Best active speakers: floorstander, desktop, budget and premium

[What Hi-Fi?]

Active speakers have many advantages over their passive cousins. These are the best in show.

Best active speakers: floorstander, desktop, budget and premium : Read more

 

[Moree Spingato]

Was so excited to see this list, then disappointed with the silly recommendations. Dynaudio, Kii etc? Seriously — get these reviewers to find less over priced and esoteric tripe. Edifier S3000Pro or Kanto TUK should be in this list. Far cleaner, warmer and more well rounded sound than the usual fare like KEF or the bass heavy B&W, or the hard to find stuff like acoustic energy. Hope the next round of these is a list from 2020, not 2011.

 

[3dit0r]

No self-respecting article on the best active speakers should neglect to mention Meridian DSPs. The originals and still world-class speakers which sound absolutely mind-blowing.

 

[Moree Spingato]

Any link or review?

 

[doifeellucky]

When are Q Acoustics going to release an update to the BT3?

 

[Simonsays]

Shame you mention the KEF LS50 wireless and not the latest model , the MK2, that does not need an interconnecting cable and is a big improvement on the original . You have tested the Mk2 before your comparison, so no excuse. I am evaluating a pair now fed from an Innuos Zen Mk3 server compared to using Buchardt 500s instead of the Kefs. Possibly alos the bluesound Vault as a cheaper option. I look in your reviews and the Buchardts or any Buchardt speakers has never been reviewed by you or the Innuos or bluesound Vault for that matter. These speakers, are expensive, but are consideraby cheaper than some you had in your comparison and I am told far superior to the Kefs.

 

[carewser]

Was so excited to see this list, then disappointed with the silly recommendations. Dynaudio, Kii etc? Seriously — get these reviewers to find less over priced and esoteric tripe. Edifier S3000Pro or Kanto TUK should be in this list. Far cleaner, warmer and more well rounded sound than the usual fare like KEF or the bass heavy B&W, or the hard to find stuff like acoustic energy. Hope the next round of these is a list from 2020, not 2011.

Couldn't agree more, not sure how companies like Edifier, Audioengine or Kanto got overlooked in a discussion of powered speakers
particularly since all three offer excellent value but it seems What Hi Fi? instead tried to appeal to the extremely wealthy 1% of the listening public with this list. If I wanted cork-sniffing reviews i'd read the Absolute Sound or Stereophile

 

[LillaQuqen]

Active speakers have many advantages over their passive cousins. These are the best in show.

Best active speakers: floorstander, desktop, budget and premium : Read more

"best in show" and don't have B&O Beolab 90!? Pfffft...

 

[Immu]

What have the editor think, when authoriced this article? Very poor selection of active speakers! For example WHERE'S GENELEC? Worlds most renowed manufacture for active speakers, that don't do anything else but these speakers. Half of the worlds recording studios are using them.

 

[Combat]

Couldn't agree more, not sure how companies like Edifier, Audioengine or Kanto got overlooked in a discussion of powered speakers
particularly since all three offer excellent value but it seems What Hi Fi? instead tried to appeal to the extremely wealthy 1% of the listening public with this list. If I wanted cork-sniffing reviews i'd read the Absolute Sound or Stereophile

Totally. It shows how little knowledge this whole publication has of the HiFi market now a days. I really don't know what they are doing. If you look at how many reviews they do it's crazy. They seem to do less than one a week.

Andrew Robinson and Darko Audio both seem to do more reviews than What HiFi and they have to produce videos rather than just write some words.

Aside from the brands mentioned there are loads of new active releases worth considering but What HiFi literally mentioned the same expensive brands you probably would have mentioned five years ago.

I just got the Triangle AIO Twin active speakers and paired with the Rel T-Zero MKIII sub they are unbelievable! I have had the Audio Engine A5+ and S6 sub pairing before and the Edifier S880DB before so it pains me to feel that I probably have just as much knowledge about active speakers as this whole publication.

 

[loosedrag]

No self-respecting article on the best active speakers should neglect to mention Meridian DSPs. The originals and still world-class speakers which sound absolutely mind-blowing.

The reviewer didn't compare any of these speakers with standing in the middle of a live orchestra, or on the stage with a bluegrass band, or the factory sound system in a Bugatti Veyron either. How non self-respecting.

 

[ultraminiature]

The term active seems to have become a loose term for both powered and active speakers. Active speakers have an active cross over. Most speakers with a speaker cable to the secondary are powered speakers where the amp in built into the primary but both speakers are passive speakers. Active speakers ,in general, also need power to each speaker and separate input to each not passed through from a primary.

Adams Audio (possibly the best bargain speakers being fully active and starting well below £500 which otherwise are powered speakers), B&O Beolabs particularly 8 and 28 for streaming and use in surround, Buchardt A500, A700, Cabasse, DALI, Devialet Phantom, Dynaudio Focus, Dutch and Dutch, Genelec, Kanto, Kilpsch The Fives, Sevens and Nines, Linn Series 3, Meridian DSP,, Q Acoustics, SVS, Whafedale Diamond A1 and A2.

 

[masterblaster]

I do prefer active loudspeakers but then with outboard electronics like:

Kudos Audio with Active Configuration upgrade

Kudos Titan 707 Loudspeakers - British Made | Kudos Audio

The Kudos Titan 707 offers flagship performance with a slightly lighter footprint than our range-topping Titan 808. Who says you can't have it all?

kudosaudio.com

Or

Sun Audio Purified 4 with Nord Acoustics DSP integrated amp

Purified 4 (pair)

The Purified 4 crossoverless modular loudspeakers are designed to be driven active with your own crossover and amplifiers. Aluminium enclosure and a spherical shape. PURIFI PTT4.0X04-NLC-02, PTT4.0X04-NAC-04, PTT4.0M04-NLC-02, PTT4.0M04-NAC-04, PTT1.3T04, BlieSMa T34A-4, T34B-4, T25A-6, T25S-6...

sunaudio.com

Just more future proof and versatile, but more expensive though.

 

[Combat]

I have always been an active speaker fan. I've owned the Audioengine A5+, Edifier S880DB, Triangle AIO Twin, Q Acoustics Q Active 200, and the KEF LSXII down the years. However, one word of serious warning, most speaker manufacturers do not allow the warranty to be transferred. I'm OK with this on lower cost active speakers like the ones that I've owned or with passive speakers. But I would never touch the KEF LS50 or LS60s as if one of the many components inside fails then you're on the hook for a huge bill. So as I've moved up market I've moved back to seperates.

The only manufacturer that will transfer the warranty is Buchardt. I take my hat off to them. The fact that What Hifi haven't got the Buchardt A10 Anniversary on the list shows how few reviews the magazine actually does now.

 

[ultraminiature]

changed the title to "

Best active speakers 2025: our experts pick the top pairs with built-in amplifiers​

"
But was posted in November 2019 with models now discontinued.