Is dsp like arc as good as designed dsp active speakers

Steve, Not all DSP, like everything else in audio, is created equal. Digital Signal Processing can be applied anywhere in the music chain from recording through mixing all the way to just before the amplification outputs before the speaker drivers.

For home audio use there is plain DSP and there is DSP with auto room correction. Often DSP is used in the amplitude domain only. The good units can correct in both amplitude and time domains. Huge difference.

The best DSP/Auto room correct units like the Trinnov work seamlessly when used with conventional speakers. Our speakers are designed specifically to be DSP controlled. The main advantage of our approach is to allows us more flexibility in designing our speakers and a huge head start in dealing with room issues.

To answer your question more directly DSP/speakers systems (like kii) can have some advantages in terms of everything being sorted out and performance optimized and can be more compact in size. Amplification is usually supplied (usually class-D) which can be a plus or a minus. I'm not judging class-D amps, we build and sell them too. Some people don't want to be locked in. Some of their DSP functions are not user accessible and user adjustments are usually fewer.

Both arrangements can yield excellent result, depending on the quality of the DSP and the quality of the speakers.

We chose to make almost all DSP functions user accessible. Our customers can choose which amps they want to use. The Trinnov ST2 we supply with our speakers is very easy to set up and use and allows extreme flexibility. 

Mike

I read great things about digital room correction, but would still be reluctant to use it for more than fine tuning with conventional speakers. As to class D amps, so far I’ve only heard offerings from peachtree in the nova 150, 300, and I think 350 and I didn’t dislike them but I didn’t hear anything that made me want them either. 
Arion, do you have a link to your products?

Steve, We demo our speakers using 1.5 watt tube amps and 200 watt SS amps and any other amps requested to show the wide range of amp possibilities. DSP helps make this easy. Initially we were somewhat hesitant about plunging into DSP/Room correction. Our main concern was transparency. Once we were satisfied the Trinnov unit was completely transparent we were all in. I believe you will find the fine tuning (EQ) is very useful and the time domain (phase and time alignment) remarkable. Small phase anomalies throughout the frequency range which are caused by several things show up as less sharp and less impactful music. DSP/Room correction goes a long way in correction that, not to mention excellent bass integration.

www.arionaudio.com

PM me if you want to chat off line. Here is OK too. I am not a salesman and like to share experience.