Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

I totally agree about the virtues of active speakers.  My triamplified, fully horn loaded, DEQX DSP crossed over and corrected, DIY speakers are a good example of active speakers that allow the user to select enclosures (horns), drivers, amplifiers and DSP.  I first cobbled together the speakers in 2004. Since then I changed woofers, bass horns, midrange drivers, went through a total of eight different amplifiers and two different DEQX DSPs and programming and reprogramming the DSP (no simple task) over and over  before I got the system to sound and measure as I wanted it to.  It took me a total of thirteen years to arrive at the sound I enjoy today.

I could have bought commercial active speakers without all the trial and error work, but what fun would that be?  That would be like hiring someone to hug and kiss my sweetheart for me.

@kingharold , that is a great way to get what you want, if you want it done right, DIY. Fortunately you have the chops to make it happen. Interesting how you had the freedom to go in any direction and you chose active! Nice job.

sounds_real_audio

11-21-2022 at 01:07pm 

So how do you protect the amplifier inside the speaker from the rear waves off the drivers. That rear wave is equal too the wave coming from the front of the speaker? 

Velodyne had long since incased a large portion of the plate components in silicone caulking. Of the five models I've owned since the ULD-18 the only failure I've experienced was with one of my DD Plus' remote control from a battery leak. My two DD-12 Plus have been auto on for the past eleven years.  

 There is no practical way to repair a D-class amp.

No but plenty of plate amps with DSP built in to replace it with.

I’m not sure if in this thread I already said it but here:

My main speakers use passive crossover which allows me to use a Luxman amplifier which I love. My next project is a 3-way self-powered center channel. That will allow me to avoid a lot of part soldering, and optimize the components in the time domain, and the final system in the frequency domain while sitting on my entertainment center.

I don’t understand the zealotry of either approach.

The active speaker will be a lot quicker to assemble, and give me time alignment features I need due to the driver arrangment, as well as higher order crossover angles, All of this helps with creating wide-dispersion. My main speakers, by using a single channel per speaker, let me select exactly the sound of an amplifier I want, and keep things simple.

For home, there's no clear cut winner.  In a professional, high power situation there's no contest, line level crossovers and DSP wins every time.