FWIW, and at the risk of appearing wishy-washy and probably not satisfying parties at either end of this discussion, I think both those opposing ends are both right.
On the one hand, for some active line stages are liking rolling down hill with one foot on the accelerator and the other foot on the brake. Yet others are grateful that the accelerator is there at all.
IMHO, most with existing systems will probably benefit from an active line stage. But, for those building systems, it would probably behoove them to seek out compatible gear that can do without an additional active stage. I’ve tried both ways in the past, and had a very slight preference for an active stage. But, I have confidence that with the more current available products that my future might very well be without an active stage, and I shop accordingly.
