Thoughts on Active/Passive Speakers? Looking for pros and cons.

I'll second poster @fiesta75's first reply above. Active at its core is simply defined by having the cross-over placed prior to amplification and acting on signal level, instead of it receiving the output power from the amp on the receiving end between that and the drivers. This holds many advantages, like giving the amp(s) far better working conditions and effectively lessening their importance. This is what "matching" amps with all-in-one actives mostly comes down to, I find, as a means of economizing or down/up scaling each amp section to its respective driver segment (not to say there can't be a degree of SQ-matching with parameters involving damping factor, topology etc., but this opportunity goes for active-as-separates as well), rather than some fancy "they're a match made in heaven you won't find elsewhere." Marketing tactics, right? Or at least a modified truth that calls for the need of the reader to decipher "matching" and its possible meanings. 

Nothing dictates for active configuration to be a bundled solution, but as such would likely just be called an active speaker because it's a product ready for implementation with a source/preamp. That is, an active speaker simply points to being an actively configured plug-and-play product with the XO in some form prior to amplification as this principle dictates, whereas 'active configuration' just points to its basic principle as mentioned, which can be either a bundled or separate component solution. I use the latter solution.

@djones51 --

I prefer the former but I’m not a DIY guy and I don’t want to fry a speaker using the wrong parameters. I know some have used different amps and tweaked the settings for JBL M2’s but setting up actives with DSP crossovers is more than simply picking what amp you like and randomly plugging numbers in the control engine.

Indeed, there’s more to it than that - hardly a surprise. Cross-over/DSP settings and overall implementation is the real challenge, which you’d aid with a combination of thorough listening evaluations and measurements, fiddling with speaker placement, acoustic treatment and knowing full well the specs of the drivers/horns. This is a process that can last quite a long time, months even, and isn’t for the faint of heart. It is however a rewarding process of implementation; one you learn from and that can lead to great sonic results. Amp selection is really the easy part.

@mijostyn --

You are using passive loudspeakers.

Who are you addressing here? Be specific.

As long as the amps and crossovers are outboard the speakers are passive.

No. Whether the amps are placed in Japan, the active cross-over in Finland and your speakers rests on the floor in front of you in the US, if the filtration is done prior to amplification (and no passive XO’s are used in the speakers) your speakers are actively configured, period. Calling them active speakers, as per my earlier post, would in all practicality simply mean it’s simply a bundled solution. Active per definition is filtration done prior to amplification on signal level, be it a bundled or separate component solution.

If you think you can do better using an active crossover than the designer’s passive crossover you might be sadly mistaken.

My advocacy here is not really stripping passive, pre-fitted cross-overs from speakers and instead configure them actively - although you could, with an entrepreneurial spirit, and I’ve heard this being done in more than one instance with the active scenarios being the very clear winners - but it’s to tell people that active configuration isn’t just a pre-assembled all-in-one solution, but can as well be pursued as a DIY-option of separates. It’s what I do, and with care and attention the results can be (and are) great.

I have had no passive crossovers in my system since I got rid of the Divas around 2000.
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My Soundlabs are passive speakers ...

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djones, Using active crossovers is quite simple. You start with the same slopes and crossover points used in the passive crossover and if things sound fine you leave them there. The only danger you have to be aware of is trying to run a tweeter too low down and damaging it. It is difficult o harm a driver with too much power. It will distort like crazy before it blows.
It is underpowered amps clipping that blows drivers. You burn up the voice coils. In my case you burn up the brilliance controls:-)

Indeed, using an active cross-over (I use a digital XO from Xilica) is really quite simply once get the hang of it. No soldering on and off passive components and fiddling with values of caps, coils and resistors, but simply sitting in the listening position and doing adjustments on the fly. I was surprised how easily I got a quite manageable result within not too many minutes setting gain, cross-over, slopes and their types, and initial delay and Q-values (on some HF-notches). The real trickery on honing in more precisely on everything involved and learning often how less (than expected) is needed with regard to the changes in filter values to make a difference.