The active speakers club

[John Duncan]

You mean 2? Not sure that's quite the definition of plenty.

When 3 = many, maybe it is.

Im not sure you're cut out to be a moderator John ...

Oh well.

 

[byakuya83]

When I'm paid at end of month I intend to purchase Audio Pro LV2e so hope to add something useful. What I would say is that I'm going down the active route mainly due to the reduction in equipment required. Above someone said there was no merit in discussing active versus passive but I would like to know what the difference is beside space-saving through the built-in amplification.

Hi byakuya83

Nice one 8) Out of interest what components does your system currently consist of?

Btw, here (page 9) http://www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/downloads/CompanyProfile.pdf is ATC's view on active versus passive speaker designs.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thank you.

My system was left to me by my step-father, it consists in the main part of cyrus amp, meridian cdp and b&w speakers. I've not used it a great deal due to space limitations but heard it in the past. Unfortunately I will not have a lot to compare to.

The document you linked only refers to the benefits of active over passive...I assume there must exist benefits in passives over actives as well. If not I struggle to understand their popularity.

I must say, some of those picture do look very attractive. I expect as the speakers become more aesthetically pleasing they will be reviewed and recommended more often.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Another device that can feed music to active speakers (or to other devices) wirelessly and control volume (but no remote):

usb or optical input -> wirelessly (at 95.2kHz sampling rate) -> to analog (with vol contorl) or optical out (without vol control)on the other side.

site: http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Audioengine-D2

recent reveiw here: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/461-audioengine-d2-24-bit-wireless-computer-interface-review/

 

[MUSICRAFT]

When I'm paid at end of month I intend to purchase Audio Pro LV2e so hope to add something useful. What I would say is that I'm going down the active route mainly due to the reduction in equipment required. Above someone said there was no merit in discussing active versus passive but I would like to know what the difference is beside space-saving through the built-in amplification.

Hi byakuya83

Nice one 8) Out of interest what components does your system currently consist of?

Btw, here (page 9) http://www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/downloads/CompanyProfile.pdf is ATC's view on active versus passive speaker designs.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thank you.

My system was left to me by my step-father, it consists in the main part of cyrus amp, meridian cdp and b&w speakers. I've not used it a great deal due to space limitations but heard it in the past. Unfortunately I will not have a lot to compare to.

The document you linked only refers to the benefits of active over passive...I assume there must exist benefits in passives over actives as well. If not I struggle to understand their popularity.

I must say, some of those picture do look very attractive. I expect as the speakers become more aesthetically pleasing they will be reviewed and recommended more often.

Hi byakuya83

Thanks for your reply.

I feel the points have been nicely highlighted and yes i agree that the pictures look very attractive

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

The document you linked only refers to the benefits of active over passive...I assume there must exist benefits in passives over actives as well. If not I struggle to understand their popularity.

there is one. you don't need to care much about DC offset in the amp. speakers don't like DC. and too much DC can ultimately destroy the driver.

 

[Phileas]

I struggle to understand their popularity.

I think it's just historical. Passives came first because they were more practical and easier to produce (the theory behind actives was understood at least as early as the 'forties). Actives didn't get going (I think) until the seventies. Recording studios adopted them and most monitors nowadays seem to be active.

I've not read about any technical benefits of passive over active (notwithstanding oldric's reference to DC offset, which I'm guessing is not a major problem). There is obviously a cost involved, but for "serious" HiFi, this is not really an issue.

I think many audiophiles are resistant to change, perhaps partly because they enjoy all the "box-swapping" and looking at racks full of gear.

Personally, I just want gear that replays the music as faithfully and unobtrusively as possible.

At the moment there's very little choice if you want something with a nice finish and a grille (as well as sounding good), but hopefully this will change in the near future.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Indeed, hopefully.

If feeding speakers wiressly gets more popular there will be more models that do not have to be connected to a rack with an amp via cables which lends the speaker better for an active design.

 

[kungula]

I would like if the active speakers get more popular again. But apart from some big players like Backes & Müller who as far as I know only produce active speakers for more than 40 years most offers are basically in price areas which are excluded for most people. I believe if popular speaker brands like B&W would build them again the consumer would also buy them again.

I owned a pair of active one from B&W many years ago and used them for 20 years.

In the meantime I enjoy my Dynaudio A 110 which deliver a great sound in a small room ( 4x4 meters ) over my DAC. :cheer:

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Interesting re the active b&w. Do you have any more info/pic/link?

 

[kungula]

No unfortunately that´s too long ago. They were in black, heavy and expensive too. They produced a deep bass and filled a room of 6 to 8 meters easily. I can say that they were particularly good for clasical music. One ampli had to be exchanged twice though ( once on warranty ).

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Valid point on actives actually: more electronics = more potential that something fails.

 

[Ajani]

Valid point on actives actually: more electronics = more potential that something fails.

Though on the other side, it can be argued that having DAC, pre, amp, speakers all in one means that if anything goes wrong you may end up with an expensive brick. While if you have seperate components you can just replace the one that is defective.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Yep, that's what I meant - more electronics inside actives so they are comparatively more complex than passives.

 

[Overdose]

Valid point on actives actually: more electronics = more potential that something fails.

Though on the other side, it can be argued that having DAC, pre, amp, speakers all in one means that if anything goes wrong you may end up with an expensive brick. While if you have seperate components you can just replace the one that is defective.

Unless they are modular in design, like a Pc with separate boards, then you could easily replace a module if it failed, but then again, solid state tech is fairly reliable anyway.

 

[steve_1979]

Valid point on actives actually: more electronics = more potential that something fails.

Hmmm, yes that's an interesting point. :?

Although in my experience if electronics are going to fail it usually happens sooner rather than later, in which case the speakers should still be under warranty.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Yes, you still need these extra electronics, in speakers or out, so overall it kinda the same. An academic difference.

 

[Ajani]

Yep, that's what I meant - more electronics inside actives so they are comparatively more complex than passives.

I have no idea why I thought you were saying the opposite.

 

[Native_bon]

WOW can't believe it there is a tread 4 active speakers. That's kl.. I started a tread bout active and passive some time back, remembering not a lot of people on here new how good active speakers can perform. Glade to see.

 

[steve_1979]

WOW can't believe it there is a tread 4 active speakers. That's kl.. I started a tread bout active and passive some time back, remembering not a lot of people on here new how good active speakers can perform. Glade to see.

Although actives have been the norm in studios ages they seem to have finally started gaining popularity for home hifi use over the last couple of years.

 

[atticus]

I am completely sold on the whole thing. I understand that there is always a bit of fun getting the crossover right, but the idea of having a driver that is powered by an amp that has been designed specifically for that driver is very attractive.

Amps inside the speakers make for less mess and cabling and technically, saves money on a separate case for the amplifier itself. I used to enjoy box-swapping/collecting/comparing myself, but the speakers I have now sound better than any combination I have previously owned as well as freeing up a lot of space in the lounge.

Not to mention that the lounge now looks less like a science lab experiment in progress.

 

[shooter]

WOW can't believe it there is a tread 4 active speakers. That's kl.. I started a tread bout active and passive some time back, remembering not a lot of people on here new how good active speakers can perform. Glade to see.

Although actives have been the norm in studios ages they seem to have finally started gaining popularity for home hifi use over the last couple of years.

It would be interesting to see some numbers on this. It's still very difficult to find active speakers in any high street shop at the moment which boils down to the market and if they are needed. Unless your lucky enough to live near a stockist [Bartletts springs to mind and they are over an hour from me] you nead to do some travelling around to get some demo's.

I think the more we talk about it the more normal it becomes but raising public awareness is really whats neaded.

 

[Haleem123]

hi everyone at Active speaker club,

have to say very good forum, my system is a full 5.1 b&o system, beolab 8000, 6000, 4000, and 2. farther bought the system in 1994, checked the reciept to see what he paid for them and to my astonishment it was £6000, that was alot of money in them days especially for home cinema stuff. well we still have the gorgeous speakers and they still sound absolutely awesome, for a system that old, to me thay outperform many speaker systems that i have heard, i have heard my fair share from b&w's, wilson audio, ADM's, bose (pure crap), in pure movie terms thay are astonishing you can crank the volume to +10Db and they still sound crisp without any hint of distortion, many of the other systems i have heard once you get to -5DB they start to distort and they sound as if they will blow, lolz.

imo to have a proper home cinema system you need to at least spend £5000-8000 for the amp, speakers ets, and still people slate b&o for being overpriced, more style over substance etc. To my ears they are brill and i will never replace these speakers until they die on me, these speakers are built to last.

btw i aint no B&O geek i just love quality products and people who slate b&o are just haters, go audition them you will be astonished. these speakers are still fetching £1200-1700 in the second hand market and brand new they cost £2500 in 1994 so very in the resale market whereas many speakers wouldnt even fetch £100.

PS:sorry lads for the rant

 

[CnoEvil]

PS:sorry lads for the rant

Nothing wrong with a good rant...provided it makes you feel better, and doesn't get you banned!

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Bang & Olufsen, domestic only

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/loudspeakers

expensive

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Klein & Hummel, pro only

http://www.neumann-kh-line.com/neumann-kh/home_en.nsf/root/prof-monitoring