Hi, I have a hartke 3500 head with an ampeg svt 4x10 classic cabinet and usually play it with a musicman stingray. For some reason, I noticed that when I plugged my stingray into the passive input it was much louder and had more punch than when I connected it through the active input. Is there a specific reason for this and is it bad if I start doing this because quite frankly it sounds much better. Thanks
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Why is passive Input louder than the Active Input with an active bass?
- Thread starter freddyboi22
- Start date
I might be wrong, but I believe it has to do with the fact that the passive input is made to work with a bass that doesn't have a preamp in it. That input jack expects something with a little bit less output that something with a preamp -- more power coming off the bass into something that looks for no power = higher output.
The punch may have to do with the amp compensating for what would usually be a passive bass. Whatever you have dialed in to the EQ on the amp is being added to whatever you have dialed in to your EQ on the bass -- if you are using similar settings on both (ie both have more bass or more treble) you are getting a doubled effect.
As to whether or not it will damage anything, I have no idea.
The punch may have to do with the amp compensating for what would usually be a passive bass. Whatever you have dialed in to the EQ on the amp is being added to whatever you have dialed in to your EQ on the bass -- if you are using similar settings on both (ie both have more bass or more treble) you are getting a doubled effect.
As to whether or not it will damage anything, I have no idea.
+1
if you don't drive it into clipping, you're OK. Some heads have an active/passive pad (my GK has a -14dB switch) instead of two inputs, but it's basically the same idea I believe. As long as the clip light (if applicable) doesn't light up, you should be fine. If it starts to sound bad...then i'd start worrying.
Active/passive switches and/or different jacks are there theoretically so that when you switch from a passive bass to an active one, you don't have to re-adjust the gain on the amp..... Almost never works out that way, though, particularly if your amp has no mute button, and you have to turn the pre-gain down all the way to avoid the popping noise while switching jacks, anyway. The passive jack almost always sounds better, IME, and it does no harm to use it.
