shadders said:
davedotco said:
Rather a lot on the kind of hi-fi enthusiast you are.
Some love the whole 'box swapping', 'upgrade' cycle, others simply want something good to play their music on. That is more a psychological issue rather than a hi-fi one.
However the biggest downside is, for me, the lack of affordable (sub £1k), domestic friendly, actives systems. We have the AVI, a Quad that no one buys and that is about it, for many users the 'industrial' style of studio type speakers is not really acceptable.
There are few, if any active options, in mainstream retailers so the punter has no real choice. The pricing policy of hi-fi specialists (Linn, Naim, Meridian etc) puts them out of reach of many users so generally they are ignored by dealers and punters alike.
Hi
Yes, it depends on what you want. Reading here and other suggestions.
1. The difference between active and passive systems is not night and day.
2. You may prefer the active or passive sound compared to the other.
3. Active systems in their current form are not upgradeable.
4. If you are "into" cables, there is the possibility to change cables to the speakers for passive, or modularised active, which is not possible with the one box active solution.
5. A passive system or modularised active system has much more potential to change to components to refine your perceived sound for your enjoyment, rather than being stuck with a one box solution.
Regards,
Shadders.
1) Where identical active/passive versions of the same speaker are available, you are correct. The advantage with actives is that you can build an integrated system, matched in a way that no passive combination can be, at anything resembling sensible prices.
2) Subjective choice, no argument.
3) Correct at this time, there are some pro monitors that are, but they are not really relevant. The increasing use of DSP in integrated systems may change that though.
4) By implication you are saying that the ability to fine tune your system with cables is lost, however integrated active systems can easily incorporate 'tuning' devices (coventionally or in DSP) that give far greater tuning options.
5) This is correct but at a price that would put them out of reach for many users.
To my mind the big advantage with actives is the cost saving. You save a fortune on casework for the amplifier, can use amps optimised for the application, can use the electronic crossover to optimise the response and even implement speaker and room eq at modest cost.