Is that from listening experience? Fact or your own subjective view?
It common knowledge that balanced cables are better than normal cables, they can be used over much longer lenghts and so used in professional gear and just about all top end gear
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Not wanting to doubt you, but I think “common knowledge” is a bit dismissive of my question and a broad generalisation, can you direct to a factual reference supporting that the type of active system you suggest is better than the conventional multi amp active system? Nothing is proven until its…well proven, will be very interested.
Of course, I’ve just realised that I’m speaking from an analogue perspective. In a digital system with Amplifier and DAC built into the speaker, I can see how that might be beneficial.
I wouldn’t want the dac built in, as for which active speakers i am talking about then these are the ATC range, have to say every time i have heard them, they have sounded great.
Loads of reviews to read up on if you want, would have probably gone down this route myself, but invested in 500dr and new fact 12 speakers, before i really had a chance to listen to them in a nice system
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That’s all purely subjective. I think the answer to my question re factual supporting references is there aren’t any.
I’m sure you dont need the likes of the humble me to point out that there are so many other factors in play in an audio system, that one cant objectively say that one approach to active is better than the other.
…this varies though…
My streamer to preamp is definitely better balanced,
My preamp to power amps is better single ended.
The differences are unmistakable and the hierarchy is obvious.
Yes and yes.
I presume you mean your pre and power amps have balanced out and in respectively, and you’ve compared?
Where balanced comes into its own is likely to be long cable runs, so on a short run it might depend more on whether the amps were designed around balanced in/out respectively, with single ended by conversion, or vice versa.
You are correct in making your assumption.
Also an attribute of higher sensitivity speakers. Makes sense as I suppose your watts are more effective.
In my opinion, yes.
I went to a Kudos Active Demonstration Day at Cymbiosis a while back. The were demoing the Kudos Titan 505 stand mounts and the 808 floor standers. During this, the improvement of going active was very noticeable, more detail and a greater control of the bass.
At the time, I was waiting for my 606s to be made. After they were installed by Cymbiosis, I ran them passive for a while, but eventually moved to active. I had a Naim Snaxo 242 built and tuned for the 606s, my amps are 2x Naim 250DR and two runs of NAC A5.
I must admit that the improvement was, again, noticeable and to my liking: not only more detail and controlled bass, but also placement of the instruments being played.
If you can, when lockdown is over, do go to an active demonstration, you will notice the difference. You’ve nothing to lose. Then it’s up to you to go on that journey or not.
In the meantime, enjoy your music and stay safe.
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If active was so much better, why so few brands use it. The best reputated audio brands in the world market don’t have active systems, at least the majority, be it Soulution, Dagostino, MBL, Burmester, Lamm, Kondo, Audionote…
Active speakers as ATC can’t be compared to the best speakers in the world , it’s a midrange level vs some systems costing more than 500k.
So yes, maybe in the limited Naim ecosystem, active is better. But nothing more.
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Its twice now, that i agree with you, lol.
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Why didn’t Betamax win the video war? Just because something is better or not is probably one of the less decisive factors in whether it is more or less popular, either with manufacturers or consumers. At least we still have choices, for now.
Dedicated active speakers (i.e ATC) have built in amps that are specifically matched to the actual drive units and they are experts in the field (used in recording studios).
Their sound may or may not be to your taste, but you can’t beat the midrange unit - simply world class.
Passive speakers converted to active by using several external amps and lots of cables, is a different ball game and may not be the best application of ‘active’
I’ve no idea … but can say that my previously highly expensive active full Linn Keltik system was easily out performed by the far less ATC 50ASL’s that replaced it. The sale of the Linn speakers and numerous ‘boxes’ paid for the ATC’s outright, with enough left to buy an ATC preamp!!!
Pair of speakers, lots of speaker cables and 4 external amps … all replaced by a simple pair of active ATC’s, which just need simple microphone cable to connect to the balanced outputs of the preamp.
Less complicated and less equipment, means better sound.
Perhaps Naim/Focal could produce an active speaker with the amps built in, rather than use the usual approach of using lots of expensive wires and boxes to go active 
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Whilst I have no idea whether any of those speakers you cite are available active, likewise the dozens of other manufacturers you haven’t mentioned, the likely answer to your question has already been answered: the need for as many amps as there are frequency bands, together with the added complexity, which will rule out a significant proportion of potential buyers - and if the speaker manufacturer is not an amp manufacturer so giving full control to the package, they may additional concerns for the manufacturer.
Aside from that, be wary of equating cost (such as your reference to 500k speakers) with sound quality. There will be a huge range of different characters among high end speakers, and even orders of magnitude in cost might not equate to better for any given user and room. You dismiss ATC as “midrange level”. have you compared their top speakers, say SCM150ASLT upwards (200 and 300) with what you consider to be exalted competition? And if you consider PMC in the same PMC’s MB2XBD passive or triamped, or MB2XBD-A active or BB5XBD-A active?
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I was not talking of bi amping or tri amping, which is of course very often used in high end.
Active as in Naim or Linn active system, which is different.
If you read some magazines like Stereophile or Absolute sound, ATC is not cited among super high end systems. Sorry. An inbuilt amp , even if very good, can’t compete with amps like Naim Statements, Boulder, Dagostino…it’s not in the same league.
I was referring of the most advanced systems available today, there are maybe 10 brands in that range, and they don’t use active systems neither active speakers.
Bi amping or tri amping is another subject.
They are some brands that do true active, but it’s really a minority.
To clarify, FR, are you talking about passive multi-amping? I.e. 2 or 3 amps feeding bi-or tri- wire terminals on speakers with the passive crossover still installed (i.e. in the Naim world not using a NAXO/SNAXO)? If so I have already indicated I see little point, any improvement likely to be very marginal, without the benefits that active driving brings.
Or are you talking about active multi-amping but with third party active crossover and amps? If you are, then of course the result depends on the amps used, and indeed the crossover and how well it is set up, though I have taken it as read that anyone setting up an active crossover will do it properly, to match the speaker requirements, in which case it is just down to choice of amp, and whether you compare active driving with multiple lesser amps with a single better one passively, or whether the same quality of amp is used.
I was talking about active crossovers. Not very widespread in the top systems today, from what I think to know.
But if I am wrong, please cite me all the brands that do that IB.
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Which models of ATC? They have a wide range - have you read reviews of, say, the ATC SCM150 ASL or ASLT? That is the lowest model that would tempt me: haven’t heard it, though I have read reviews of it. ATC don’t dress their speakers up in fancy clothing, though these days they do offer a choice of veneers, nor offer
fashionable or outlandish styles, instead they design for sound, which is the reason for the company’s original creation and their existence, rather akin to Naim…
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