Intriguing inquiry, are floor-stand speakers always better than active speakers?

@holmz 

I suppose I can, but like each device can perform to its best separately I guess, hahah, PS Audio is real mellow, and Silent Angel Munich M1T is a new Roon Ready streamer, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, turned out it was't bad at ball 😂

There is an economic aspect of active speakers that has a big impact on the market. In general, creating the best system possible at say $25K, $50K, or $200K… typically speakers would be the most expensive investment. You start adding more functions to speakers like amplification, then they get even more expensive. Most audiophiles are not rich enough to just plunk down 50% of there final investment or more in speakers. But they work over time to get there. There is an economic advantage in being able to get the best speakers at any given time and upgrade the amp and other aspects as money becomes available.

So, for the time being this is a real headwind for companies creating active speakers. Less competition, higher cost… smaller niche… I can’t see anything changing this soon.

I suppose I can, but like each device can perform to its best separately I guess, hahah,

If ^that^ was true, then I would have suspected that you would have passive speaker and power amp?

PS Audio is real mellow, and Silent Angel Munich M1T is a new Roon Ready streamer, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, turned out it was't bad at ball 😂

What did you try? Without it all or with it?

If the KEF accepted the streaming, then you would remove the need for a DAC and then the ADC inside the KEF.
Whether it sounds better, the same or worse remains to be seen.

Usually less stuff in the path can be better.

Personally I prefer separates and I don't like to idea of being stuck with a speaker manufacturer's choice of amplifier.

I don't like the idea of being stuck with a manufacturer's choice of passive crossover, with the many feet of lossy wire (air core inductors) and a whole bunch of electronic parts that have "a sound" now stuck forever between my amps and the drivers where the sound begins.  With active, I can get the crossover part done BEFORE the amps at line level without any loss and I can control driver phase to get a phase linear system, and I can get rid of the biggest lossy thing in the entire system, the speaker cable.   Just sayin....

This isn't controversial is it?

Brad

Clearthinker, again you are not thinking clearly. ATC speakers use class A/B amps, not class D.