First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I've been into home audio equipment from the age of 16, and I'm now 23. However, I have not been following it for a few years now, with being at university, so please forgive my lack of knowledge. I'm Pete, a newbie, and would like to learn more about home stereo equipment once again.

Anyway, straight to the point.

Question 1 - I am looking for a subwoofer to add to my current system. I know my seperates are a mix and match of various brands, and are getting old now, but I don't know what the differences are between an active subwoofer and a passive one is.
Could anyone shed any light on this matter? I've read another thread on here about budget subwoofers, mainly the MS308, and I am very interested in this, as well as a few others. I have an independant subwoofer channel from my surround decoder/amplifier.

Question 2 - I am looking at replacing my current Tannoy Mercury M1's. I think I'll shift these to the rear, and buy a different set of front speakers. I'm currently looking at a good condition set of Tannoy Mercury M2's for the fronts. Do you think this is a wise move, or should I buy a specific speaker for the rear fill I am after?

I look forward to your recomendations, and opinions.

Many Thanks,
Pete

A passive subwoofer will cost less than an active one and is basically just a large drive unit in a big shell. The bass sound it delivers is generally just thumping rather than defined. With an active sub there is an internal amplifier which itself is mains powered, hence it is 'active' in that it doesn't draw power 'passively' from an externall amp. The sound quality from an active is considerably better.

When choosing your sub don't just go for the one with the highest output, be aware of the size of room the sub is going to be in and choose accordingly. Also consider the size and power of your speakers, tiny little speakers and a massive sub will not produce the effects you require.