Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused


17 of 23 speakers in my studio and home theater systems are internally powered. My studio system is all Genelec and sounds very accurate. I know the best new concert and studio speakers are internally powered there are great technical reasons to design a speaker and an amp synergistically, this concept is much more important to sound quality than the vibration systems we often buy. How can an audiophile justify a vibration system of any sort with this in mind.

128x128donavabdear

@kota1 ,  I am not sure what that link to the other thread here on audio science review is supposed to prove? A quick skim from the end and working back and I could not find any good examples of where anyone provided a solid founded argument to support what you claim. Looking from the outside in, I saw a lot of emotion driven writing, but little in the way of fact driven, logical arguments with supporting documentation. Some of the people responding should be giving their "adult" cards back.

 

Giving myself a reality check, I am not sure what any of this has to do with powered speakers. I feel like the new AES75 standard was just used as an excuse.

@thespeakerdude 

I refer you to the other threads here to discuss that other website, @donavabdear mentioned audio BS so I chimed in.

As for a "reality check" I am still waiting for you to post your system, your measurements, etc. So, reality check time, mine are posted in the virtual system area, still waiting on yours.

@kota1,

If you posting your system's pictures is supposed to lend any credence to what you say, I am sorry to say that for me, it does not sway me one way or the other. Like musicians often having crappy sound systems, I know some excellent people involved in speaker design who have relatively modest systems. Personal and professional passions don't always align. However, if you know speakers, it would take about 2 minutes of talking to them to know they know their stuff. Hence I place more value in what people say and know.

 

I will give you an example. You post pictures of near flat room corrected responses in your system pages using Audyssey apparently. Critical is your front left and right. I assume, based on some things you wrote that you think this is a really good thing. If you know the limitations of the Audyssey correction system (and Arc) you know this is not a good thing. That flat of a room response given the pre-corrected response means that other aspects of the response that are also critical were compromised. That is why advanced systems like Lynggdorf and Trinnov have both better measurement (out of necessity to work properly), and more flexibility on correction.  Dirac is somewhere in the middle, though I am looking forward to how Dirac Active performs in the wild, not to mention the expected patent battles.

Dolby Atmos and active speakers are the future. The AES should set up a foundation to start from as far as speaker setup and acoustic response to keep mixing consistent. 12 speakers are hundreds of times more complicated than stereo. The AES should leave room for creativity and they should get together with SMPTE to at least pick the channel that the Sub and center Chanels should take. 

L, R, C, Sub, SL, SR, RL, RR, FLT, FRT, RLT, RRT easy.

In a thread on active speakers kota1 shares he is an advocate of active speakers, uses active speakers, and posts his system and pics of active speakers.

@thespeakerdude , who has nothing posted about his system is not impressed.

Like, who could have seen that coming?