I have an uber awesome amp, why buy a speaker with a built in woofer sub-woofer amp


I'm wondering why there is a market for awesome speakers that have built in sub woofer amps - e.g. Triton 1,2,3 ; ZuAudio Definition and so many others.

As far as I know built in amps are almost never put under the reviewers microscope. So while the amp and speakers I purchase may well have been, the amp inside the speaker isn't.

So, if I have a really good amp and I'm looking for a good pair of speakers, why would I (anyone) want a set of speakers with a built-in amp, especially one of unknown quality?
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Showing 1 response by mapman

Two good amps done right are better than one. Especially when bass is offloaded to one designed to do the job and enabling the other to shine even brighter.

Of course one amp can do pretty well also but flat extended bass at high volumes requires gobs more power than the same down to only 40-50 hz or so, especially with less efficient speakers An amp overdriven trying to produce lots of extended bass clips and distorts which negatively affects everything.

SO there you go.

The good news is that many recordings have little in them below 40-50hz or so which is easier on an amp but many also do.


Keep in mind power requirements increase exponentially with lower frequency. Not addressing that effectively one way or another is a common snafu on the road to the best possible sound.