Who actually uses digital speakers?

New Kef LS60 has an eARC connection. They can be used wireless, network cable, digital or analog.  Dutch and Dutch 8c only needs a network cable. Genelec the Ones digital AES3 standard connectivity, use proprietary DSP and can now control an immersive system. The future is wide open though old guys wanting to play with amps, dacs and what not will still be around.

Hey @djones51

That’s the kind of interesting feedback I was looking forward to. :-) In particular I was wondering how the ecosystem would play out. Meridian’s use of (I think) Ethernet cable enabling fully digital, active home theater systems had a tremendous amount of promise, but probably because it was entirely proprietary never really had a chance. The idea of speaker-only stereos is also potentially very appealing to the High end and to the main stream. My neighbors LOVE their in-ceiling speakers. I personally would love to get more of my living room back. :-) So the idea of high end speakers with no home server at all, no roon, no PC, no streamer sounds great.

Honestly I find myself split among too many ways to explore my audiophile hobby, but for me that also means building.

I like to play with coils and caps and have had a lot of fun with them but the next toys I sink myself into will be all active.

What are your thoughts about 'semi-active' speakers that have powered subwoofers within the same enclosure?  I've read a glowing review for SoundSpaceSystems Pirol speaker which includes 500 watt powered subwooofers and describes, at least to me, speaker nirvana. Just curious if there are different thoughts when it comes to semi-active speakers.  Also I understand that Sound Space Systems will be with Vitus Audio's booth at the Munich High End this week.

@leadcrew I think these are really interesting _especially_ if you can do DSP on the bass sections alone. The best of all worlds, IMHO.  The approach Vandersteen takes, to use a high pass filter before the main amps and compensate in the sub is outstanding.

A buddy of mine has Focal Utopia component set in his car (as do I). He went active bypassing the physical crossover with DSP and the improvement was pretty amazing. 

DSP makes all kinds of sense in a car, as that is about as sub-optimal an environment that one will ever run into.

In my experience, DSP for extreme high end home audio attempts, should look similar to a low slope crossover with some minor phase/level corrections, and then analog (LCR) zobles for the drivers.

Where..the use of digital manipulation is LIMITED in scope and range only... in such an environment - with very simple and subtle changes. No sharp changes, no complex changes all stacked on one another.

That kind of digitally based signal manipulation looks good on paper and in measuring but sounds like cack. Big time cack. Where the very subtle and intimate changes in the music, that we all seek to hear as naturally as possible are disturbed in the extreme. This would take time to explain the why of that, but it is a very real phenomena, and simply said --- don't go there.

For a car, sure, as that is horrific environment and DSP can work there. But DSP is not a panacea, not by a long shot. DSP can and does make a mess out of poorly constructed concert halls. It can make things listenable but it normally comes at a high price. DSP should be on the rack of the soundman for a traveling rock show or whatnot, and used sparingly, like the overall analog EQ in the racks. There, it can often be a show saver and a life saver. but a light hand is required, never a heavy hand.

In the same way that 'less eq' equals 'more sound quality for a performance venue.. 'less DSP' equals 'more sound quality'.