hedwigstheme, depends how you look at it. My speakers are all passive so, in the classical sense no, they are not active. If you define active as having DSP shenanigans then yes, I use a digital processor. The processor is vital to get to the absolute sound. You can get there without but it is very difficult and in my experience more by accident than anything else. Not one system we ever put together at Sound Components got there and there was an excellent room for it. With the processor it is much easier but it still requires the right amp, speakers and room management. The processor has the best bass management, allows you to EQ to the exact sound you like and "control" the room to some extent and finally lets you match the channel's frequency response to within one dB across the frequency spectrum from 100 to 10,000 Hz. You still have to manage room acoustics and set up your system in a symmetrical fashion. Stereo is all about symmetry. You can not have one speaker in a corner and the other in the middle of nowhere. Both speakers have to be exactly the same distance from the front wall and from the corners and both speakers should have clear walls past the first reflection points on both the side and front walls. It is very difficult to treat a first reflection point over a fireplace or window. Getting to the sound you like is relatively easy. Getting to that magic image is very hard. The processor and a calibrated measurement system make it much easier but there are never any guarantees. I did not hear a system do it until 1979 and I did not get there the first time until 1997 or so. Both systems got there by accident. There were however problems with the 1997 system the killer was the fragility of the Apogee Divas and the fact that Apogee went out of business. The 1979 system belonged to a high school teacher who liked to drive Alpha Romeos. I had never heard a system image like that before and never even knew it was possible until I heard that system. I have been chasing that sound ever since, trying to figure out what the essential ingredients are. Still do not know all of it.
Thoughts on Active/Passive Speakers? Looking for pros and cons.
Hi all,
I've normally discounted the notion of active/passive speaker combos, but am warming up to the idea and may give them a listen. Golden Ear gets good reviews, but i'm intrigued by the new Paradigm Founder Series 120H.
Curious if anyone has heard the Founders, or maybe compared the Active Persona 9H against one of the lower end versions.
Thanks in advance.
EW
I've normally discounted the notion of active/passive speaker combos, but am warming up to the idea and may give them a listen. Golden Ear gets good reviews, but i'm intrigued by the new Paradigm Founder Series 120H.
Curious if anyone has heard the Founders, or maybe compared the Active Persona 9H against one of the lower end versions.
Thanks in advance.
EW
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- 54 posts total
- 54 posts total