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

@invalid 

Okay, I get that nothing is really colorless.  But what path offers lower color? Active or passive? 

 

@lonemountain  when did I say passive was better than active?  I have no problem with a line level crossover, some even prefer PLLXO to active crossovers with the right system for it.

Has anyone auditioned the relatively new Dynaudio active Focus line (10, 30, or 50)? The 10 had a positive review in the new Stereophile and online. The 50 has had some solid reviews as well.

Some notes on my professional mixing system. I'm very happy with "The Ones" from Genelec seems the professionals I've spoken to have really liked them, it's a little strange but monitoring speakers tend to stay in studios for a long time they aren't in and out like in audiophile rooms, "The Ones" are such a big advance studios and trucks would like to us them but simply can't. The biggest difference is the razor sharp imaging it's a little strange how tight a point source speaker can image it makes a lot of music sound like mistakes. It reminds me of how the makeup department hated HD video when we switched from film to video on movie productions film wasn't near as edgy and had a soft edge on the actors making them look better and thus the makeup department looked better, that's a bit how my new Genelec speakers are, I like them and they're not fatiguing but they aren't as satisfying as my home system. The active speakers are shocking every time I listen to them there is so much resolution in the music. I hear the term "highly resolving stereo system" that is sorta code for an expensive system that should show a higher level of wow to the music but these Genelec speakers show resolution higher than the speakers I've heard in the original recording at the original studio with the original musicians. I'm in a bit of a quandary trying to decide how to deal with this exactly like the Director of Photography people were when we went to HD video in the movies. 

@donavabdear 

Takes time and acclimatization. Once you get used to that resolution, there is no going back. It's harsh at first but then you get used to it. I think the same could be said about film/digital. Disconcerting at first, then you get used to it, then you are very aware of what you are missing when you go back. You even miss the warts.  Non amplified live music has none of those pleasant artifacts that are added. Even amplified music, even if the equipment is inferior, is missing the processing that often softens the music.  We love it non the less. Something visceral and ultimately natural about it.