Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

@lonemountain,

@phusis , and probably most people's concept of amplifier/driver is a simple linear voltage based amplifier perhaps with some frequency response modification. Without writing a book, that is a traditional view that is not the future of active speakers. Even active subwoofer drivers with velocity/position feedback already break that mold.

There is no set "ratio" between the LF and HF peak in any given set of music, though practically, the peaks are significantly more at the lowest frequencies. However, you can soft clip bass while preserving mids and highs unclipped and achieve a speaker that is considered more flexible, i.e. able to play louder while being perceived as still sounding good. However, that is a "club" driven too loud situation, not a professional setup where you ensure the system is not clipping with the music you are using.

Isn't the bulk of amp/driver "match" really about coordinating [the same] dynamic range of each section of a complete system?    I mean an active system cannot be considered high end if it clips its HF amp on the tweeter before the LF amp clips on its LF driver.  This is the most basic of requirements, yes?  The same rules apply to a full multi way active PA system, yes?

If we assume that the HF component is riding on top of the LF swells then the HF always clips before the LF in a passive system.

Most tweeter in a box behind a crossover are more sensitive than the woofers and need to be padded down ~10dB, which further points to the HF needing very little power.

It would take some skill to design an active system which clips the HF before the LF. Maybe using a 1W SET on some inefficient tweeters, and a kilowatt amp on the woofers could get one close… But I sort of doubt it. It would take a lot of work.

@thespeakerdude

You need to back up the stuff you claim with something:

How would you listen for transparency? What does it sound like? Have you heard it before?

I can tell you EXACTLY how to listen for transparency, with your ears.

You have an invisible system, a mythical job, making fictional speakers. If I’m wrong post your creds. Otherwise start a new thread and title it, "Once upon a time.." so we all know its a fairytale going in OK?

I encourage my fellow members to stop feeding the troll unless he posts his creds.

@kota1 If I may answer for @thespeakerdude transparency is when you have a band setting up in the studio and before you start recording from the control room you walk into the studio and listen to each musician play their instrument to see how it sounds with your ears, and listen the guitar, bass, and drums. When you get back to the control room and put up some faders you have what the real sound is and if that sound is coming through the speakers in the control room. That is transparency and you usually never want it to sound like it did in the studio because you can make it sound so much better. A better description of transparency is recording Tom Cruse or Anthony Hopkins on a movie set, you better get their voices just like you were standing there in the movie or else they will have to loop the scene loose performance and sound quality. 

A lot of system/equipment distortions are amazingly easy to hear with a signal generator with variable frequency and level. We use these to check for driver distortion during the recone process. That would be a good place to start and being simple, easy for everyone to hear. It isn’t unusual to use one in a studio to check for speaker rub and buzz but also room/equipment/ furniture mechanical vibrations and resonances.