Active is best according to ATC

[Thomas savage]

Umm, more likely they are intrinsically restrictive in terms of 'upgrading ' .

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Actually, the new actives from KEF (LS50 Wireless) and Dynaudio (Focus XD series) have full remote control to select input and volume.

So do my old actives from Avi. I think built-in pre amps, and even DACs would become common features if actives became common consumer products. But it's all pretty unnecessary when you're sitting at a desk, using them for mixing.

Tim

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Umm, more likely they are intrinsically restrictive in terms of 'upgrading ' .

They are the "upgrade."

Tim

 

[watchnerd]

Sorry for the drift. ATC is right. I haven't heard any of their speakers in a decade or more, but I'm pretty sure they're right.

Tim

ATC is right and their drivers are awesome, but they need to modernize their crossovers and electronics to DSP and Class D.

 

[watchnerd]

I think the real reason people shun active speakers is a question of image - they don't like the very idea of how they work and the resemblance to 'professional' audio systems.

Do these look like professional audio systems? Not to me they don't:

 

[Cosmik]

Do these look like professional audio systems? Not to me they don't:

I meant more the way they work than their physical appearance.

I used to be one of those people who expected an active system to sound 'disjointed'. OK for a PA system, but not good enough for a man of refinement and taste.

Two or three completely independent systems playing at the same time could surely never blend together smoothly. With the passive system, on the other hand, I imagined the inevitable interaction between drivers and the crossover filters, and interaction with the amplifier and cable actually helping drivers blend together better at the edges. Lack of damping was a positive feature.

Wrong! An active system set up with precision, that uses DSP for correction and time alignment, is the most refined sound of all. The passive system is blurring the whole signal, in complex ways - not necessarily identifiable as distortion or colouration, but just a general degrading of the stereo image, and a lack of 'solidity'.

 

[watchnerd]

Wrong! An active system set up with precision, that uses DSP for correction and time alignment, is the most refined sound of all. The passive system is blurring the whole signal, in complex ways - not necessarily identifiable as distortion or colouration, but just a general degrading of the stereo image, and a lack of 'solidity'.

I would agree, and would take it a step further:

Mid-tier drivers + DSP crossover + active amplification often beats top-tier drivers + passive crossover + outboard amplification.

 

[Cosmik]

I would agree, and would take it a step further:

Mid-tier drivers + DSP crossover + active amplification often beats top-tier drivers + passive crossover + outboard amplification.

Yes. Ultra-expensive drivers can't help to correct a fundamentally incorrect system.

One of the objections to active systems is that they must be more expensive than 'the equivalent' passive system, but of course this is a red herring: the active system places far less strain on all of its components.

It is also a red herring in that audio hardware doesn't need to be fancy anyway. The bling is just a psychological crutch. Audio components can be made as cheaply as bits of cars and microwave ovens, so a speaker that contains three amplifiers and DACs shouldn't be thought of as something fantastical and exotic - it is much simpler than a TV that costs $500.

 

[fas42]

Actives have it all over passives, those JBLs are proving that the value for money return can be remarkable. Then, it's just a case of tidying up any loose ends in the implementation ...

 

[watchnerd]

Actives have it all over passives, those JBLs are proving that the value for money return can be remarkable. Then, it's just a case of tidying up any loose ends in the implementation ...

Which JBLs are you referring to? The 3 series?

 

[fas42]

JBL LSR(?). Members here are talking about the 208 and 308 models.

 

[watchnerd]

JBL LSR(?). Members here are talking about the 208 and 308 models.

You probably mean the 3 series - LSR305 and LSR308.

I have a pair of the 305s in my home office. I've been tempted to try them in my living room.

 

[fas42]

Ahhh, I did have the number wrong! Sorry about that ...

 

[hvbias]

You can do ultra expensive and DSP, I am willing to bet this kit with DSP crossovers would outshine anything from the ATC company: http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk/k100-monitor-1667-p.asp

If you really have some nervosa about the "cheap" Scanspeak tweeter there are several you could throw a few C notes at. Zaph has measurements on a bunch, including ring radiators.

Glad to see the amount of objective discussion slightly outweighs the shilling since I've been gone.

 

[watchnerd]

You can do ultra expensive and DSP, I am willing to bet this kit with DSP crossovers would outshine anything from the ATC company: http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk/k100-monitor-1667-p.asp

If you really have some nervosa about the "cheap" Scanspeak tweeter there are several you could throw a few C notes at. Zaph has measurements on a bunch, including ring radiators.

Glad to see the amount of objective discussion slightly outweighs the shilling since I've been gone.

If I wanted to go the 'make-my-own-ATC' route, I think I'd just buy the drive units, pay a cabinet maker to build a cabinet for me, and use one of these as the power/crossover: