Who actually uses digital speakers?
Of course, @atmasphere is about to jump in and say "no such thing as... " so before he jumps into the fray, what I mean is, who uses active speakers with digital inputs?
The biggest brand I know of who invested in this in a big way was Meridian which I believe had not just S/PDIF but a custom digital interface as well. With the advent of plate amps with S/PDIF inputs standard I'm wondering how many audiophiles have made the jump to active speakers using the digital inputs?
What are you using and what is your experience like?
You know you can, right - choose whatever amps you like with actively configured speakers? There are great digital cross-overs/DSP’s out there with both IIR or FIR filters, pro options not least like Xilica that doesn’t cost a fortune. And no, it doesn’t have to be FIR filters to sound great, nor is a digital input of vital importance (to avoid A/D to D/A conversion), not do they have to cost gazillion. Then choose your amps for each speaker section, wire it all up with the DAC and you’re good to go. That is: if you’re comfortable "tailoring" your own passive filters (and even if you weren’t), setting up your digital ditto will most likely feel like a breeze by comparison, even if it takes some getting-to-know the platform, navigating in it and being familiarized with all the filter setting options. You can then sit in your listening position with your laptop/tablet and make the filter corrections on the fly. |
I’m way past wanting to have multiple stacks of amps in my home so when I think of an active speaker, I think of an all in one unit that has built in everything. The OP was not about active crossovers by the way, but active, digital speakers. Meaning, the amp is built into the speaker and it has a digital input. Yeah, I know what I could do with digital crossovers, I’m just not about to run a stereo amp, or more, per speaker here. I’m currently planning a fully active 3-way center channel using a plate amplifier. The only thing that stops me from building it is the kitchen remodeling that I have to do first. 😁
Best,
Erik |
Eric, Active speaker systems with all discreet components certainly add a layer of complexity but also have tons of flexibility. We actually use different crossover points to dial in a system along with more conventional amplitude adjustments and time domain adjustments. These types of adjustments were impractical to do with passive and fixed systems. Mike |
Hey Mike / @arion If you meant me, I’m not Eric. Yeah, I have a pretty good idea of the magic you have to do in order to get your speakers dialed in. As a fan of active crossovers, DSP and AMTs and line sources I think you are in a very fun place to be.
Best,
Erik |
