Passive Radiator: A type of bass reflex speaker enclosure that includes a 'passive' woofer in addition to the main woofer. The passive woofer isn't powered, but moves in response to changes in air pressure inside the cabinet that are caused by movement of the main woofer. Passive radiators are often used in speaker cabinets too small for a properly tuned port. Plus, they avoid some of the issues associated with ports such as port turbulence, which can sometimes lead to a low-pitched whistling noise coming from the port. However, passive radiators tend to be more complex to design, so you'll typically pay more for speakers with passive radiators than similar ported models.

 

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