My assessment was that you could not throw enough amplifier at the passive 11/12s to get them anywhere near the actives. The actives @ <$800 are rediculously good and are an off the charts value. However- I do understand that the actives are not going to be everyone's cup of tea especially if you are after a softer/romantic sound.
I also thought that the L2s were better than the Ls but a lot of people, maybe even the majority- prefer the originals.
They are all great speakers.