2. speakers
  3. 1375674990

Do Active Speakers Belong In A High End System?

.
In a pair of active speakers, you have removed the high end amplifier from from the equation. The amps on an active speaker will probably be class D plate amps.

All of the flowery adjectives to describe high end amps and high end speaker cables in a system go right out the window when using active speakers.

Is a serious active full-range tower speaker a high-end audiophile possibility? I rarely read about active speakers on this forum in a two channel system.
.
128x128mitch4t
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,306 posts
 
Active ATCs are among the best sounding stereos I have ever heard

so YES
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Can be done well at modest cost as well. My NHT M00s are killer near field monitors w built in amp that I use at my computer. but I wouldn't consider an active speaker for my big rig 'cause I've never heard a SS amp that I prefer over the hollow state amps I use.
c1ferrari
464 posts
 

Properly set-up ATC actives are quite good.
Different ATC 'amp packs', including class A, are available.
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t OP
1,611 posts
 
.
I wanna see actives in a big rig.
.
wolf_garcia
6,734 posts
 
My only beef with active speakers is the fact that if something goes down, it's dead until fixed...as opposed to swapping in another speaker or amp. Otherwise it makes a LOT of sense in design opportunities, etc. If you want to see actives in a "big rig", go to any current large live show...all those "phased arrays" are likely to be super high powered Class D active speakers. For home use I think passive stuff is more fun as you can easily swap things.
More to discover