Active PA Subwoofers

An active PA subwoofer is crucial in experiencing the full scope of your audio output by highlighting low-end frequencies within sound.

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  1. 15" Active PA Subwoofer - Vonyx SWA15
    In stock
    £219.00
    15" Active PA Subwoofer - Vonyx SWA15
    • 600W high powered speaker
    • Built-in adjustable low-pass filter
    • Phase adjustable (0 - 180 degrees)
    • Built-in amplifier
    • Top hat on the top of the sub to allow a top speaker to be placed above it
    £219.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  2. Vonyx SWA15 15" Active Subwoofer Pair
    In stock
    £399.00
    Vonyx SWA15 15" Active Subwoofer Pair
    • 2x Vonyx 170.795 15 Inch Active DJ Subwoofer 600W
    £399.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  3. Vonyx SWP15 PRO 15" Active Subwoofer Pair
    In stock
    £609.00
    Vonyx SWP15 PRO 15" Active Subwoofer Pair
    • Built-In Active Low-Pass Filter
    • Deep Resonance-Free Bass
    • Phase Adjustable
    £609.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  4. Vonyx SWP18 PRO 18" Active Subwoofer Pair
    In stock
    £789.00
    Vonyx SWP18 PRO 18" Active Subwoofer Pair
    • Built-In Active Low-Pass Filter
    • Deep Resonance-Free Bass
    • Phase Adjustable
    £789.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  5. Vonyx SWA18 18" Active Subwoofer Pair
    In stock
    £469.00
    Vonyx SWA18 18" Active Subwoofer Pair
    • 250W RMS Power/500W Max Power/1000W Peak Power
    • Powerful 18 inch active subwoofer set with 2 x Vonyx SWA18 units
    • Each SWA18 features an onboard 250W RMS amplifier with adjustable EQ and crossover with frequency cut-off
    • Classic design with carpet covered wood enclosure, metal corners and punched metal grille
    • XLR input and Output with RCA/Phono line level input
    £469.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  6. PD PD615SA 15" Active Subwoofer
    In stock
    £569.00
    PD PD615SA 15" Active Subwoofer
    • 500W Active subwoofer 15"
    • Efficient class-D amplifier
    • Plywood housing with strong rubber coating
    • XLR Balanced line input
    • Loop through for connection to second amplifier
    £569.00
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  7. PD PD618SA 18" Active Subwoofer
    In stock
    £659.00
    PD PD618SA 18" Active Subwoofer
    • Powerful 18-inch subwoofer driver delivers deep bass reproduction
    • XLR/Jack inputs with direct XLR line out for connecting to a second subwoofer
    • Cross-over filtered XLR outputs with adjustable frequency dial to connect top speakers
    • 0-180 degree phase switch to ensure the sub plays in synch with other connected speakers
    • 35mm top hat to use a speaker pole for stacking a satellite speaker above this sub
    £659.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  8. Vonyx SMWBA18 Amplified 18" Active Subwoofer
    In stock
    £299.00
    Vonyx SMWBA18 Amplified 18" Active Subwoofer
    • Active 500W subwoofer
    • 2 x 250W full range amplifier
    • Stereo line inputs with Loop Thru function
    • Microphone input with echo function
    £299.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  9. Vonyx SMWBA15 15" Bi-Amp Active PA Subwoofer
    In stock
    Regular Price £269.00 Special test Price £249.00
    Vonyx SMWBA15 15" Bi-Amp Active PA Subwoofer
    • Active 15” 600W PA subwoofer
    • Bi-amplified design to power two passive top speakers
    • Stereo RCA line input and output connections
    • Microphone input with a built-in adjustable echo effect
    • Durable wooden housing with integrated carry handles
    Regular Price £269.00 Special test Price £249.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  10. Vonyx SWP18 PRO 18" Active Subwoofer
    In stock
    £429.00
    Vonyx SWP18 PRO 18" Active Subwoofer
    • 600W RMS Power/1200W Max Power
    • A powerful amplifier capable of pulling 1200 watts of power, makes this subwoofer ideal for medium to large PA installation
    • Built-in low-pass filter adjustable between 40Hz and 250Hz passing lower signals than it's cutoff frequency
    • Switchable phase control of 0 - 180 degrees for flipping the signal waveform positions
    • Daisy-chain linking multiple subwoofers via it's IN/THRU connections
    £429.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  11. Vonyx SWP15 PRO 15" Active Subwoofer
    In stock
    Regular Price £349.00 Special test Price £309.00
    Vonyx SWP15 PRO 15" Active Subwoofer
    • Phase switch adjustment to make the subwoofer play in synch with other speakers
    • Low pass filter allows only low bass frequencies to be produced by the sub
    • Adjustable crossover efficiently distributes higher frequencies to connected top speakers
    • Produces heavy and deep bass output
    • XLR and RCA-phono inputs and outputs to connect additional devices, such as a mixer
    Regular Price £349.00 Special test Price £309.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  12. Vonyx SWA18 18" Active Subwoofer
    In stock
    £319.00
    Vonyx SWA18 18" Active Subwoofer
    • 250W RMS Power/500W Max Power/1000W Peak Power
    • Low frequency 18 inch driver driven by it's built-in amplifier that pushes a 500W continuous power output that peaks at a huge 1000W
    • Built-in active low-pass filter for splitting the frequencies between itself and a connected main speaker
    • Adjustable switch of 0-180 degrees for phase control when using with main speakers
    • IN/THRU connection for line signal chaining to multiple SWA18 subwoofers providing limitless power
    £319.00
    In stock

    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

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  13. Amate N-12W Active PA Subwoofer
    Out Of Stock

    This product is currently out of stock or unavailable. Contact our sales team for more info.

    £1,199.00
    Amate N-12W Active PA Subwoofer
    • 1000W active subwoofer with a built-in class D amplifier
    • Suitable for large applications due to the 126dB output
    • Deep sub-bass reproduction from the 12-inch woofer driver
    • Compact size to be placed into tight and restricted spaces
    • PowerCon and XLR input and output link connections
    £1,199.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

  14. Vonyx SMWBA15MP3 15" Bluetooth Active Subwoofer
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    £239.00
    Vonyx SMWBA15MP3 15" Bluetooth Active Subwoofer
    • Active 300W subwoofer
    • 2 x 150W full range amplifier
    • Using Bluetooth wireless technology for audio streaming
    • USB port and SD/MMC for MP3 playback
    • Stereo RCA and 6,3mm Jack line inputs with Loop Thru function
    £239.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

  15. Vonyx SMWBA18MP3 18" Bluetooth Active Subwoofer
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    £289.00
    Vonyx SMWBA18MP3 18" Bluetooth Active Subwoofer
    • Active 500W subwoofer
    • 2 x 250W full range amplifier
    • Using Bluetooth wireless technology for audio streaming
    • USB port and SD/MMC for MP3 playback
    • Stereo RCA and 6,3mm Jack line inputs with Loop Thru function
    £289.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

  16. RCF SUB 708-AS II Active Subwoofer
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    £1,130.00
    RCF SUB 708-AS II Active Subwoofer
    • 1400 Watt Digital Amplifier
    • 18" Woofer, bass reflex housing
    • Stereo crossover
    • Switchable crossover frequencies
    £1,130.00
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    Free delivery and weekend delivery available

  17. Studiomaster Drive 15SA Active Subwoofer
    Out Of Stock

    This product is currently out of stock or unavailable. Contact our sales team for more info.

    £399.00
    Studiomaster Drive 15SA Active Subwoofer
    • 15 inch Active subwoofer
    • Excellent low end clarity for bass frequencies
    • Fairly heavy but has side handles for transportation
    • On board crossover
    • 6 XLR Inputs
    £399.00
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Active subs will boost the lower frequencies in your sound without needing a separate amplifier to do so. As the amplifier is already built within the sub, these systems deepen your low-end sound output while simultaneously taking the strain off your tweeters for a well-rounded, balanced sound. We offer a variety of Active Subwoofers from brands such as Studiomaster, Vonyx and Power Dynamics, in sizes from 12 to 18 inches.

Buy Active Subwoofers

An active sub will greatly improve your overall sound output, these speakers working to boost the bass signals within your music. Utilising the built-in amplifier, any bass-heavy music will sound far clearer as the low-end frequencies are channelled through the speaker driver. This leaves far more room for your tweeters to deal with the high and mid frequencies, balancing your sound much more professionally.

Active subwoofers work by delivering a better balance between low and high frequencies in the selected music, this is mostly a genre-sensitive personal preference. While a small degree of individual knowledge is needed to refine the sound it is easy to integrate it smoothly with a mixing console and/or other PA speakers. Human ears cannot tell where bass frequencies are being emitted from and will often relate them to wherever other sounds are being made.

Active subwoofers have the capability to widen the scope of your mix, offering a new level of deepness to the final master audio you require. For reference, think of your active subwoofer as a loft conversion, homes run just fine without conversions but spending a little extra will give you a lot more room to manoeuvre. Relate this to sound design and you'll realise how important an active subwoofer can be, allowing you to explore many different styles of music uninterrupted by distortion.

Discover Active PA Subwoofers

As with any sound enhancements, a personal comparison must be made to determine the quality of the sound itself, remember that the appropriate quantity is crucial. A lot of nightclubs or street racers with large subwoofers in the boot of their cars tend to overwork bass frequencies and if pushed too far this can lead to an inaudible humming noise. This is where quantity comes in, you only want the bass to accentuate your mids and trebles as this increases the clarity and volume of sounds.

Higher power subs are preferred by many professionals as the larger wattage denotes the overall power of the driver itself. The size of the inner speaker driver does not always mean it is the better choice, this comes down to power and wattage alone. For instance, subwoofers at 600W do not necessarily need to be used six times as loud as a 100W sub, it is just an indicator of the subs potential and not necessarily a finish line so to speak.

The real measure of a decent quality sub is experiencing a fuller sound without necessarily taking too much notice of the bass signal. It should always complement and enhance the existing sound as opposed to totally overpowering the system until it sounds very muffled and effectively inaudible.

Home Active Sub

Active subs are often used domestically in the home as part of an advanced home cinema system, giving TV movies and video games an additional audio edge. Of course, those that love these types of media are only experiencing around 70 per cent of the actual sound design of the visual. Some 30 per cent is lost from only making use of the generic TV speakers built into the TV itself, that is not the case for all TVs but sadly a great deal of them.

Subwoofers accentuate and refine the lower end frequencies of the audio mix intended by the original sound designer. TV speakers are equipped to handle mostly mid to high range frequency, you may have noticed televisions in the past making a short crackling sound, during explosion scenes for example. The TV speakers are trying to give listeners the full soundscape of a big booming sound but as the speakers are operating at 70 per cent, this tends to overload them, giving the crackling sound as a result.

Subs connected to a television provide a far more effective sonic clarity, a connection is simple to do and it will immediately improve the sound quality of all TV-based entertainment. The above does depend on the quality of your TV, you may have an expensive system with excellent built-in speakers but lesser TVs tend to sound rather tinny, especially during movies. As mentioned, a subwoofer's main purpose is refining bass tones, but coupled with lesser speakers you can get the very best out of your existing equipment by incorporating one into your home.

Does a subwoofer need a power source?

Only passive subwoofers need a separate power source, their active counterparts already have one built inside. Passive subs must be connected to a separate power amplifier to work efficiently whereas an active subwoofer draws its own power directly from the mains.


Ordering your active subwoofer

When an active PA subwoofer is ordered it can be very heavy during delivery, naturally, the size of the driver tends to bulk up the size and weight of the sub itself. In some rare cases, a smaller sub could be heavier than a larger one if it has additional electronics built within. We ask customers to be careful during transport and always request the assistance of another as you move your sub by hand, they can be awkward to carry.

You may be perfectly fine to carry the speaker around unassisted but only ever do this in confidence, misjudging your limits and overexerting yourself can lead to physical issues later down the line. Additionally, if your sub order is to frequently play some bass-heavy music, consider browsing for some in-ear protection or other noise-cancelling devices. Boosting low frequencies too far too often can cause latent problems with hearing, enjoy your music sensibly and remember that a huge amount of bass is not necessarily a positive thing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are active subwoofers better?

Active PA subwoofers provide several benefits over passive subwoofers, such as less overall equipment required, constant efficient power handling, and simpler wiring. An active PA subwoofer is much easier to use with a PA system, and they produce high-quality sound with deep bass frequencies that enhance your live performances and events.

Can an active subwoofer power passive speakers?

Generally, no. Passive speakers will need power to work, and active PA subwoofers will usually only have line-level signal outputs. To use passive speakers with an active subwoofer, you will need to use a power amplifier for your speakers and connect from the subwoofer’s output to the input on the amplifier. This will result in a full system with a synchronised output between your passive speakers and active PA subwoofer.

How do I choose an active subwoofer?

To choose an active PA subwoofer that will be best for you, it is important to consider some specifications and whether or not a particular subwoofer will be suitable for your requirements. The driver size of a subwoofer is important, especially when considering the size of your full-range speakers. Some other important specifications to consider are the sound pressure level, the RMS power, the frequency range, and the input/output connections available.

Do I need a crossover for my PA system?

Yes, a crossover will massively improve the sound quality of your PA system, as it will ensure that each speaker or subwoofer is performing efficiently together. Most active PA subwoofers have built-in crossovers, meaning that you don’t need to worry about additional equipment, and can connect the subwoofer directly to your active speakers without issues.

How loud should a PA system be?

The volume of a PA system with an active PA subwoofer is dependent on the dimensions of the venue as well as the nature of the event or show. To ensure that the sound is clear and enjoyable without being too loud and bringing discomfort to the audience or neighbouring residents, a balance between loudness and clarity should be achieved.

What does an active subwoofer do?

An active PA subwoofer is designed to add deeper bass frequencies when used with full-range speakers. By using an active subwoofer, you will also give your top speakers some breathing room, as they will be free to reproduce midrange and higher frequencies more effectively without as much bass output. The result of using an active PA subwoofer is a wider frequency range, louder volume levels, and deeper bass output.

Can I use an active subwoofer without amplifier?

Yes, active PA subwoofers have built-in amplifiers and are designed to connect directly to the mains. The only reason you would need a power amplifier with an active subwoofer is if you are also using passive full-range speakers, which need to be connected to a suitable amplifier in order to work.

How do active subwoofers connect to speakers?

To connect an active PA subwoofer to your speakers, you will first need to connect any audio sources to the line input on the subwoofer (mixing desk, laptop, CD player, for example.) Then, connect from the line output on the subwoofer into the line input(s) on your active speakers. If you are using passive speakers, the above steps will be the same, you would just need to connect from the line output of the subwoofer to the line input of your amplifier, which is then connected to the passive speakers.

What is the best placement for an active subwoofer?

The placement of an active PA subwoofer can have a significant impact on its performance and overall sound quality. Here are some general guidelines for placing an active PA subwoofer:

Keep the subwoofer on the ground: It is generally best to keep the subwoofer on the ground, as this will help to create a stable and secure foundation for the unit. This can help to minimize vibrations and unwanted movement that can affect the sound quality.

Avoid placing the subwoofer in corners: While it may be tempting to place the subwoofer in a corner of the room, this can actually lead to unwanted bass buildup and resonance. Instead, try to position the subwoofer away from walls and corners to achieve a more balanced sound.

Experiment with different positions: Depending on the layout of your space, you may need to experiment with different positions to find the best placement for your subwoofer. Try moving the subwoofer around the room and listening to the sound quality to determine the best location.

Consider using multiple subwoofers: In some cases, using multiple subwoofers can help to distribute the bass more evenly throughout the space. This can be especially helpful in larger rooms or outdoor settings.

What kind of music needs a subwoofer?

Any genre of music that is relatively bass-heavy will benefit from active PA subwoofers. Especially for genres such as drum & bass or house music, the bass output is extremely important, as it is usually the driving force behind the rhythm that people dance to. By using an active PA subwoofer, you gain lots of power and a deep bass output without compromising on sound clarity, which is perfect for DJs, discos, and live music performances.