Do active speakers for hifi listening (not monitoring/pro use) make sense anymore?

[tokyo_blues]

I own a pair of Dynaudio Focus 110A (active) standmounts and following a move and a different, larger, listening room I'm considering an upgrade to floor standers of similar or better quality.

I have been pretty happy with actives over the past few years, and so I was ready to dive into the current offer of actives by e.g. Dynaudio, Dali, ELAC, ATC, KEF etc. I'm not considering Genelecs or other high quality technical-looking monitoring speakers due to low/inexistent WAF.

I have noticed prices of active speakers for music enjoyment have gone up quite a lot, compared to the last time I was shopping for speakers, and, interestingly, the markup when comparing the active version of a speaker which also exists in a passive version is pretty steep. There is a lot packed in those cabinets nowadays: units, amps, crossovers, DACs, digital processing, etc. It's like buying full blown computers wrapped in wood. It seems to me I won't be paying Dynaudio prices for those drivers only, I'll be paying Dynaudio prices (so European audio manufacturer prices) for those amps and the ancillary electronics, too.

Which made me think. Should I look into traditional passives, instead? With the current crop of mono power amps from the far East measuring so well (I'm thinking of the Topping B200 blocks here, though I'm sure most readers here will be able to name at least half a dozen alternatives) and retailing for affordable prices, would I be better served by going back to traditional route of matching one/two power amps to a good, well measuring passive speaker design?

In other word can, in 2025, a combo of well matched (power amp(s) + passive floor standers) have a better performance/price ratio than an active design?

 

[Jiraya369]

depends on the company man, like, KALI makes cheap active stuff whereas B&W makes expensive passive stuff.

And like it also depends on the price category and what you prefer. Absolute linearity? Low end extension? Low distortion/high loudness? Design? So many factors, no one can really say 1 thing is definitively better than everything else. Some speakers excel at some things, whereas some excel at other things.

 

[Audionaut]

You can achieve very good results with active and passive speakers.
However, it would be good if you could provide more basic information.
How big is the listening room?
What is your budget? For passive, for active, and so on.

Where do you live?
What can you buy or order in your country?

A few suggestions for active speakers

Teufel for example is very cheap

ULTIMA 40 AKTIV 3 | Teufel

ULTIMA 40 AKTIV 3 ab 699,99 € (15.12.2025): Aktives 3-Wege-Standlautsprecher-Paar für legendären ULTIMA Sound ohne externen Verstärker. Jetzt entdecken

teufel.de

Aktivlautsprecher online kaufen | Nubert

Aktivlautsprecher jetzt hier entdecken ► nubert.de! Beste Qualität ✓ Schnelle Lieferung ✓ Top Service ✓

www.nubert.de

Aktiv Lautsprecher

www.canton.de

 

[tokyo_blues]

Thanks both.

Perhaps I need to refocus my question a little.

These are the ATC SCM40, and these speakers have been on my 'to audition' list for a while.

SCM40 - ATC Loudspeakers

Overview New ATC designed and built 25mm soft dome HF unit with precision alloy wave guide. ATC 164mm bass driver. Massive optimised motor assembly. ATC Soft Dome mid-range driver. Flat impedance curve allowing easy load for amplifiers. Veneered Finish Options - Cherry, Black Ash. Painted Finish...

atc.audio

Drivers: HF ATC 25mm Neodymium, Mid 75mm ATC Soft Dome, LF ATC 164mm SC

These are the ATC SCM40A, the active versions of the ones above:

SCM40A - ATC Loudspeakers

3-way, tri-amplified, active, floor standing sealed box loudspeaker featuring hand made drive units and amplifiers

atc.audio

Drivers: HF ATC 25mm dual suspension Tweeter, Mid 75mm ATC Soft Dome, LF ATC 164mm SC

They passive 40s cost on average 6500 Euros, whereas the actives cost about 11000 Euros.

Can I get close to, or match, or even improve on, the performance of the ATC SCM40 actives by buying the SCM40 passives instead, and by spending less than (11000-6500)=4500 Euro on good quality, third party (e.g. Chinese) power amplification?

I suppose the only answer to this is to do a blind test comparing the two and the setup I have in mind, but this is currently very difficult for me, so I wonder if someone had any strong opinions about this due to personal experience already.

 

[Audionaut]

Can I get close to, or match, or even improve on, the performance of the ATC SCM40 actives by buying the SCM40 passives instead, and by spending less than (11000-6500)=4500 Euro in good quality, third party (e.g. Chinese) power amplification?

From what I can tell, there is no well-documented or broadly accepted blind test showing that a passive SCM40 combined with an external power amp in the ~€4,500 range can clearly match or outperform the active SCM40A. The topic comes up regularly in various hi-fi and studio forums, and while many owners report being “very close” or even preferring the passive version with a high-quality amplifier, these comparisons are almost always sighted, done in different rooms and without strict level matching.

One important point that often gets underestimated is that the active SCM40 is not simply the passive version with built-in amplifiers. The crossover topology, the driver Integration and the phase alignment are all part of a system that ATC has developed and optimized as a whole.

To really replicate that externally, one would not only need a very good amplifier, but effectively a high-quality active crossover, multiple amplifier channels per speaker, careful calibration and a lot of measurement and tuning work. When this is done seriously, total costs and effort often end up close to, or even above the price of the factory active version.

That said, as a DIY-minded tinkerer I would still be tempted to try something like this myself, for example using a Hypex FA253 as an active solution. It’s an attractive and flexible Module with high voltage and multiple DSP Options.

However, I honestly don’t know whether I would fully trust myself to extract everything needed to genuinely rival the SCM40A, especially without access to ATC’s exact crossover data and system tuning. In the end, a properly executed blind test in the same room would be the only way to get a truly reliable answer and everything else remains informed speculation and personal preference.

 

[Audionaut]

PS

Audiogon Discussion Forum

Recently had a chance to hear ATC SCM 40 and was very impressed with exceptional midrange, top end detail, accuracy and near perfect timbre. Would li...

forum.audiogon.com

Advice: ATC SCM40a quietly better compared to ATC SCM40

Just my two cent. First I have to say I know ATC SCM40 pretty well. I started to work with them as a freelance producer and mixing/mastering engineer in a recordintg studio in the last three years and as the time passed I always loved and trusted them more. Now I have a brand new, bigger home...

forums.whathifi.com

Heard a pair of passive ATC SCM40's today...

Heard these at a friend's and was seriously impressed with the scale and integration of the sound, even via a streamed source!, as his LP12 (80's spec) was temporarily decommissioned. Shame that they are too big for my room, and seem to sound at their best when driven hard, which can be too loud...

pinkfishmedia.net

ATC speakers / Monitors

I must ask ATC monitors are considered to be one of the best if not the best monitors on the planet, it's also a consensus on Gearslutz But around here they're not very popular I must understand why (:

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[tokyo_blues]

PS

Audiogon Discussion Forum

Recently had a chance to hear ATC SCM 40 and was very impressed with exceptional midrange, top end detail, accuracy and near perfect timbre. Would li...

forum.audiogon.com

Advice: ATC SCM40a quietly better compared to ATC SCM40

Just my two cent. First I have to say I know ATC SCM40 pretty well. I started to work with them as a freelance producer and mixing/mastering engineer in a recordintg studio in the last three years and as the time passed I always loved and trusted them more. Now I have a brand new, bigger home...

forums.whathifi.com

Heard a pair of passive ATC SCM40's today...

Heard these at a friend's and was seriously impressed with the scale and integration of the sound, even via a streamed source!, as his LP12 (80's spec) was temporarily decommissioned. Shame that they are too big for my room, and seem to sound at their best when driven hard, which can be too loud...

pinkfishmedia.net

ATC speakers / Monitors

I must ask ATC monitors are considered to be one of the best if not the best monitors on the planet, it's also a consensus on Gearslutz But around here they're not very popular I must understand why (:

www.audiosciencereview.com

Thank you Audionaut - I know whathifi and the pinkfish forums very well, but I was more interested in the objectivist takes more common on this particular forum.

 

[JensA]

I own a pair of Dynaudio Focus 110A standmounts and following a move and a different, larger, listening room I'm considering an upgrade to floor standers of similar or better quality.

I have been pretty happy with actives over the past few years, and so I was ready to dive into the current offer of actives by e.g. Dynaudio, Dali, ELAC, ATC, KEF etc. I'm not considering Genelecs or other high quality technical-looking monitoring speakers due to low/inexistent WAF.

I have noticed prices of active speakers for music enjoyment have gone up quite a lot, compared to the last time I was shopping for speakers, and, interestingly, the markup when comparing the active version of a speaker which also exists in a passive version is pretty steep. There is a lot packed in those cabinets nowadays: units, amps, crossovers, DACs, digital processing, etc. It's like buying full blown computers wrapped in wood. It seems to me I won't be paying Dynaudio prices for those drivers only, I'll be paying Dynaudio prices (so European audio manufacturer prices) for those amps and the ancillary electronics, too.

Which made me think. Should I look into traditional passives, instead? With the current crop of mono power amps from the far East measuring so well (I'm thinking of the Topping B200 blocks here, though I'm sure most readers here will be able to name at least half a dozen alternatives) and retailing for affordable prices, would I be better served by going back to traditional route of matching one/two power amps to a good, well measuring passive speaker design?

In other word can, in 2025, a combo of well matched (power amp(s) + passive floor standers) have a better performance/price ratio than an active design?

@tokyo_blues
Technically there is a third alternative to either Active or Passive available which gives you full flexibility:

I am using an external active crossover and (passive) speakers which have the option to bypass the speakers internal crossover.
This allows me to run the speakers either active or passive and still having the flexibility to use whatever power amp(s) I do prefer.
Actually I am just swapping my amps for Class D's with excellent value for money ratio.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Even in the video the active Scm50 sounds much better

 

[gamerpaddy]

Active is fine and has lots of benefits
but i would stay away unless it has something special to it passive wont offer.

you gotta keep in mind when buying "smart" active speakers that can stream on their own, they are flawed by design.
they will become obsolete, 100% guaranteed, in 1.. 2.. 10 years. then you have to throw them away regardless if they are technically like new. they just shut down their servers.


and active speakers are known, regardless of brand, to fail after many hours of use. usually the capacitors.. jbl had problems with glue becoming conductive, even seen genelecs fail in the past its no a price thing, it just happens. then you can throw them out if no one can or wants to repair them.
as they are using active crossovers, you cant just easily "convert" them to passive.

 

[mj30250]

Actives can absolutely make sense, but as with just about everything in audio it depends on a lot of factors. I'd start by determining what you are looking for in terms of frequency response, dispersion, power handling, and bass extension, and determining which passive and active speakers check those boxes within your budget. There's also the matter of room correction/EQ and subwoofer integration (if applicable). Actives like Genelec and Neumann make this largely a snap. But if you don't mind taking the time and making the effort to do those things yourself, you can close the gap.

 

[Morla]

As an owner of Kii Three.. I never thought of keeping them forever but it has become a cure for me in a way that I stopped thinking of amplifiers, DACs and all that. They have digital inputs of various kinds that are not going to get obsolete anytime soon. Streamers yes.. AES.. not so much. Also a pair of Dutch&Dutch 8c might sound like floorstanders eyes closed and I think that company is going to release a matching sub (for their 6c model), too. That being said maybe your room is too big for them?

 

[terryforsythe]

In other word can, in 2025, a combo of well matched (power amp(s) + passive floor standers) have a better performance/price ratio than an active design?

It depends.

Personally, I own the LS60s, and I converted my Elac UniFi Reference UBR62 speakers to be all active. I sincerely doubt I ever again will buy passive speakers.

 

[terryforsythe]

you gotta keep in mind when buying "smart" active speakers that can stream on their own, they are flawed by design.
they will become obsolete, 100% guaranteed, in 1.. 2.. 10 years. then you have to throw them away regardless if they are technically like new. they just shut down their servers.

I think it depends on the person. I keep electronics a long time. I had my old Adcom pre-amp for 30 years. I had my old Adcom amp for 20 years, and the only reason I bought it was because UPS damaged my previous amp when I shipped it back to Adcom for repair after a lightening strike that even knocked out my surge suppression.

If the amplifers in my LS60s ever fail, and they cannot be repaired or replaced, I probably would just convert them to use external amplification or plate amplifiers. My Elacs already have external amplification, so that makes it very easy.

EDIT: Also, even though many active speakers, e.g., LS60, have integrated streaming, they also can be used with external streamers and other sources. Indeed, I use a WIiM and Raspberry Pi with mine, which allows me to use CamillaDSP to implement room correction.

 

[terryforsythe]

Which made me think. Should I look into traditional passives, instead? With the current crop of mono power amps from the far East measuring so well (I'm thinking of the Topping B200 blocks here, though I'm sure most readers here will be able to name at least half a dozen alternatives) and retailing for affordable prices, would I be better served by going back to traditional route of matching one/two power amps to a good, well measuring passive speaker design?

I'll share my experience with my Elac passive speakers. I bought them because my wife was pushing against having speakers in our family room after we remodelled our house. I bought the Elacs because they were the best match to our decor that I could find, they were relatively small and, most imortantly, they obtained her approval from an aesthetic perspective. In addition, they were getting favorable reviews.

When I first hooked them up I was impressed with their ability to soundstage and image. But, bass was not their strong point, even when using a subwoofer with or without Dirac Live; the bass was not tight. I spent hours and hours playing with speaker/subwoofer crossover frequencies, slopes, time delay, etc., but could not get the bass response I wanted.

Eventually I decided to go all active. That solved my issue. I posted a thread on the project. Here is the post where I discuss my investigation into the damping factor, which I think is the key to why going all active solved my issue: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...e-ubr62-bookshelf-speakers.51780/post-2269616

 

[tokyo_blues]

As an owner of Kii Three.. I never thought of keeping them forever but it has become a cure for me in a way that I stopped thinking of amplifiers, DACs and all that.

I absolutely see where you're coming from and I love getting rid of big boxes. But I have sources already, and a DAC+preamp, so the only boxes I'd need to reintroduce would be two power amps.

I see the beauty and obvious technical advantages of having tailored amplification after the crossover in the speakers, but I don't want to spend money on in-speaker connectivity and electronics I won't need (bluetooth, wifi, dsp, etc) and most of the new active speakers seem to me to be lifestyle statements too ('get rid of boxes! get rid of cables! All you need is a phone and these speakers!') which doesn't particularly interest me.

If I bought a pair of Chinese monoblocks measuring well and matched them to passive standmounts, I would have huge choice of a) speaker drivers b) cabinet shape, design, materials, etc. On the other hand, as someone else mentioned, I'd miss out on the improved bass response and driver performance allowed by the active design.

The question is - would I hear it. Not sure yet.

 

[Audionaut]

The question is - would I hear it

That is always the crucial question.
I have built both active and passive versions of my speakers myself.
I always activate them with Hypex FA plate amps, which offer a wide range of options for DSP and electronic crossovers.
I personally liked the active versions better, and of course they gave my playful instinct as a developer much more room to roam.
But there were also people in my circle of acquaintances who found the passive versions more harmonious and "less intrusively analytical."
Not everyone finds precision desirable.

 

[rirelien]

I'd argue that the real benefits of a modern, DSP-powered active speaker are impossible to achieve with self-integrated conventional passive speakers, even with upstream DSP. In theory, that is; whether or not you or I would personally enjoy such speakers more or less is another matter.

The kinds of things that Dutch & Dutch, Kii, etc are doing are really moving the game onwards. In my view. Those are systems (not really just speakers, really systems) designed around what you can do with DSP and with our current understanding of audio science. KEF LS60, most of Buchardt's range, Dynaudio's Focus range, SIgberg Audio, Mesanovic, etc -- these are designed around the active concept.

I am sceptical of any speaker that's an "activated" version of a passive. Of course with careful design you can do good things with such a speaker (and user terryforsythe in this thread shows what can be done in that department too.)

None of this says you or I wouldn't enjoy a passive + outboard setup more of course -- because that would take into account many factors not considered in a simplified "active" vs "passive" dichotomy.

For me -- with MY constraints -- full DSP active is the way to go.

Note: none of this says you need to get rid of your existing sources. The ideal system would have high-quality analogue (ADC) as well as digital inputs, so that internal streamers etc need not be used. Those are usually the weakest point in these systems, in my view.

(Aside: we love these kinds of threads here, don't we!)

 

[Hear Here]

One big advantage of actives (and hybrids such as my own Avantgarde speakers) over passives is that the bass can be DSP'd without the higher frequencies having to encounter this processor.

If your sources are all digital and the active speakers include an active XO, DAC, DSP (for bass amp only), a means of adjusting volume, and amplifiers for each driver, active speakers should surpass their passive equivalents if such exists. And you can ditch all those pesky and costly cables that never improve sound quality and look a mess.

An active speaker will have amps individually matched to suit the characteristics of the driver they are feeding, so there’s no need for you to consider such things as sensitivity or impedance. And there are no costly cases for the electronics. What’s not to like – apart perhaps for the cost!

 

[terryforsythe]

The question is - would I hear it. Not sure yet.

It depends on numerous of factors.

One issue that stood out with my Elacs is that the inductors in series with the woofers, together, had 1.6 ohms of series resistance (ignoring core losses), and the woofers themselves were 4.15 ohms. That made the damping factor particularly low. Thus, the amplifier did not have adequate control to stop the woofer fast. But, it is a 3-way design with a very low crossover frequency, 180Hz. Thus the inductance values are fairly high, and there is limited space so that very large inductors with thick wire were impractical for the design.

If you go with passive 2-way speakers crossed over at 1.5kHz or higher, the inductance values will be lower, and thus the series resistance should be lower. Accordingly, the damping factor should not be anywhere near as low as it was with my Elacs. For that reason, I would expect the step response of a woofer in a passive 2-way speaker to be better than that of a passive 3-way speaker, assuming all other woofer parameters and the cabinet are equivalent.

Finally, listener preferences and the type of music being played matter. Damping factor probably is more of an issue with music that has a lot of drums, but not so much for vocals. Still, though I much prefer a very low damping factor, I doubt my wife would hear much of a difference and, even if she did, she probably would not have a preference for one over the other.