Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

@thespeakerdude , do you work in the industry? I may have missed that, really enjoy your posts, thanks.

So what’s the difference in my Protools / Genelec Dolby atmos system and my personal system, both cost just under $200k, are in the same room but 90 degrees apart. My personal system has all passive speakers except the subs 2x 3k W each and the hybrid low frequency part of the Paradigm 9hs that have a 1.4K W amp in each cabinet. The personal system has tube amps and a tube preamp which makes that system sound much more pleasing warm and gives the music or movie a much more pleasing tone, I realize I have a lot of bass but wow is it fun. The personal system is much noisier than the active system even though I’ve spent my share of money trying to find the best boutique tubes there are. The personal system has about $25k of AC power regeneration with 2x PS Audio P20s and new power circuits in my home but still there is a little noise between songs. All the speakers have beryllium high frequency and midrange drivers these from Paradigm were much less harsh than the Focal speakers I almost purchased, I’m exceptionally happy with the mid and high frequencies. The bass is finally ok with essentially 4 subs. The Genelec system sounds awful in comparison it’s not warm and fuzzy the Sub is 1.1k W I think, it’s odd looking in a round cabinet made by Genelec also. This system is not harsh in general except when music comes on that is recorded harshly this system is instantly dynamic and all over the place. The Genelec system feels like a teenager that is about to have a nervous breakdown on one song and then turn into Ella on the next song. These speakers reveal every mistake the engineer or musician made, they are more unforgiving than forgiving, They remind me of Mr. Barcus in high school english they are a very hard task master but if you work really hard they are rewarding friends. I would never want to show the distribution people my movie on this system because it would show all my shortcomings in experience and taste. When someone calls a system “revealing” that often means a justification for the expense of the system it doesn’t mean that system is exceptionally phase coherent and time aligned perfectly. Actually the more revealing a system is means the worse it sounds for a much higher percentage of music or movies that aren’t recorded or mixed to the highest standards. In other words revealing systems sound awful most often

@lone mountain

Wrong.  You are comparing Class A amps vs most internal speaker amps that are Class D.  Class D amps are not repairable.  ATC might be an exception (not Class D?  I don't know), but you don't answer the question: how much would ATC charge to repair an amplifier inside one of their 25K per pair speakers?

@fred60 +1

@mijostyn sadly you’re not only wrong you’re wildly overconfident. There is nothing accurate about sound reproduction anywhere. Not your ears. Not any system. It’s all degrees and taste. Dogma is dangerous in life and in audio. Right or wrong is dangerous too. People with your worldview are antithetical to great music making and the enjoyment of music. Each person sets up a system with technical and subjective features. Nothing absolutely right about any of it. Let’s get that straight. Lol. Mental illness is the refusal to see grey as grey. People do this for clearly personal reasons. Ironically. There is no proof of a right vs. a wrong here. Rightness is another matter.

@donavabdear everything you’re saying is subjective. I would cringe at what you call the best work on your Genis. If you’re happy that’s all that matters :). A great listener doesn’t need the system to tell them what could be better. And there is no polarity of good : bad work. It’s all in degrees. A system that blinds the degrees is adding it’s own thing.