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Passive vs Active...Again!

My wife and I have made the rounds and have listened to numerous speakers now, not as many as we'd like, but as many as we could within a 3-hour drive. We liked some both active and passive, but it seems most of the active speakers we saw are not that pleasing to the eye (eg: Genelecs).

Not having a dedicated listening room, our room itself is a big problem. We have lots of hard surfaces to deal with.

If we go with passive speakers and the associated gear to go with it, we will need to spend a whole bunch of money on acoustic treatments.

We have a ton of artwork as well and with already limited wall space, we would rather look at the art than a bunch of sound-absorbing panels.

So here's my question: Will active speakers, that may come in cheaper, with room correction software (DSP) be able to tame the sound to a pleasing level in my lively room, or do I go with passives and break out the Rockwool!

Just a side note, I had some Martin Logan Spires in a very similar style room, that was much larger with little acoustic treatments and they sounded pretty good. But in this house I don't have the room to pull the speakers 3 feet of the back wall.

I know there is no perfect answer here, but appreciate any feedback, thanks.

 

high-amp

Showing 3 responses by mike_in_nc

mike_in_nc
1,126 posts
 

>> don't you need some kind of engineering degree to run DSP? It sounds very complicated. <<

I thought you were considering active speakers because they had DSP. It's no more complicated when it's in the preamp than in the speaker. Many audiophiles use it every day.

mike_in_nc
1,126 posts
 

I've tried many DSP preamps. The DEQX was one of the best sounding but most complex to set up. I sent it back. Others are much simpler to operate.

Still, a good result with DSP is never free. It takes energy and time get great results. The same is true of a lot of audio, whether it's speaker positioning, integrating subs optimally, or even choosing the right components for your taste.

I would not recommend DSP to anyone who can't put in the reading, and the trial and error. They would not be happy with it. The simplest thing is just to use some headphones -- you don't have to consider the room at all, and you don't have to learn anything new.

mike_in_nc
1,126 posts
 

I’ve been using DSP with passive speakers for nearly 2 decades now. There is no reason you can’t, too. Look into DSP preamps by Anthem, miniDSP, Classé, Lyngdorf, DSPeaker, Trinnov, NAD, and others.

DSP can do a lot by itself, and the better the acoustics are to start, the better the result will be. Maybe you can mix in a few panels with your artwork. (I prefer looking at art myself, but I don’t like my ears bleeding, either.)

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