Members petejt Posted January 7, 2007 Members Share Posted January 7, 2007 What exactly does it mean to have an active or passive EQ on an amplifier? I've read that the Laney TT50H has a passive EQ system, so how does that work? And what amps have an active EQ? Rivera? VHT? Mesa/Boogie amps (Mark series?)?, Bad Cat? Marshall? Bogner? etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members merple Posted January 7, 2007 Members Share Posted January 7, 2007 Passive EQ is unpowered, so you can only take away from any frequencies fed into it.Active can boost the signal beyond whatever it started with. I would have thought all guitar amps are passive. I havent seen any with a tube for each band of EQ. Ofcourse, I could be thinking wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted January 7, 2007 Members Share Posted January 7, 2007 Originally posted by petejt What exactly does it mean to have an active or passive EQ on an amplifier?I've read that the Laney TT50H has a passive EQ system, so how does that work?And what amps have an active EQ? Rivera? VHT? Mesa/Boogie amps (Mark series?)?, Bad Cat? Marshall? Bogner? etc. The vast majority of tube amps made are passive EQ. If it has a graphic EQ as well, that part should be active. There are some amps with active tone controls. Some of the Carvin X-series, Peavey XXX(I think)and others that I can't think of off the top of my head. merple was correct in the definition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adiohead Posted January 7, 2007 Members Share Posted January 7, 2007 jsx has active eq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Weathered Posted January 7, 2007 Members Share Posted January 7, 2007 Pretty much anything descended from the Peavey Ultra series has an active EQ (XXX, JSX). The Crate BV also had an active EQ. I'm not much a fan of active EQ's - something about them just doesn't sound as organic or natural to my ears. I'm a huge fan of just a tone control for your tone stack, because what do we all think when we're playing? "Oh I just need a little less treble/more treble/more low end," etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted August 25, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 So, with the MarkIV, the tone stack is a passive EQ (bass reduces the bass frequencies backwards from 10, mids reduces the mids frequencies backwards from 10, treble reduces the treble frequencies backwards from 10), and the 5-band graphic EQ is active, meaning it can boost as well as cut the frequencies? (I know the graphic EQ can boost and cut, but I didn't know that was because it is an active EQ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted August 25, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted August 25, 2007 Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 What exactly does it mean to have an active or passive EQ on an amplifier?I've read that the Laney TT50H has a passive EQ system, so how does that work?And what amps have an active EQ? Rivera? VHT? Mesa/Boogie amps (Mark series?)?, Bad Cat? Marshall? Bogner? etc.Active = powered, passive = unpowered. So active can add and subtract, passive can only subtract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted August 25, 2007 Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 So, with the MarkIV, the tone stack is a passive EQ (bass reduces the bass frequencies backwards from 10, mids reduces the mids frequencies backwards from 10, treble reduces the treble frequencies backwards from 10), and the 5-band graphic EQ is active, meaning it can boost as well as cut the frequencies? (I know the graphic EQ can boost and cut, but I didn't know that was because it is an active EQ)Of course. Can't do it otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted August 25, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 Active = powered, passive = unpowered. So active can add and subtract, passive can only subtract. hmm, okay then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted August 25, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 Of course. Can't do it otherwise. Oh! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted August 25, 2007 Members Share Posted August 25, 2007 Of course, you can usually "cheat" a bit with passive tone controls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theredled Posted May 2, 2013 Members Share Posted May 2, 2013 Hello,Sorry for waking up this old thread, but I have a question on that topic :Knowing that Passive EQs can only cut frequencies, does it mean that the "basic" sound of an amplifier is the one you have when all EQs are on 10 ? OR do constructors build amplifiers so that it sounds "basic" on 5 ?By basic, I don't necessarily mean "electronicly transparent". I only mean, the sound that enginneers wanted to be the basic sound.Any thoughts ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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