Will passive speakers be quieter?

[clearnfc]

OK, one method which I use to reduce noise. I reduce the volume on the speaers but increase the gain. Also, increase volume at source to max. Low cost computer speakers can be quite "noisy".

The rationale behind this is that if the noise is from the speakers itself, then turning up the volume will amplify this noise. So, I reduce the volume to reduce hiss, use the source to increase the volume.

You could give it a try to see if it will improve things.

 

[Chrispy]

How about simply moving the speakers further away?

 

[pablolie]

Passive speakers will also be - noise in, noise out.

Whether in passive or active, the static noise will be a function of the input into them. With passive speakers, you'd know who to blame. With active speakers, you have 2 possible culprits: the speaker or the input chain into them.

I have never run into the "ground hum/hiss" issue every since I went all digital, even in electrical noisy California.

Hiss is something I absolutely do not tolerate in any of my systems. I look for utter and total silence at rest. Not just coming out of the speaker, but also when it comes to the operational noise of equipment (only my server is allowed a fan, and it's one designed for extremely low noise - I never hear it). I had a highly praised, high end DAC that suddenly started to emit a high pitched noise out of the power supply. When I reported it, the -otherwise excellent- service said that it was normal after a few years, and whether I wasn't being too sensitive... It got fixed, but I never bothered to really use it again consistently.

No noise...!

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Yep. No Noise at idle for me too.

I know it is irrelevant for the living room listing distance (passive speakers) but I still prefer it (Neurochrome Mod686, >126dB Dyn Range).

For my office with a listing distance of ca 1m and when writing / working on the desk I am only ca 0.6m away from the speaker, a noise free setup is absolutely essential for me. I therefore bought the Neumann KH80 instead of the Genelecs. I had them side by side on my desk at the time and the Genelec gave off this faint hiss at idle, which I find really distracting when trying to focus on work.

 

[Waxx]

I had active Tannoy Reveal monitors from 2005 and they had a very light his when on and not playing music, but you need to keep your ear next to the tweeter to hear it. From half a meter distance you hear nothing (even I, with very sensitive ears).

My actual passive desk speakers are self designed bookshelfs with a Mark Audio Alpair 10.3M fullrange drivers and some passive eq applied to it, and they have no hiss at all with my marantz PM5004 amplifier, but they do have his when i use the Hypex UcD amps i also have (but not use anymore). I did build Ncore 400 amp kits for someone and those did not have them altough when i tested them.

In my listening room i'm sitting about 3m from my speakers, so i don't hear nothing at all. But all are passive diy speakers with class A or tube amps. When i go close, the tube amp has some noise, but no a his, more a low tone and very low (only when fully open on high efficient speakers). In my kitchen i use a very cheap class D amp powering old philips speakers that has massive amounts of his when not playing, but i switch it of when i'm not playing. That philips is a 2 way with a passive crossover, but it's not enough to remove the hiss. The hiss dissapears when there is input signal (even when it's low) luckely...

I think it's mainly amp depending, and often class D (and mainly the cheaper and/or older ones) amps give hiss, (but not all of them). I'm not technically schooled enough to know why, but that is my personal experience.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

I had active Tannoy Reveal monitors from 2005 and they had a very light his when on and not playing music, but you need to keep your ear next to the tweeter to hear it. From half a meter distance you hear nothing (even I, with very sensitive ears).

My actual passive desk speakers are self designed bookshelfs with a Mark Audio Alpair 10.3M fullrange drivers and some passive eq applied to it, and they have no hiss at all with my marantz PM5004 amplifier, but they do have his when i use the Hypex UcD amps i also have (but not use anymore). I did build Ncore 400 amp kits for someone and those did not have them altough when i tested them.

In my listening room i'm sitting about 3m from my speakers, so i don't hear nothing at all. But all are passive diy speakers with class A or tube amps. When i go close, the tube amp has some noise, but no a his, more a low tone and very low (only when fully open on high efficient speakers). In my kitchen i use a very cheap class D amp powering old philips speakers that has massive amounts of his when not playing, but i switch it of when i'm not playing. That philips is a 2 way with a passive crossover, but it's not enough to remove the hiss. The hiss dissapears when there is input signal (even when it's low) luckely...

I think it's mainly amp depending, and often class D (and mainly the cheaper and/or older ones) amps give hiss, (but not all of them). I'm not technically schooled enough to know why, but that is my personal experience.

The current SOTA class D amps Purify, Hypex etc belong to the best measuring amps with a noise level well beyond any audibility (>>120dB DR). No hiss whatsoever.