Why do passive speakers still exist?

[terryforsythe]

There are some active speakers that, in my opinion, are a very good value for the level of performance they provide. Speakers by Kali Audio are an example. Another example is the KEF LS60.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Depending the material of walls etc.., getting few extra power outlets to convenient places is not necessarily a great expense in the overall scheme of building a multichannel set-up.

It is also possible to have some active and some passive speakers. Active mains doesn't mean you automatically have to have all surround and atmos and what not speakers as active as well.

 

[DMill]

The reality is passive speakers are dying out. Most everyone I know who does not visit an audio website are now using solutions like Sonos. Really it’s the home theatre crowd that is keeping passives relevant along with the die hard audiophiles. But even audiophiles are quickly being converted. As more and more active home theatre solutions enter the market I think we will see passives become even less relevant. It’s a shame in a way, as the best passive speakers measure every bit as good as most active designs. And you don’t have throw away a speaker (or send for expensive repairs) if the amplifier goes bad. I compare it to power windows in a car though. I suppose it’s just one more thing that can go wrong. But would you buy a car today with manual window cranks?

 

[kyuu]

I compare it to power windows in a car though. I suppose it’s just one more thing that can go wrong. But would you buy a car today with manual window cranks?

Even by car analogy standards that one is pretty rough.

 

[DMill]

Even by car analogy standards that one is pretty rough.

Exaggerated for sure. I just think the average buyer loves an all in one solutions and are already embracing not having to worry about separate amplification. They have been for 30 years. Like them or not Bose Lifestyle systems were wildly successful.

 

[Oddball]

The reality is passive speakers are dying out. Most everyone I know who does not visit an audio website are now using solutions like Sonos. Really it’s the home theatre crowd that is keeping passives relevant along with the die hard audiophiles. But even audiophiles are quickly being converted. As more and more active home theatre solutions enter the market I think we will see passives become even less relevant. It’s a shame in a way, as the best passive speakers measure every bit as good as most active designs. And you don’t have throw away a speaker (or send for expensive repairs) if the amplifier goes bad. I compare it to power windows in a car though. I suppose it’s just one more thing that can go wrong. But would you buy a car today with manual window cranks?

There is a different trend where people are choosing Sonos and similar solutions. It certainly is an issue for the AVR market that seems to be declining overall.

Reference active solutions are still too expensive so passive HT still seems to be the proven route and provides value. But as they say, you do get what you pay for.

 

[DMill]

Reference active solutions are still too expensive so passive HT still seems to be the proven route and provides value. But as they say, you do get what you pay for.

I agree 100%. I’m not Sonos fan boy, but do own a Roam that I can take out to the pool or listen to in the kitchen while cooking. I could see them offering a pretty killer HT system at “kind of” affordable pricing quickly. It would be easy to use for most and tweaked from your smart device. My hope is that someone like KEF or even better a small independent who really gives a sh+t about fidelity beats them to the punch.

 

[MattHooper]

Unless you get very fortunate with outlet locations, mains power is harder to put around a room than thinner/more discrete speaker cable which can be placed under rugs, along baseboards, behind drywall, etc. Also easily cut to exact lengths. AC mains is a different beast, subject to electrical code and a lot more permanent.

Wireless is also challenged by bandwidth/channel count, latency, and interference. In practice these are probably not issues for most setups, but they are considerations which make them less desirable to enthusiasts, and not a clear upgrade over passive. This is why I've advocated for PoE powered speakers, which retain some of the biggest benefits of passive (easy/discrete cable, effectively unlimited bandwidth). I'm not satisfied with the current landscape of PoE speaker options, nor the difficulties in getting a Dolby/DTS stream into this format, but I think if you were to throw out all convention and reimagine an "ideal" HT/multichannel setup it would resemble something like this.

Yeah, finding not only the floor space but also dealing with the extra AC demands was one of the hassles I disliked with my subwoofers.

 

[Mort]

There are some users in this forum that have built a Genelec-based multichannel system.

I have a 5.2 running straight off a MiniDsp flex HTx. It's glorious. Yes it's harder to get power to the speaker but active speakers from Genelec are so small that I could use better speakers in my smaller spaces.

 

[Vacceo]

The reality is passive speakers are dying out. Most everyone I know who does not visit an audio website are now using solutions like Sonos. Really it’s the home theatre crowd that is keeping passives relevant along with the die hard audiophiles. But even audiophiles are quickly being converted. As more and more active home theatre solutions enter the market I think we will see passives become even less relevant. It’s a shame in a way, as the best passive speakers measure every bit as good as most active designs. And you don’t have throw away a speaker (or send for expensive repairs) if the amplifier goes bad. I compare it to power windows in a car though. I suppose it’s just one more thing that can go wrong. But would you buy a car today with manual window cranks?

It'd be nice to get an ecosystem that you can start with a stereo and add channels as you go.