Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

Yet another point of confusion is that the range of sound quality provided by active speakers, at this time, is significantly wider, and the choices offered are significanlty more diverse, than that of still surviving passive speakers.

Lower end passive speakers are all but pushed away by active Bluetooth boomboxes. You can still find small passives at garage sales etc., yet it doesn't appear anyone in industry is investing serious money in further developing or marketing them.

High end passives are still going strong, especially in the used market. Moreover, pinnacles of large highest-quality passives took on qualities of antique art - their resale values just keep growing year to year.

The actives range from what used to be small cheap passives, with small cheap amps crammed into their boxes without much forethought, to ingenuously designed and carefully assembled dedicated high-end models.

Cheap actives tend to use insufficiently sized power supplies, dubious thermal management, and cheap highly-distorting transducers. Correspondingly, they don't sound all that good, and don't last for long either.

High-end actives may use literally same or very similar transducers that the best passives have. Their power supplies, thermal management, and amplification stages are all done right. Those sound great, and can last for a long long time.

And then we have this area in the middle of actives market, which is the most confusing.

There could be seemingly well-made and relatively expensive three way active systems sounding like crap. And there could be inexpensive two-ways that are just ridiculously accurate.

There could be inexpensive active speakers that virtually never fail, while being toured for decades. And shiny new expensive ones, even from reputable brands, which reliably fail within few months.

By the way, "sounding like crap" could be either an opportunistic market grab by a fly-by-night company making a quick buck reselling cheap Chinese gear with 100% markup, or by design.

"By design" is meant to be distorting just below the threshold of being noticeable. Then even a smallest additional distortion of unpleasant nature - typically caused by a recording or mixing mistake - will jump out at the sound engineer. Which is what's desired in this tool.

So, a buyer of an active speaker ought to be aware of just as many nuances, in the speakers alone, as an audiophile needs to know about the ADC, DAC, DSP, amplifiers, and passive speakers.

I mentioned ADC, DAC, and DSP because some of the active speakers use them internally. A limited number of them use high-quality components, careful design, and well-written software. Most others are ... well, if you can't say anything good, don't say anything :)

@kota1 You have such a good attitude toward sound, the limitations are personal prejudice and being willing to change. I disagree with the people who say just enjoy the music. Audiophiles do have a place in the sound world they are the people who are obsessed with the pursuit of perfection in sound. Mixers don't mix for common fans, I use the Francine model (my wife) someone who cares more than the normal person about sound but not for myself or the person who really wants perfection, that is to expensive for any producer. If there were no audiophiles or people trying to reach the unattainable sound would deflate to mp3 and the lowest common denominator.

 

@fair

Cheap actives tend to use insufficiently sized power supplies, dubious thermal management, and cheap highly-distorting transducers. Correspondingly, they don’t sound all that good, and don’t last for long either.

Ahhh, there is a big difference between "cheap" and inexpensive. DTS-Playfi has an ecosystem of manufacturers making "inexpensive" active speakers. The speakers are not high end, but not crappy/cheap. I have a pair of Def-Techs W9’s in the dining room and a pair of Paradigm Shift A2’s in the office connected to a Play Fi preamp, the PW Link. They sound great and I have an outrageous, inexpensive bargain for you that is NOT cheap garbage and around $600 for an entire system, speakers, amps, dac, ARC room correction, and a streamer. It is all built into the speakers, no boxes, no problem. Basically plug and play:

But the PW system excelled when I used the two PW 600s as a stereo pair. This can be easily set up in DTS Play-Fi, but you have to remove them from surround-sound mode. Configured as a stereo pair, the PW 600s sounded outstanding, easily rivaling separate speakers and electronics costing many times their $1198/pair price.

@kota1 respectfully I will add a few things to your post… I’m a musician long before being a decorated engineer. I’m looking at a 1930 Mason Hamlin double B that’s one of the best pianos in the world, and a room full of instruments that are mine as well from the past. I’ve helped companies like Bricasti and Mytek, to create some of the best DA conversion in the world. I have 1 foot in and 1 foot out of every category here. The thing about a lot of these posts is either it’s an argument for a certain conceptual approach, or a defensiveness about our own purchases, or a look for confirmation of what we’re doing from insecurity … And all of that is the wrong way to go. The right way to go is to understand that there is no perfect, there is no right or wrong, it’s a subjective journey that involves both our taste and a variety of scientific choices that all stem from the notion of positive compromise, meaning that we get the most and lose the least. The notion of right and wrong is completely opposite and narcissistic, as if there is any external standard. So the real challenge of putting together a system is that it has to come from decisions that only you can make for yourself… This is the world of artistry. This is where the two worlds dovetail. Music making uses science, but it’s ultimately a personal decision and putting together a system uses science yet it’s ultimately a personal decision. I science serves the process, it doesn’t dictate the process And anything outside of that is a trap. Music makers and music listeners all have the same goals: connection, community, elevation. Joy. It would be a simpler world if it was possible to come to such things by following directions from outside of ourselves, but that’s not the truth. Enjoy the ride :)

@donavabdear , before I had room treatments I was stuck. Most of what I could find about acoustic treatments was re: stereo, not Atmos. I had an inspiration to reach out to a studio where they mixed immersive content. I figured these guys are doing the content and if I can setup my room like they do I’ll have a better chance at getting a more accurate reproduction of what they heard in the studio. Can you imagine my surprise when Marti Humphrey from thedubstage replied to my e-mail! I wasn’t a client, a customer, just some guy from Timbuktu and he couldn’t have been nicer. He asked for pics, I sent them and my setup works for Auro 3D and Atmos and I told Marti I like Auro 3D. He copies Wilfried Van Baelen from Galaxy Studios, founder of Auro 3D who checked the pics on my room and they both provided excellent encouragement and feedback. I reached out to Anthony Grimani who also gave me excellent suggestions. So, although I am not a mixer that community you work with is five star, all the way from my experience. When I completed the room treatments as they suggested it sounded nothing like I could have imagined. Now the room correction software I use can do a much better job as room correction is limited in what it can do. Lucky for me I was not only looking to change but got a good roadmap. Thanks.