Yes of course Kal, thanks for noting that, sorry for the mistake. I'll go back and fix that. (now to find my error....I'm horrible at typing)
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active loudspeakers
- Thread starter jackelsson
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Yes of course Kal, thanks for noting that, sorry for the mistake. I'll go back and fix that. (now to find my error....I'm horrible at typing)
I have had an easy time getting great sound from my main system and while active dsp systems seem out of favor I was getting frustrated and feeling like a dog chasing my tail when trying to get passive speakers to sound anything like the sound that drew me to them in the first place.
Okay, I was trying to distinguish "powered" (amp inside speaker before a traditional passive crossover) and "active" (amps after an electronic crossover). Many use the phrase "powered" as though its a form of active -when it is really a form of a passive speaker. The way I wrote it made it more confusing rather than less! Thanks for the heads up Kal!
Brad
Found these pictures while browsing the net for infos on the ATC SCM 150. Alledgedly this is from a technical comparison that Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Public Broadcasting) did of the usual suspects of studio monitors (here in Europe anyway) prior to an acquisition:
B&W 802D + Classé amps, ME Geithain RL 901K, ATC SCM 150 ASL Pro, Genelec 8260A, Neumann KH 420 - so mostly active powered speakers here in this pro context.
I'm a bit surprised that they chose the (in this context) somewhat smallish Genelec 8260A for this comparison and not the bigger sibling 1238A. Would be interesting to know the reason for this, whether it was pricing or technical reasons.
For Neumann the obvious choice would have been the K+H O500 - only that they don't produce them anymore, which is a real shame. I once had the chance to hear the O500 at the Neumann development site near Hannover, and it was a really breathtaking speaker.
This was then the outcome of the comparison, here to be seen in BR's Studio 2:
pictures: https://www.bleisaetze.de
B&W 802D + Classé amps, ME Geithain RL 901K, ATC SCM 150 ASL Pro, Genelec 8260A, Neumann KH 420 - so mostly active powered speakers here in this pro context.
I'm a bit surprised that they chose the (in this context) somewhat smallish Genelec 8260A for this comparison and not the bigger sibling 1238A. Would be interesting to know the reason for this, whether it was pricing or technical reasons.
For Neumann the obvious choice would have been the K+H O500 - only that they don't produce them anymore, which is a real shame. I once had the chance to hear the O500 at the Neumann development site near Hannover, and it was a really breathtaking speaker.
This was then the outcome of the comparison, here to be seen in BR's Studio 2:
pictures: https://www.bleisaetze.de
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Makes sense, presumably the difference is only aesthetic rather than performance related.
Stands do present both a performance (they all sound different) and esthetic challenge (Ive not seen many designed for higher mass speakers that are pretty). Fortunately for ATC, they make 50 active or passive, as well as 100s and 150s in both tower and monitor form. Identical speaker.
Brad
After reading this thread and a couple of other articles on active/semi-active speakers, it sounds like the Avantgarde Zero 1 TA might be a good choice for an SET setup. I have 5 SET amps, different tubes, different power levels that I currently use with a DHT preamp and Line Magnetic speakers. The sound is nice in a small/medium sized room on Jazz, Blues, solo vocal, etc. I'm not much of a classical guy and I listen to rock on my bigger solid state system. The LM speakers obviously don't go all that low and I'm thinking I might get a more coherent sound with the Zero TA than I would adding a crossover and subs to the Line Magnetics.
If I could get a used pair at a good price I might give it a go. They seem to sell for about $8K used based upon Hifishark and there's one a site I'm not familiar with in Canada for about that price. I'm pondering on this or a VOTT A7 build and obviously the footprint on the Avantgardes are much more wife friendly. Any thoughts?
If I could get a used pair at a good price I might give it a go. They seem to sell for about $8K used based upon Hifishark and there's one a site I'm not familiar with in Canada for about that price. I'm pondering on this or a VOTT A7 build and obviously the footprint on the Avantgardes are much more wife friendly. Any thoughts?
AFAIK the Zero 1s are fully active. I listened to them recently and they sounded very good and looked strange -- in a good / cool
way!I would say the Vott are wife hostile!
Aesthetically speaking, between the two the Zero are a no brianer
AFAIK the Zero 1s are fully active. I listened to them recently and they sounded very good and looked strange -- in a good / cool
I would say the Vott are wife hostile!
Aesthetically speaking, between the two the Zero are a no brianer
The newer Avantagardes are semi-active.
Avantgarde Acoustics Zero - Teil Aktiv loudspeaker
We collectively missed the boat when it comes to the clever Avantgarde Acoustics Zero XD, a fully active, complete system built into two loudspeakers. We
hifiplus.com
The woofer is powered internally but the mid and upper horns are not. What's strange to me is that there's DSP to adjust woofer room response but it appears from what I have read it's manually adjusted. JMO, but I ould think that almost defeats the point of the active woofer.
The VOTT as designed is certainly wife hostile. I love that term. I would have a cabinet maker I know strip it down and veneer and finish it. That would look much better but it still wouldn't be wife friendly even though you can make them look beautiful. Plus it adds ~ $3k to the cost.
Audiomart seller has a pait of VOTT 7s he has restored. I'm sure the guy has a lot of time into it but the price is off-the-charts. He started at $30k, and has been trying to sell it for almost a year.
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The all-new Dynaudio Focus 50 Active Wireless speakers are the very best we have ever heard yet ! You all need to go listen to these amazing speakers, one of the very best at any price !
Where did you get those stands, were they custom made? they really compliment the 901K and make them look like a design statement. Very nice.
After owning some active, DSP active, and passive speakers my experience is, other than simplicity I never heard audible advantages to active speakers when compared to speakers with amps of sufficient power to drive them. I might suggest amplifier designers might be less skilled at designing speakers or thinking a speaker company might be better at designing amps. After having problems getting a couple expensive(for me) speakers to sound close to what I enjoyed about them in the demo I did appreciate the consistency from active dsp, but even then there's room tuning for the best sound.
I've been using Gary Ko-designed Genesis Maestro speakers for six years. They are active. Gary uses a 500 watt servo amp he designed for the speakers. They certainly sound good. Bass is solid down to 20 Hz or even below, as Gary claims. The only caveat are the thunderstorms that pass overhead here in Bangkok. Electrical storms can cause damage to the electrical system of the speakers so I have to turn them off during heavy thunderstorms. For that reason, I have contemplated changing to a passive speaker. I just acquired Pass X600.8 amps so I should have lots of power to drive a passive speaker. But sound-wise, the active speaker is good.
A prototype 3-way active speaker was introduced last week at the Budapest Audio Expo. Internally, it is fully balanced, using a discreet input to feed the ADC and DSP; it has 3 bridged amps (3x2000W) and a 3 times dual AKM DACs, a dual DAC for each amplification channel per box, of course.
A 6.5-inch Air Motion, four pcs of 5-inch, and one pc of 18-inch speakers are in the box. There is a 3D-printed short horn in front of the Air Motion speaker.
The speakers' average sensitivity is roughly 100 dB/W/m. The frequency range is 19 - 22 kHz, +/—3 dB. Phase error is around +/—15 degrees from 100 Hz and up. Dispersion is 30 by 90 degrees, above 500 Hz.
If it becomes a product, it will have two versions: one for home audio in two boxes and one as a studio mastering monitor in one box. The home version should also be available as a hybrid, where only the sub is active. The sensitivity of the mid/tweeter box will be around 99 dB/W/m, and it will be an easy load for tube lovers.
This model does not have a name or type yet. The local social media groups mostly call it "Snow Owl."
It was developed by Hi-Mod Audio, a Hungarian pro audio company that has been performing developing, research, and maintenance duties for well-known pro audio companies for decades.
A 6.5-inch Air Motion, four pcs of 5-inch, and one pc of 18-inch speakers are in the box. There is a 3D-printed short horn in front of the Air Motion speaker.
The speakers' average sensitivity is roughly 100 dB/W/m. The frequency range is 19 - 22 kHz, +/—3 dB. Phase error is around +/—15 degrees from 100 Hz and up. Dispersion is 30 by 90 degrees, above 500 Hz.
If it becomes a product, it will have two versions: one for home audio in two boxes and one as a studio mastering monitor in one box. The home version should also be available as a hybrid, where only the sub is active. The sensitivity of the mid/tweeter box will be around 99 dB/W/m, and it will be an easy load for tube lovers.
This model does not have a name or type yet. The local social media groups mostly call it "Snow Owl."
It was developed by Hi-Mod Audio, a Hungarian pro audio company that has been performing developing, research, and maintenance duties for well-known pro audio companies for decades.
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