What are your opinions of DSP's for speakers

DSP is a tool. it’s neither good nor bad. and can make perfect sense when it is the best approach to solve the problem. but DSP is not free. it costs musical essence. and there is the 2 channel case, and the multi-channel home theater case. they are separate subjects. 

for 2 channel i think at the lower price levels of speakers in rooms with issues it is a good choice to consider if one wants full range performance. but again DSP is a tool for situations when it allows for better ultimate performance. can DSP help more than it dumbs down the music? it can be much more realistic to solve room issues with DSP than to change around a living room or other imperfect room. how restricted are you in system set-up and optimization?

OTOH once you get into dedicated rooms and higher end systems then the signal path purity becomes the priority and making the room correct. the idea is to eliminate the need for DSP as a tool. DSP can also be a dead end to system development. it drags down musical essence as you try to find better sound.

i do not know anyone who uses DSP in a 2 channel system. and have not heard a DSP system for 2 channel that i like. my Home Theater uses the Trinnov processor and has 9.3.6 Dolby Atmos speaker system and does movie soundtracks great. that is a proper use of DSP.

there are some interesting uses of DSP such as the BAACH process, and maybe some others too. lots of extreme opinions. but for my money i want a pure analog signal path and have no interest in DSP for my 2 channel system.

@phusis 

agree that DSP is more than room correction, and can be the right choice for an all digital DIY horn system, assuming you have the skills to execute it, where you have active crossovers. especially where you are using modestly priced digital sources. you have nothing to lose. you have not invested in expensive uber digital with an expensive analog output with signal path purity you are trying to protect. so your performance priority is a digital output to your crossover. it can be one path to great sound on a modest budget.

i’m no expert on the result of such an effort, so it would be unreasonable of me to question your end result. i’m sure it has some amazing attributes.

i have heard the Avant-garde Trio G3 with the I-tron current amplification and it does some amazing things. it does have an analog crossover. but the approach has much in common as far as the directness of the sound.

could i live with it every day? not sure.

Compared to what, a passive crossover? 

i have visited audio shows for 3 decades and heard many all digital active systems and none have ever really got my interest enough to leave a strong impression. but there were many winners and solid sounding set-ups. but honestly not sure i gave them the time of day as i’m a confirmed analog guy and signal path purity is first and foremost to me, and i have spent a couple decades building and tuning a room to support the analog signal path approach. 

so to be fair i don’t know what i don’t know about high level DSP efforts. maybe someday i’ll get bowled over. 

but when i look at my investment in great sources with amazing analog outputs i am skeptical DSP is ever going to do it for me.

as a side note, i have an unused Xilica crossover new in a box sitting up stairs in my barn attic i was going to use with my -3- Funk Audio 18.0 subs with my Trinnov processor for my separate Home Theater system. but turned out that my subs each had a great on board AllDSP crossover so never needed it. i do view the Trinnov as an ultimate product both for room correction and as a crossover so obviously i'm a DSP fanboy big time. horses for courses.