Effects chain / passive active inputs

[bluesparky]

As most of us do, i've got a big ol' bunch of effects which have been lovingly tweaked over the years to get the sounds i want.
I play active and passive basses and I use a Boss line selector to keep the input levels into the first pedal / effects chain the same.
As with most amps, mine has an active and passive input with a switch to select which the input is (which adjusts the input level).
My question is - when i take the output from the last pedal, it is better to put it into the amp passive input, OR as an active input with the button set to the appropriate setting.
Is there a difference or is it just the amp's input level?

[thisnameistaken]

As far as I'm aware it's just to pad the input for hot signals so it doesn't overload the preamp. If you're not hearing any distortion then it doesn't matter which setting you're using, just leave it.

[bluesparky]

Thanks mate, kinda what i thought - nice one..

[Silent Fly]

It depends on the amp. For some amps the switch just changes the gain of the input stage. In this case it doesn't make a huge difference which position is used.

In other amps it bypasses a boost stage. In this case it is slightly better going with the "active" setting as the signal goes through fewer stages.

As a general rule I would use the switch position that requires the less extreme position of the gain knob. If it makes no difference I would go with the "active" position as the output of a pedal as an impedance close to an active bass.

I hope the above helps.

[cheddatom]

I have a very high output from my board, but I prefer the sound of going into the passive input on my peavey. Leave it up to your ears!

[dannybuoy]

Active/Passive inputs can also have a different impedance, which may affect the sound depending what's in the chain. As a general rule of thum I use the passive input and move over to the active if I get nasty clipping happening.

[bluesparky]

Lovely, thanks guys.