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Can you use active speakers with a powered mixer?


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I'd like to use a pair of SRM 450s as either the mains or as a pair of monitors. Either way would work. Is it possible to hook them up to a powered mixer..... and if so, where do I hook them up? I figure I might need a splitter.

 

Thanks.

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Some powered mixers have a line output that can drive powered speakers. Some powered speakers have an input that can handle either line or speaker level. Some Yorkville subwoofers would be examples of this.

 

 

It is a pair of Mackie SRM 450s.... not sure on the powered mixer. How can I tell?

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I'm thinking it might be safer to go with what we have. I need to purchase a mixer... so once I get that maybe we can set up the 450s as mains through the mixer and then use the powered mixer to power the monitors and subs. I think it would work out nicely.

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true...still, it can be a start for small gigs. We did it before we retired the powerd mixer to a practice setup and went with separates for gigs. Before we did that, we actually added a power amp for the subs and ran the mains and monitors off the powerd mixer. So, power is definitely a consideration depending on your application...as always.

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Can you use active speakers with a powered mixer?

 

 

Short answer: YES

 

Long answer: Exactly how depends on your gear. Like was said above, most boards will have a line out of some sort that can be sent to external amps, effects, or powered cabs.

 

One of my rigs uses a powered board and I often use the mixer to drive the mains and some small powered cabs for the monitors. Some other times, I use the power amp of the powered mixer board to drive wedges and use a larger power amp to push the mains.

 

*Most* powered mixers are going to provide you with a 1/4 inch unbalanced line level signal. You will need to make sure you match the output from the mixer to the input of whatever you are powering. Don't pump speaker level signal into something that was not meant to have speaker signal into it or you may release the magic smoke from the device.

 

I personally like to convert the 1/4 inch unbalanced line outs from my board into balanced XLR and chain a few powered wedges with XLR inputs. This lets me send the signal farther without interference or loss.

 

Hoep this helps!

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is monitor out the same thing as speaker out?

 

 

No, it is usually a line level signal from the monitor "bus" (circuit conducting the monitor signals from each channel), and is designed to be fed either to powered monitors or a power amp which will feed passive monitor speakers.

 

Some creative types might use the monitor send to feed powered speakers as mains and use the main speaker outs of a powered mixer to feed their passive monitors.

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