Do active speakers have high THD amplifiers?

You cannot replace missing harmonic structure with a tone control. 

A shit load of opamps in active xovers in the signal path of the mids and highs to me sounds like it does the opposite

here here celtic66. I’m with you. Fiesta 75 -you get it! (Audiogoners, follow these guys! )

Who honestly thinks a speaker level crossover is an improvement over a line level one?

How is seen as a good thing to add a bunch of big lossy parts that are not flat response into the audio path (large inductors and capacitors)?

How is reducing control of the drivers an improvement (no level calibration) ?

How is lack of phase control over drivers a positive?

This is a bit extreme but trying to make a point-could it be the amplifier business has invested a lot of time and money to convince all of us that an ever more expensive amplifier hooked to an ever more expensive speaker cable is important to speaker performance? While it might be true we hear a difference in different parts, this is exactly the point, these parts all have a sound.  A speaker engineer might say that the entire passive crossover thing will never change because its a racket to sell you very expensive things you don’t need.

Brad

TIM starts w negative feedback. Long ago in a banished galaxy people focused on THD Otalla, Thiel, Vandersteen, a few got time, phase, impulse response…even energy storage and release, perhaps a few…pistonic motion..

Question ; if the cone or a portion of the cone is out of phase to the input ( also known as music ), is that distortion ? 

 I am an investor in a recording studio. Powered speakers are popular at the console, not so much the mixer…editing workstation, even more rare at the mastering level and ATC dominant…at least in the circles i travel….

Our choice ? separate speakers and amps, for mastering biamped w speaker level to connections , about $ 130 range, so yes people do make other choices….I know a gal with a strad…made same choice. OF course those amplifiers are purpose built for the load and not some cheap plate amp. About time and phase, you do understand what a steep slope does beyond output ?

Heavy pop the hood on the Beringer, send me a picture…no Op amps ? ya sure ? My choice for active filters is Modjeski and the brilliant work he did for Beveridge….now those…..sound….good.

finally, i celebrate the diversity of opinion and experience in the thread…. thank God we have an amazing plethora of choice…including which subcult to join…

now, excuse me while i go listen to an ESL that approximates a point source….