kind of suspected that's what it was. I'm familiar with active vs. passive crossovers, just hadn't heard the term "going active" as I had said. Many moons ago I used to run a setup that used one of the Audio Control EQ/crossover units. Of course, compared to the rest of the equipment that was in that particular system, it was like tossing a 350z engine in an old Ford Pinto or something lol.