Active speakers

[Audioholic]

Hi all,

I haven't posted on here for a while.

I just wondered what your thoughts are on active speakers. Do you think in an ideal world active speakers are better than passive solutions?

Thanks

 

[MajorFubar]

Sorry but this is a recurring debate that does nothing but create arguments and nothing will come good from it this time, just like it hasn't the last five hundred times it's been asked.

But the short answer is yes.

From here on in, it might get nasty; bigotry and shortsightedness will be evident on both sides, certain manufacturers names are going to be canonised by some and satanised by others. I'm already 'out' having said my piece.

 

[Vladimir]

Clicky

Godwin's Law on post #3. Thank you. Thank you.

 

[steve_1979]

 

[Audioholic]

Thanks! Can of worms truly undone! Haha!

 

[Audioholic]

I'm interested in active more as a potential way of saving money, rather than any audio issue, because I'm chuffed to bits with the way my system sounds.

I was just thinking whether if I sold the lot and bought some active speakers I could save a bundle whilst still getting decent (and in terms of lack of distortion from crossover), in some respects technically superior, if not necessarily audibly more pleasing results.

Does anyone have a top list of active speakers used, new or ex dem below £7k.

The main solutions of which I'm aware are listed below.

- ATC SCM40A
- ex dem PMC AMLS2 (now discontinued) looks interesting (uses custom Bryston amps).
- Dynaudio Focus XD standmount model - price seems steep considering what the Focus models used to cost.
- Linn Exakt? Digital for much of the signal chain.
- T&A (ex dem)
- Adam Audio (used)

Thanks

 

[John Duncan]

There is no doubt that active speakers will save you money, since casework contributes enormously to the cost of amplifiers, and amplification is to some extent a solved problem. Even the most pedagogic of active speaker manufacturers can now be found to be stressing less the advantages of the crossover (which to me have been frankly inaudible) and more the quality of drivers used (which are demonstrably the worst part of the hifi chain). With your budget I'd definitely be looking at ATC and PMC, together with the likes of leading studio monitor manufacturers such as Opal, Dynaudio, Genelec and the like. Don't expect them to be pretty, however, and don't expect them to outperform a sorted passive system simply by default in real world usage.

 

[Andrewjvt]

If i had to go active thats the ones id go for any time any day..

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Andrew

Good choice

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[ID.]

Personally I'm a happy active speaker user because I enjoy the sound irrespective of the theoretical/technical advantages.

I think the only way to tell is to hear for yourself, although I'm not sure I'd bother if I were you seeing as you say you are happy with your system. If you had specific requirements in terms of space or needing to downsize or something, then it's definitely an option.

Considering what I spent initially on my previous system, if I were starting from scratch again now with a similar budget my ideal solution would probably be a pair of

http://www.genelec.com/studio-monitors/sam-studio-monitors/8351a-sam-studio-monitor

 

[Infiniteloop]

Nope.

As good as? - Possibly.

 

[knaithrover]

There is no doubt that active speakers will save you money, since casework contributes enormously to the cost of amplifiers, and amplification is to some extent a solved problem. Even the most pedagogic of active speaker manufacturers can now be found to be stressing less the advantages of the crossover (which to me have been frankly inaudible) and more the quality of drivers used (which are demonstrably the worst part of the hifi chain). With your budget I'd definitely be looking at ATC and PMC, together with the likes of leading studio monitor manufacturers such as Opal, Dynaudio, Genelec and the like. Don't expect them to be pretty, however, and don't expect them to outperform a sorted passive system simply by default in real world usage.

Pedagogic??? Wow, I'm reasonably mature, educated beyond degree standard and have a pretty high powered job but I've never heard or read that word before......

 

[ID.]

There is no doubt that active speakers will save you money, since casework contributes enormously to the cost of amplifiers, and amplification is to some extent a solved problem. Even the most pedagogic of active speaker manufacturers can now be found to be stressing less the advantages of the crossover (which to me have been frankly inaudible) and more the quality of drivers used (which are demonstrably the worst part of the hifi chain). With your budget I'd definitely be looking at ATC and PMC, together with the likes of leading studio monitor manufacturers such as Opal, Dynaudio, Genelec and the like. Don't expect them to be pretty, however, and don't expect them to outperform a sorted passive system simply by default in real world usage.

Pedagogic??? Wow, I'm reasonably mature, educated beyond degree standard and have a pretty high powered job but I've never heard or read that word before......

Good to look it up then, if only for self edification 😛

 

[matt49]

If I were in the market for some zooty actives, I'd be looking at these from Kii. Flat from 20Hz to 25kHz, flexible WRT positioning, and they don't look awful.

 

[Vladimir]

If I were in the market for some zooty actives, I'd be looking at these from Kii. Flat from 20Hz to 25kHz, flexible WRT positioning, and they don't look awful.

If I understood them right, they have woofers on the back connected out of phase to eliminate the back wave reflections? And the side ones do the similar thing for side reflections. So essentially they are going for directional bass.

 

[chebby]

There is no doubt that active speakers will save you money, since casework contributes enormously to the cost of amplifiers, and amplification is to some extent a solved problem. Even the most pedagogic of active speaker manufacturers can now be found to be stressing less the advantages of the crossover (which to me have been frankly inaudible) and more the quality of drivers used (which are demonstrably the worst part of the hifi chain). With your budget I'd definitely be looking at ATC and PMC, together with the likes of leading studio monitor manufacturers such as Opal, Dynaudio, Genelec and the like. Don't expect them to be pretty, however, and don't expect them to outperform a sorted passive system simply by default in real world usage.

Pedagogic??? Wow, I'm reasonably mature, educated beyond degree standard and have a pretty high powered job but I've never heard or read that word before......

As more of an autodidact; i've heard of it.

 

[matt49]

If I were in the market for some zooty actives, I'd be looking at these from Kii. Flat from 20Hz to 25kHz, flexible WRT positioning, and they don't look awful.

If I understood them right, they have woofers on the back connected out of phase to eliminate the back wave reflections? And the side ones do the similar thing for side reflections. So essentially they are going for directional bass.

Up (or rather down) to a point, yes.

 

[Vladimir]

I want this passive system. No, I need this passive system. *shok*

 

[matt49]

I want this passive system. No, I need this passive system. *shok*

I love this comment from the Living Voice website, about one of their equipment racks:

The Living Voice G8 was originally designed to allow the use of high performance Kondo KSL valve electronics in the saloons of super-yachts.

I'm assuming they cornered the Kondo-valves-in-super-yachts market.

 

[Vladimir]

I want this passive system. No, I need this passive system. *shok*

I love this comment from the Living Voice website, about one of their equipment racks:

The Living Voice G8 was originally designed to allow the use of high performance Kondo KSL valve electronics in the saloons of super-yachts.

I'm assuming they cornered the Kondo-valves-in-super-yachts market.

I don't own a yacht. I don't even have a tub, I shower.

Damn it...

 

[tonky]

It's obvious isn't it?

autodidact - now that's just abstruse!

tonky

 

[NSA_watch_my_toilet]

How many time did we had this question. We shoud really have some better partitions in this forum. This would allow "stickies" at the start of each section. And the active vs passive will need one very bad.

From my experience, they are numerous advantages for active monitors :

- Completely different margins in the pro audio sector than in the hifi sector, specially for the resellers (30 vs 150 percents). = better price performance ratio.

- Less voodooesque technolgies.

- No amp case (greatest fee for the building of an amplifier).

- less crossover shinanigans (even if it's not excluing a proper phase setup).

But they are downside to them :

- Rarely possibilities to listen to them due to less selling points

- The monitors for listening in hifi rooms are called "Midrange monitors", they are essentially used for mastering purposes and are not cheap because of they status of tools and the great amount of care in their setup.

- Nearly always black finishes. Even if it's slowly changing now (backes & müller, KS Digital, ect).

Hifi myth is : That monitors will always sound better than hifi speakers. What is not true. Although, you have hifi speakers that have all the characteristics of good monitors (PMC, Phonar, ATC, Harberth, ect...).

Another thing is : Not everybody is liking monitor-like sounds. You have a market for not really realistic speakers and they are selling very well (ProAc's D18 for example, Triangle, B&W 800 series (D2), ect..).

 

[Vladimir]

Backes & Müller

Good enough for Gorbatchev is good enough for me.

 

[Andrew17321]

Audioholic, Try listening to Devialet Phantoms. They may look outlandish compared to the usual box (active) speakers, but their sound quality amazed me. And about half your budget.

 

[Reijer]

If you like actives, buy them.

Check Unity Audio ( the rock or the super rock) or Quested.