@phusis
”I wouldn't want to come across claiming that every serious home audio reproduction "adventurer," for him/her to actually be serious, should pursue active as the one and only route achieving great sound. Mostly what it comes down to, to me, is letting people know that active configuration, one way or the other, holds great and different potential, and that in the face of many audiophiles effectively dismissing active for reasons that seem.. shall we say, questionable.”
I agree…it is when things that are not understood, such as not knowing the vast capabilities of active speakers which causes or propagates the idealism that active is hard and challenging…it is different and one needs to use the proper tools like other aspects in this hobby to achieve optimal results.
Here is my analogy with a robust active setup using advanced DSP and measurement equipment; like sports car tuning, where you map each rpm with the air/fuel mixture to maintain steady air/fuel flow across the rpm range as it increases…I would envision a properly setup active solution would incorporate a relatively good frequency plot in the room as the volume levels increase. Most room measuring is done at a static loudness reference point of about 80db and that’s fine and dandy for a measured and tuned response at that level. But, when volume goes up, room modes get excited or exacerbated more, and the static tune, let’s say for subs only, will have to deal with an increase in output levels which will skew the tuned plot at anything above 80db. A property tuned active speaker solution should be able to ameliorate this affect as volume goes up by accounting for the volume level increasing and it’s effect on the frequencies in room mode excitation because measured bass response in the room is not the same at 95db vs 75db…it’s just physics. As the output level increases so does the amplitude of any and all frequencies. This is where I think active makes it money.
The above remark about MAP tuning in cars is still fresh in my mind. Had a laptop plugged into the OBD connector with a customizable tune and a buddy sitting in the passenger seat of my Corvette Z06 with said laptop as he monitored me go from 75mph to 185 mph as he filled in the variables for each rpm to maintain correct air/fuel while driving on the Autobahn. That was so analog, now, you can get a real dyno tune with live feedback of HP at RPM.
Thanks by the way, and yes, no issues with the T1.5s providing exceptional sound. Since I am a hobbyist, I also spent time and money to ensure that the environment, room, had the least amount of frequency smearing anomalies as measured at 80db (probably should measure at 90db😀), at the listening position. They are field coil speakers with exceptional speed and dynamics. Unfortunately, many folks don’t take the time to understand or don’t know that in order to maximize your listening experience, it’s going to take some work either way. A true plug and play solution exists for those who don’t know, don’t care, or are happy with as is. Either way, one can find great pleasure in either speaker solution as long as it is optimized properly within their listening environment.
”I wouldn't want to come across claiming that every serious home audio reproduction "adventurer," for him/her to actually be serious, should pursue active as the one and only route achieving great sound. Mostly what it comes down to, to me, is letting people know that active configuration, one way or the other, holds great and different potential, and that in the face of many audiophiles effectively dismissing active for reasons that seem.. shall we say, questionable.”
I agree…it is when things that are not understood, such as not knowing the vast capabilities of active speakers which causes or propagates the idealism that active is hard and challenging…it is different and one needs to use the proper tools like other aspects in this hobby to achieve optimal results.
Here is my analogy with a robust active setup using advanced DSP and measurement equipment; like sports car tuning, where you map each rpm with the air/fuel mixture to maintain steady air/fuel flow across the rpm range as it increases…I would envision a properly setup active solution would incorporate a relatively good frequency plot in the room as the volume levels increase. Most room measuring is done at a static loudness reference point of about 80db and that’s fine and dandy for a measured and tuned response at that level. But, when volume goes up, room modes get excited or exacerbated more, and the static tune, let’s say for subs only, will have to deal with an increase in output levels which will skew the tuned plot at anything above 80db. A property tuned active speaker solution should be able to ameliorate this affect as volume goes up by accounting for the volume level increasing and it’s effect on the frequencies in room mode excitation because measured bass response in the room is not the same at 95db vs 75db…it’s just physics. As the output level increases so does the amplitude of any and all frequencies. This is where I think active makes it money.
The above remark about MAP tuning in cars is still fresh in my mind. Had a laptop plugged into the OBD connector with a customizable tune and a buddy sitting in the passenger seat of my Corvette Z06 with said laptop as he monitored me go from 75mph to 185 mph as he filled in the variables for each rpm to maintain correct air/fuel while driving on the Autobahn. That was so analog, now, you can get a real dyno tune with live feedback of HP at RPM.
Thanks by the way, and yes, no issues with the T1.5s providing exceptional sound. Since I am a hobbyist, I also spent time and money to ensure that the environment, room, had the least amount of frequency smearing anomalies as measured at 80db (probably should measure at 90db😀), at the listening position. They are field coil speakers with exceptional speed and dynamics. Unfortunately, many folks don’t take the time to understand or don’t know that in order to maximize your listening experience, it’s going to take some work either way. A true plug and play solution exists for those who don’t know, don’t care, or are happy with as is. Either way, one can find great pleasure in either speaker solution as long as it is optimized properly within their listening environment.