Other Active speakers

[thewinelake.]

If I like the idea of active speakers and am limited to about £700 secondhand, what are the best non-AVI options?

I'm hoping to get some suggestions from people who've listened to a wide range of options. What are the chances?!

 

[jjbomber]

What are the chances?!

Nil. The cult members are out in force and the Reverend Ashley is back. This thread, just like all the others, will be highjacked.

 

[ID.]

If only there were a forum search function. There have been plenty of threads around.

im a fan of Genelec and Adam. I quite like Fostex too. There are some cheaper JBLs I'd love to check out.

 

[thewinelake.]

If only there were a forum search function. There have been plenty of threads around.

im a fan of Genelec and Adam. I quite like Fostex too. There are some cheaper JBLs I'd love to check out.

Any specific models in mind?

Your A7X just squeezes in under the £1k mark (although a bit ugly with no option for grille). I wonder if they're auditionable in London?

 

[Ashley James]

I think we might be the only ones with a remote controlled, multi input preamp and DAC built in. Normally there are just XLRs on the back for connection to a mixing console or whatever.

 

[thewinelake.]

Quite likely. However, I'm not sure how important that is to me (I have legacy kit in my setup). In some ways it's a curse as well as a blessing. I'd really like to hear DM5s to compare to my ADM9rs, as some of you are saying that they might be better - and cost about the same. But while I'm at it, I'd like to get a feeling of other Actives. It's looking like there's nothing to touch the AVIs that would be domestically acceptable now that Adam have all but abandoned their Artist series. Dynaudio's Xeo looks vaguely interesting (and wireless is kind of nice), but I'd wager not in the same class as equivalently priced AVI.

 

[ID.]

Domestically acceptable limits things. The Adams tend to be pretty "industrial ".

Id have no issues with the appearance of Genelecs in my living room, but they tend to be pricey. Ideally I'd have gotten white, but I was not prepared to pay the considerable premium it would have cost me here.

 

[davedotco]

That is the rub.

As I said elsewhere, most affordable actives are built for the studio, so not pretty and rarely with grills.

From hi-fi companies there are one or two cheapish models from Quad and Kef, but mostly they are quite pricey, I like the Dynaudio Focus XD but with the entry level stand mount at over £4k, they are a bit steep for me. Most of the rest are studio products and given that, I would be wary of buying used, they are likely to have had a hard life.

To be honest, if the DM5s are as good as late model ADM9s, then they would be the stand out allrounder for hi-fi use at that price. The Adam A7x is a touch more expensive but very different, altogether more 'muscular' which may or may not suit the user/application.

If you fancy something really different, look to the Genelec 8320 or 8330 'APM' models with the measurement mic and software package. A bit over budget but you get full room/speaker eq at what is really a pretty affordable price.

 

[shadders]

Hi,

ATC produce active loudspeakers.

Regards,

Shadders.

 

[thewinelake.]

ATC too pricey (over £4K)

 

[ErwinC]

Dynaudio Xeo 2 and 4 and Dynaudio Excite X14a.

 

[thewinelake.]

Dynaudio Xeo 2 and 4 and Dynaudio Excite X14a.

interesting! The X14a in particular looks like something worthy of comparison with DM10

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm interested in trying the baby model from the PMC TwoTwo range.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

I'm interested in trying the baby model from the PMC TwoTwo range.

Me too *dirol*

 

[davedotco]

I have heard these in a studio type situation, difficult to say but I thought them pretty much transparent. Whether or not they push your 'hi-fi buttons' is harder to say.

My favourite speaker at this level is the Unity Audio 'The Rock', the PMC seems to sound more solid, but that is at pretty high levels and not in any kind of side by side comparison. Also be aware that the PMCs use powerful dsp to perform crossover and eq functions, mid range clarity is superb as a consequence.

As always with 'real' studio speakers the presentation is very different, I love them but then I guess you all would know that.

 

[davedotco]

Dynaudio Xeo 2 and 4 and Dynaudio Excite X14a.

interesting! The X14a in particular looks like something worthy of comparison with DM10

But Dynaudio BM5s and BM6s have similar performance to the Excite models.

No grills but significantly less expensive when bought via a pro-dealer.

They also have a new series called Lyd, in the ubiquitous 5, 7 and 8 inch versions, bot seen or heard them but they might be more acceptable than most domestically.

 

[steve_1979]

If I like the idea of active speakers and am limited to about £700 secondhand, what are the best non-AVI options?

For £700, if buying new, I'd be looking at Adam, Dynaudio or one of the smaller Genelecs if they're not too small for your size room.

Alternatively, second hand I'd be considering some of the larger and better Genelecs or possibly, if you're really lucky, you might even find some second hand Quested monitors for sale. Both are really good quality.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm interested in trying the baby model from the PMC TwoTwo range.

Me too *dirol*

I'll let you know how I get on. I'm looking at the TwoTwo.5 as they're small, and a similar size to the LS50s. The pull of the larger mid/bass of the TwoTwo.6 is hard to ignore though, as I'm told it makes quite a difference. I could probably just squeeze them, but I don't want overly large speakers in the room taking over. Although I don't really want anything that is going to convert back to digital then back to analogue again, I'm not going to let that affect what I think of them. If they can offer a major step up in performance despite this, who cares. I'm intrigued to see if they possess the same magic that other active speakers are supposed to possess - I'd consider five of these for my AV system. I'll be trying them out when I get back off holiday.

 

[thewinelake.]

I wonder if a lot of these studio models work out as quite good VFM compared to "HiFi" ones because the dealers don't require so much margin? It always strikes me that there's a lot of frog-kissing going on as a HiFi dealer and that the margins must be high as so many dealers are happy to run 20%-off promotions. Maybe when pro's buy, it's far more transactional, with less spend required on coffee machines and sofas?

 

[lindsayt]

If I like the idea of active speakers and am limited to about £700 secondhand, what are the best non-AVI options?

I'm hoping to get some suggestions from people who've listened to a wide range of options. What are the chances?!

Whatever high end American 1960's to 1970's speakers you can find for your budget. Plus a 1970's Pioneer or Sony type active crossover, plus 3 sub £80 2nd hand amplifiers of your choice.

Then you'll discover what bass drums and bass guitars actually sound like on all those recordings of yours. You'll also discover just how amazingly gobsmackingly dynamic all your green DR rating recordings are. These are things you'll never acheive with AVI's.

That's assuming you like listening to realistic bass. Many people don't.

It's also assuming you value dynamics in your system and recordings. Some people don't.

It's also assuming you value sound quality per pound spent over all other considerations. The vast majority of people don't.

At the end of the day, speakers are a highly personal choice. Don't listen to anyone on this forum. My tastes probably differ from yours. AVI supporters will only recommend AVI's. Most other people will tell you to buy what they've bought. Or what they're selling.

Plough your own furrow.

Try whatever you fancy. Buy at the right price and sell it on for a small profit if you don't like it.

 

[davedotco]

I wonder if a lot of these studio models work out as quite good VFM compared to "HiFi" ones because the dealers don't require so much margin? It always strikes me that there's a lot of frog-kissing going on as a HiFi dealer and that the margins must be high as so many dealers are happy to run 20%-off promotions. Maybe when pro's buy, it's far more transactional, with less spend required on coffee machines and sofas?

The other thing that most hi-fi enthusiasts do not understand is just how small the 'serious' hi-fi market is compared with the modern pro and semi-pro market.

Economies of scale make a big difference as we know, combine this with tighter distribution methods and smaller margins in a very competitive market and you have your answer.

To get an idea of the difference, look at the prices of Dynaudio BM5/6 monitors compared with the smaller members in the Excite range. A lot of money for a grill...*dirol*

 

[radiorog]

Whatever high end American 1960's to 1970's speakers you can find for your budget. Plus a 1970's Pioneer or Sony type active crossover, plus 3 sub £80 2nd hand amplifiers of your choice.

[/quote]

Could you possibly explain this for me please? What is a 1970's type active crossover? Why 3 amplifiers? Cheers.

I ask because good natural bass is what I like, and I get the feeling from reviews that the avi's don't do this well. A lot of talk about well controlled bass, but bass also needs to be big and vast where appropriate, as it underpins a lot of music. I like my music to sound how it was when recorded, and not necessarily a miniature version of it.

 

[lindsayt]

Active crossovers like the Pioneer SF 700 will do a job and help keep us within the £700 budget as they can be picked up pretty cheap.

3 amplifiers because most high end US speakers of that era were 3 ways. Some are 2 ways, some 4 ways.

If you did go down the high end classic speaker route, you'd also discover that, for properly engineered speakers (like these), active or passive is usually no bid deal.

I totally agree with your comments about bass radiorog.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

I'll let you know how I get on. I'm looking at the TwoTwo.5 as they're small, and a similar size to the LS50s. The pull of the larger mid/bass of the TwoTwo.6 is hard to ignore though, as I'm told it makes quite a difference. I could probably just squeeze them, but I don't want overly large speakers in the room taking over. Although I don't really want anything that is going to convert back to digital then back to analogue again, I'm not going to let that affect what I think of them. If they can offer a major step up in performance despite this, who cares. I'm intrigued to see if they possess the same magic that other active speakers are supposed to possess - I'd consider five of these for my AV system. I'll be trying them out when I get back off holiday.

Have been very interested in the TwoTwo.5's for about the last year, but cash is not currently available for me to splash-out on these so I look forward to your hearing your opinions with eagerness, David. Apparently the diminutive 5's are no slouches when it comes to bass punch. My little DB1's give me all the bass I need at the moment but the 5's are a very tempting and interesting proposition.

 

[thewinelake.]

That's a very interesting take on things, LindsayT. Probably not practical for me right now, as that setup would be rather bulky - too many other lifestyle constraints as you allude to. But in a few years time, when we move out of the smoke, a large shed/listening room/study will be high on my agenda and perhaps a project like that would be fun and practical.

The bass issue is interesting. I think I do like bass, but I'm not all about the bass - and have yet to hear an affordable system with decent bass where it doesn't trample over the other important things.

There's probably another forum all about this kind of semi-DIY speaker pimping, I dare say.