Should I give up on trying active speakers?

[Craig M.]

but they are pretty massive and their look scared me.

I haven't heard the AVI ADM9.1 and will have another look at them. They have a loyal following, I know.

Tom

haha, yes they are pretty big and, errr, unusual looking. despite their size they are easy to integrate into a room, they have controls for free-space, wall and corner placement and the parametric eq can be a god send with room modes.

the adms are excellent and for your budget could be had with the matching sub, which would be unbeatable at the money imo. they also look like normal speakers.

 

[Craig M.]

Hi Craig,

long time no see! How's things?

Cheers,

Ben

hi Ben, all's good thanks. just decided to post a lot less.

i cast my eye over your recent developments though, congrats on the new home and kit! :dance:

 

[BenLaw]

Hi Craig, glad all is well Thanks for your kind words Have you made any system changes or still as good as ever?

Cheers,

Ben

 

[Anonymous]

I am curious about the ratio of audiophile using active vs passive.

The HiFi community is just staring considering actives and acknowledging the benefit of the design.

I also find it hard to find good info on actives and have yet access to them for audition.

When comparing actives vs passive in regards to budget, we should keep in mind that since the active includes the amps, a passive system should include the price of the amp.

Based on reviews only, the ADAM AUDIO are the ones I am considering.

 

[Craig M.]

I also find it hard to find good info on actives

there is some good info regarding active crossovers in the following link. not sure if that's the type of info you are after.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/active_speakers_intro1_e.html

there are some hifi shops that sell actives but, if my local dealers are anything to go by, that number is unlikely to increase much.

 

[Anonymous]

... I also find it hard to find good info on actives and have yet access to them for audition. ...

Based on reviews only, the ADAM AUDIO are the ones I am considering.

In Germany there are many more people into actives, but their forum discussions are in German. There's even a forum specifically for active listening called aktives-hoeren.de. The favourite there is the Abacus A-box 10 or Abacus APC 24-23C. These are internet sold and made specifically for hifi. I'm considering getting one.

 

[Craig M.]

Hi Craig, glad all is well Thanks for your kind words Have you made any system changes or still as good as ever?

Cheers,

Ben

no changes Ben, first time i've been able to forget all about the hifi/system cobblers and just enjoy music. i have entertained thoughts of the adm40's, but that's purely because they could be available in ebony, which i really like, and it would be about as streamlined as you could get. more realistically i will probably go for a large nas drive and squeezebox touch for music, and a dlna equipped tv to access films from the nas; that way the mac mini, external hdd and bluray player and the rack it's all on can go. it will be nice to have the space back.

 

[WishTree]

... not a single actual suggestion .... come on, indulge me!

On similar though process, I am considering the following

1. Adam A7x

2. Adam A77x

3. EV ZXA1 - This is more of a PA but why not for an audtion?

I hear at many night clubs, bars and functions some great systems with amazing clear, powerful but extremely controlled sound. Keeping aside the fact that these venues are quite large compared to my living room - the following learnings (these are purely my opinions) make me go on to the other side

a. Active speakers offer better of everything when compared to passive speakers (Ofcourse, the amp section has to be post the cross over section). Also, power amps in the active section can be custom built for that particular woofer / tweeter which makes it effective and efficient

b. A three way speaker offers better dimension when compared to a two way speaker

c. A bigger speaker unit (8 inches is better than 6 inches) offers better SPL and hence greater control or something like that

d. Front ported speakers are less fussy about their placement in the room (closer or further from the wall)

Also, the above points need to be executed in the right way to offer the benefit of the theory.

I might be wrong (may be more than once) but atleast, this is my current knowledge and the speakers I might audition soon are as above!

Please feel free to add in!!

 

[Overdose]

So, should I give up looking for active speakers in the £1500-2000 price range? I know you can buy £5000 actives that may well be in a different league (I'll try them when I winn the lottery), but in my price range, am I always to expect an emotion-free experience?

Tom

The simple answer is that you prefer the sound of your previous speakers. Actives can be considered 'dry' and their sound is not for all. Certainly when listening straight after owning passives, the difference in sound can seem alarming.

 

[BenLaw]

no changes Ben, first time i've been able to forget all about the hifi/system cobblers and just enjoy music. i have entertained thoughts of the adm40's, but that's purely because they could be available in ebony, which i really like, and it would be about as streamlined as you could get. more realistically i will probably go for a large nas drive and squeezebox touch for music, and a dlna equipped tv to access films from the nas; that way the mac mini, external hdd and bluray player and the rack it's all on can go. it will be nice to have the space back.

Sounds good Craig It's always nice to get the kit into a situation where you're just using it for what it's meant for Your streamlining plans also sound good, I look forward to seeing some pics as and when you make some changes

 

[the record spot]

I think the point that not all active speakers sound the same goes without saying. My point is rather whether there is something in the design of most active/monitor speakers that make them less suitable for hifi listening.

I disagree with this perspective; mostly as having heard plenty of passives and more than a few actives in recent years, I am now inclined to think that many passives shouldn't be allowed in the home while there are quite a few actives that would be a good fit in the domestic setting.

The problem is appearance for some; many actives are designed for the studio or other production suite, so not with a standard home in mind. Then again, there's a few domestic speakers that look iffy too.

However, I'd encourage you to have a listen to some Genelec actives - perhaps the 8240A which is (I think) around £1200 a pair. Lovely build, quite a sleek design that should fit in a home environment from an appearance POV and with a very fluid, organic sound that communicates the music as a whole than focus on the constituent parts. If I wanted to spend the money, I'd have them in an instant.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Craig!

tdr1975;

If I could impose on you, could you send me links of the german forum regarding ADAM and Abacus.

I could use google to translate the thread.

Thank you

 

[steve_1979]

(Think I'm gonna have to build an 'Active HiFi Speaker).

I think a lot of people would love for this to happen

+1

I bet that there's a market for active speakers that have more 'character' and 'emotion' like hifi speakers do but without any of the distortion that you get from a passive crossover.

 

[steve_1979]

... not a single actual suggestion .... come on, indulge me!

Have a listen to some Quested monitors. They make both active and passives and they're all exellent IMO. Really good value and possibly the best that I've ever heard.

 

[Anonymous]

If I could impose on you, could you send me links of the german forum regarding ADAM and Abacus.

I could use google to translate the thread.

Thank you

I mentioned the active speaker forum in an earlier post, but it was edited out and I don't want to try to break the forum rules. Would it be OK to give the name of the forum, without posting the link?

I'll have a look again at the Genelecs, as they actually look quite nice (at least they won't give me nightmares as some studio monitors would) and they got a really high rating in a German hifi mag (not sure if mentioning its name is allowed :shifty

Tom

 

[Craig M.]

the new 'grown up' forum rules mean posting links is acceptable, your previous post was edited because the site filter thought it was a swear word (probably).

 

[BenLaw]

Indeed. For example, it is still impossible to link to gearsl*tz!

 

[Anonymous]

the new 'grown up' forum rules mean posting links is acceptable, your previous post was edited because the site filter thought it was a swear word (probably).

The swearword was the German for listening and the forum called Aktives Hoeren. http://www.aktives-hoeren.de

 

[Anonymous]

It edited it again :rofl:

I'll spell it backwards nereoh sevitka

Anyway, the link works, I think

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you Sir!

 

[BenLaw]

On a quick search, in the uk that is 'one who hoes' and is only rude in Dutch, we really do need protecting!