Why do passive speakers still exist?

[Pearljam5000]

Could you provide the name of these please. I want to go drool over them in private.

https://www.me-geithain.de/en/aktiv-lautsprecher.html

 

[Vini darko]

Thanks guys

 

[Helicopter]

They've also got some high end speakers for the home, but they're not quite as inexpensive.

 

[bennybbbx]

There are fewer and fewer AVRs with analog line level outputs but there are, also, AVPs (Audio Video Processors) which have only analog line level outputs, many of them with balanced XLR as well as unbalanced RCA outputs. The cheapest with XLR outs is, afaik, the Outlaw 976 . There are many others.

the outlaw costs 999$ and can not buy in germany. hifi mainstream market is max 600$ for a amp. so such outlaw preamp is only for few people attractive

 

[Chromatischism]

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To me they're more beautiful than most passives

Thank you for providing examples that prove my point

quality passives bring huge performance for the price

add a lot to the cost

getting pricey

left with mostly expensive options

 

[Pearljam5000]

Thank you for providing examples that prove my point

Lol
I mostly like the minimalism in actives...
No amps, cables, DAC to worry about.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I'm probably misunderstanding you here, but there's technically no difference between a power amplifier and an active speaker in this regard?

Of course.

So in practice, if your setup supports a power amplifier, it will support active speakers (for any given channel).

Of course.

 

[Chromatischism]

Lol
I mostly like the minimalism in actives...
No amps, cables, DAC to worry about.

Well you need double the number of cables (signal and power), but yeah you can skip the DAC and amp.

I just grabbed a pair of ELAC DFR52. I'm not aware of any active speakers that are not a) industrial-looking, and b) compete on price/performance, even considering I'll need other components to make them work. If there are, I am all ears...

 

[A Surfer]

Lol
I mostly like the minimalism in actives...
No amps, cables, DAC to worry about.

Well, the things you might have to worry about are just hidden from sight, but they are still there to one extent or another.

 

[Helicopter]

Well you need double the number of cables (signal and power), but yeah you can skip the DAC and amp.

I just grabbed a pair of ELAC DFR52. I'm not aware of any active speakers that are not a) industrial-looking, and b) compete on price/performance, even considering I'll need other components to make them work. If there are, I am all ears...

I bet those will work out well and serve you for a long time if you want them to. I might have considered those if my room were not so big.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

the outlaw costs 999$ and can not buy in germany. hifi mainstream market is max 600$ for a amp. so such outlaw preamp is only for few people attractive

I do not know the market in Germany but there are less expensive devices with either (RCA rather than XLR) or (fewer channels). Any analog preamp should do it for stereo.

 

[Chromatischism]

I bet those will work out well and serve you for a long time if you want them to. I might have considered those if my room were not so big.

I hope so. These are for a secondary setup and should be good there.

 

[sigbergaudio]

IMHO, it is because there is too limited a selection of active speakers suitable for domestic application.

It would also be super interesting to hear your thoughts on the requirements for (or an example of) what you would consider as an active speaker suitable for domestic application.

 

[Helicopter]

I do not know the market in Germany but there are less expensive devices with either (RCA rather than XLR) or (fewer channels). Any analog preamp should do it for stereo.

You can order a 7.2 channel Denon AVR from Crutchfield for $499 here if you use passive speakers. It probably has better amplification than Genelec speakers and you can throw it in a recycling dumpster if it breaks. Interesting that, as you point out, most of these no longer have pre outs. I guess that simplifies things. They were getting pretty busy in the back.

 

[Sancus]

It probably has better amplification than Genelec speakers and you can throw it in a recycling dumpster if it breaks.

Not in terms of power, which is the most important factor by far.

 

[Helicopter]

Not in terms of power, which is the most important factor by far.

If it breaks, simple and inexpensive replacement will be the most important feature.

 

[Pearljam5000]

You can order a 7.2 channel Denon AVR from Crutchfield for $499 here if you use passive speakers. It probably has better amplification than Genelec speakers and you can throw it in a recycling dumpster if it breaks. Interesting that, as you point out, most of these no longer have pre outs. I guess that simplifies things. They were getting pretty busy in the back.

Maybe better amplification, but actives are a package, that's the whole Point, even though some parts maybe inferior, there's a synergy that's harder to duplicate with passives.

 

[sigbergaudio]

If it breaks, simple and inexpensive replacement will be the most important feature.

After being into hifi for 30 years or so, I must say that electronics breaking down or failing on me has been a very rare. On the contrary, even when I have purchased second hand amplifiers that are years or even decades old, they've been completely fine. Also, to me the main consideration is the performance while it's working, not what happens when it doesn't. I'm not saying it's completely irrelevant, but surely it shouldn't be the main focus?

 

[raistlin65]

Well you need double the number of cables (signal and power), but yeah you can skip the DAC and amp.

I think some active speaker fan made that fewer cables claim many years ago, and people keep repeating it without actually doing the math.

Two active speakers with amps in each speaker require two separate power cords and two separate interconnects to connect to the source.

Two passive speakers and an amp require two speaker wires, one power cable for the amp, and one combo interconnect to connect to the source.

Or maybe they are thinking of the active speakers that just have the one amp built in the one speaker???

 

[Sancus]

If it breaks, simple and inexpensive replacement will be the most important feature.

I mean sure, but why all the anxiety about breakage? I've owned some very, very cheap active speakers over the years, like a lame Cambridge Soundworks satellite+subwoofer PC speaker set, and it lasted more than 10 years of every-day usage. The first thing to break, amusingly, was... the attached audio cord

"What do I do for music listening when my Genelecs break and require repair" is just below "how do I sit down and relax when my sofa breaks" on my list of concerns. I imagine I will have to deal with it in a couple of decades, but it is an extremely minor and rare inconvenience.