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Have active monitors overtaken HiFi speakers as preferred listening setups?

RayDunzl

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It’s been measured by members here (not on the Klippel though) and did pretty well!

Wasn't me, but I have some data:

10 sweeps, increasing volume.

Maybe shows it progressively limits below 400Hz and above 8kHz as volume rises.

1581639698037.png


High 2nd and 3rd harmonics:

1581640046290.png
 
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Billy Budapest

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Wasn't me, but I have some data:

10 sweeps, increasing volume.

Maybe shows it progressively limits below 400Hz and above 8kHz as volume rises.

View attachment 50086

High 2nd and 3rd harmonics:

View attachment 50087
Yeah, I posted links to two other members’ measurements which seem good. I am sure it is hard to obtain consistent measurements given the DSP and room correction.
 

Billy Budapest

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Wouldn't it first adjust itself to the environment?

How would the measurements compare to a more confined location, where it would more likely be put to use?
Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.
 

Billy Budapest

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Wasn't me, but I have some data:

10 sweeps, increasing volume.

Maybe shows it progressively limits below 400Hz and above 8kHz as volume rises.

View attachment 50086

High 2nd and 3rd harmonics:

View attachment 50087

I think that frequency sweeps might be wreaking havoc with the frequency compensation logic inside the thing. If you listen to music at moderate levels on the HomePod and start slowly increasing the level, you just don’t hear distortion getting progressively worse, whether second or third or higher order components. The logic must be shaping the frequency response and clamping down on the level at certain frequencies to control the woofer. Maybe it needs “music” to do this effectively?
 

RayDunzl

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RayDunzl

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If you listen to music at moderate levels on the HomePod and start slowly increasing the level, you just don’t hear distortion getting progressively worse, whether second or third or higher order components.

Music, which I'll call "sophisticated harmonic distortions of a multiplicity of overlapping sine waves" is very efficient at hiding additional harmonic distortions from the ear/brain.
 

oldsysop

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Have active monitors overtaken HiFi speakers as preferred listening setups?
Not for me, in any way
 

Cahudson42

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Have active monitors overtaken HiFi speakers as preferred listening setups?
Perhaps a better way to phrase this would be : 'Have speakers with DSP overtaken speakers without DSP as preferred listening setups?' Then I would say, as indicated by @amirm speaker tests so far - yes.

'Active' is not really the issue. It's only one way to get there - 'there' being a DSPed speaker. It's perfectly possible to get 'there' with a passive speaker and adding external DSP.

As a result, I hesitate to write off 'poorly performing' reviewed passive speakers without knowing their performance when 'optimally' DSPed. This would be a better way to compare passives against actives going forward.
 

majingotan

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As people get more informed with Spinorama performance of a speaker, we start to see more and more people transitioning to DSP active speakers as they provide the best performance with minimal tweaks or room correction to get great sound. With passive, you still have to deal with impedance and power requirements as well as more wires and more separate box for DSP (e.g. minidsp) or more software VST plugin tweaks, room treatment for correction.
 

wwenze

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Perhaps a better way to phrase this would be : 'Have speakers with DSP overtaken speakers without DSP as preferred listening setups?' Then I would say, as indicated by @amirm speaker tests so far - yes.

'Active' is not really the issue. It's only one way to get there - 'there' being a DSPed speaker. It's perfectly possible to get 'there' with a passive speaker and adding external DSP.

As a result, I hesitate to write off 'poorly performing' reviewed passive speakers without knowing their performance when 'optimally' DSPed. This would be a better way to compare passives against actives going forward.

Next question: Have speakers with built-in room correction overtaken speakers without

457892.jpg


It's just a manner of time before this become mainstream. Or, at least I am hoping this becomes mainstream since I only know of 1 speaker doing that.
 

Dimitri

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I hear the sound of a bandwagon and the faint smell of coolaid.
Powered monitors and or bookshelf speakers have always been a compromise of some sort. Same with the Bose satellite system.
So what's new then? Powered monitors with a sub is still a "satellite " speaker system.
Been around since before lithium batteries. :rolleyes:
 

Purité Audio

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Next question: Have speakers with built-in room correction overtaken speakers without

457892.jpg


It's just a manner of time before this become mainstream. Or, at least I am hoping this becomes mainstream since I only know of 1 speaker doing that.
Kii Three and Dutch& Dutch 8CS have built in PEQ, as does B&O’s Beolab 90, in my experience contemporary actives offer Improved sound quality, not through BS but purely through sound engineering.
Keith
 

March Audio

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I hear the sound of a bandwagon and the faint smell of coolaid.
Powered monitors and or bookshelf speakers have always been a compromise of some sort. Same with the Bose satellite system.
So what's new then? Powered monitors with a sub is still a "satellite " speaker system.
Been around since before lithium batteries. :rolleyes:
Far from it. DSP active speakers are the way forward and offer significant potential advantages over passive. As always it does depend on implementation.
 
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Billy Budapest

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Next question: Have speakers with built-in room correction overtaken speakers without

457892.jpg


It's just a manner of time before this become mainstream. Or, at least I am hoping this becomes mainstream since I only know of 1 speaker doing that.
What speaker is that?
 

Dimitri

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Far from it. DSP active speakers are the way forward and offer significant potential advantages over passive. As always it does depend on implementation.
If it weren't for implementation, purpose, economics, space and 2-19 other subjective non auditable factors, we would all be using the exactly same pair of speakers.
 

milw50717

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Not yet for me (yet), but I am kicking myself for not jumping on that JBL 306 deal on Black Friday. Fingers crossed, but breath not held, for a repeat on Presidents' Day. This would be 100% for my desktop speakers, rather than to replace an amp and passive speaker setup, but I can definitely see how some would prefer the simplicity of having a streamer feed an active pair of speakers for a small room setup.
 

q3cpma

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Not yet for me (yet), but I am kicking myself for not jumping on that JBL 306 deal on Black Friday. Fingers crossed, but breath not held, for a repeat on Presidents' Day. This would be 100% for my desktop speakers, rather than to replace an amp and passive speaker setup, but I can definitely see how some would prefer the simplicity of having a streamer feed an active pair of speakers for a small room setup.
It'd be a mistake to think of it as a compromise or lifestyle thing, though. Active crossover simply is technologically superior.
 

Purité Audio

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If it weren't for implementation, purpose, economics, space and 2-19 other subjective non auditable factors, we would all be using the exactly same pair of speakers.
Almost reached that already, compact, full-range loudspeakers that can be placed anywhere and suitably adjusted are available.
Larger companies won’t make them either because they can’t or because that one speaker renders three-quarters of their current range redundant.
Keith
 
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