Charles1dad,
That "specific" situation that you mention is correct, at least in my experience. Below are the situations when I feel that a passive will not work:
1. The source signal is very low
2. The amplifier sensitivity is more than 1V for full output
3. The speakers are less sensitive (less than 87 db and 4 ohms). Generally the BIG monsters with 10-15" woofers and 4+ drivers will most likely not work with passives.
4. You need more than 2 meters of ICs between source and amp
5. You need more than 15 feet speaker cables
I am sure that speaker wires also will make a huge difference. But I have not looked into that measurements.
On the other hand, if you carefully assemble a system around a passive - it is all bliss!
That "specific" situation that you mention is correct, at least in my experience. Below are the situations when I feel that a passive will not work:
1. The source signal is very low
2. The amplifier sensitivity is more than 1V for full output
3. The speakers are less sensitive (less than 87 db and 4 ohms). Generally the BIG monsters with 10-15" woofers and 4+ drivers will most likely not work with passives.
4. You need more than 2 meters of ICs between source and amp
5. You need more than 15 feet speaker cables
I am sure that speaker wires also will make a huge difference. But I have not looked into that measurements.
On the other hand, if you carefully assemble a system around a passive - it is all bliss!