I Was Considering Active, Then I Watched This ...

Hmmm. 

An active speaker can:

- correct for unit to unit driver variation better than the best manufacturing


- tune the crossover perfectly in frequency and time for the exact drivers in every unit produced


- correct for phase across the whole frequency spectrum

- use current feedback from the driver to implement distortion reducing drive

- use position feedback to reduce distortion

- use feed forward control methodologies to reduce distortion


... As a start


External amps will never be able to accomplish what internal amps will be capable of if accurate sound reproduction is your goal.

A lot of mis-information in that Guttenberg article.
Almost none of his generalisations are true of ATC.
- All amplification made in house and has been for decades
- No DSP, all analog active crossovers with class A/B output 
- exemplary reliability as required by around the clock studio use
- Service/replacement of active amps available for models that are decades old
Not sure if Steve is just ignorant or has gone soft in the head?

I am shocked, shocked there’s misinformation from Steve Guttenburg. How could anyone with such great taste in attire possibly misinform?

Both audio2design and tobes are exactly on the money, and that Guttenberg fellow, whoever he is, is just full of both it and himself. When it comes to quality active speakers, Guttenberg is talking nonsense or worse.

Moreover, anyone who trashes a speaker for being a studio monitor is likewise deluding themselves and others. Studio professional *know* sound, both live and reproduced, and with some few exceptions know what tells the truth to them in their studio monitors. And these days, most often that’s an active speaker for all the reasons that others have explained. As a rule, they’re more accurate, a better value for the money, and they simply sound significantly better.

So fine if one’s hobby is listening to gear and EQing one’s system by other means, but I and others are into listening to the music and frankly don’t want the "hear the gear" getting in the way. At any reasonable price point, and by that I mean at least several thousand $, active speakers will deliver significantly more coherent, transparent, and accurate sound.

BTW, PSI makes a svelte floor-standing pure analog active monitor that I would expect would fit ideally into high-amp’s room, the A215-M. https://www.zenproaudio.com/psi-audio-a215-m If I ever find I need to replace my "living room system" (Thiel 2 2 speakers, Classé CA-200 amp, McCormick pre-amp, actively crossed Mirage sub, balanced interconnects & Kimber speaker cables, balanced AC), I’m certain those PSI A215-Ms along with a proper sub would easily match or exceed my current system.