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

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.

Having various passive speakers for around 30 yrs I always remember being impressed by a casual listening experience with ATC 100s active. I was not getting the imaging and three dimensional projection, I had heard from the ATCs, with my own Isobariks and TDL speakers.
I now use ATC 100s with the anniversary amp pack (Ben Lilly from ATC told me these amp packs are as good as their P6 amp). I have a dedicated listening room with an ATC C6 sub and a 18in IB manifold built into the ceiling. This produces the best imaging, lowest, cleanest bass I have heard via hifi, the music sounds real. A saxophonist friend played my alto along with an Art Pepper track - the tonal quality was indistinguishable, only the dynamic quality on loud passages was less.
Over the last few years I went out of my way to listen to some high end speakers at dealers and shows. The pinnacle being Magico M6 driven by constellation monos, tech das TT, ARC phono etc. I felt I was missing little or nothing in terms of detail or dynamics and I had better bass and imaging at home.
Obviously we all have bias and preferences, an audiophile friend does not like the sound of my system. He has travelled far and wide listening to exotic and incredibly expensive systems so has a much wider listening experience. There again, I have listened to a system he does like and heard nothing that made me want to change my own.
Actives are definitely a more cost effective route - it was a way for me to spend more on the front end. I guess if you have unlimited funds you could experiment with endless amp and speaker combinations to obtain the ultimate result.
Like all things in hifi you have to hear it with your own ears to decide.