Shaunyboy
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2010
- Posts
- 19
- Likes
- 0
If you got a set of actives then you dont need a reciever or separate amp it would be a one time 350 deal, or did I miss something?
If you got a set of actives then you dont need a reciever or separate amp it would be a one time 350 deal, or did I miss something?
well actives are more practical, from research back when I was looking to upgrade my friend advised me to look into actives I read and I got my krks and they sounded better than my passive set up.
Actually, actives are less practical in many ways. You get way more flexibility out of a passive speaker/receiver setup like the OP is considering. If the electronics break, you have to repair it or throw out the speaker, too. You can't decide to upgrade just the speakers or the amplification--have to pay for it all again to upgrade. I don't think most have headphone jacks. They don't have a pre-amp with a phono stage and plugins for other audio devices. No remote control. Actives are also designed strictly for nearfield listening, with a neutral sound that is designed for mixing--not something that is for everyone. To me, they sound kind of flat. Because of their design, not the best choice for repurposing the speakers for other uses either. So it really depends on what kind of "practicality" one is looking for.
I have a pair of Energy V5.1s and an HK 3490 which I paid under $500 for, and from demoing active monitors in that $500 to $600 range, I couldn't find something that I like better. So there's a lot of hype right now about actives being categorically better. I think a lot of that comes from individual taste preferences--some people have tried both and liked them better (sure makes sense)--and there are people who have never owned or demoed anything different.
For that matter, you could end upgrading your desktop computer speakers and use those kef's in another room as the rear speakers for a surround system. You can repurpose components much easier.
The HK should pair up nicely with the iQ30s.
Well having been a tube amp enthusiast and still being one but to a lesser degree. Ive owned several separates systems and its an expensive road its hard to be satisfied, as one who not an expert in this its hard to know if the speakers to get will sound good or match the amp. Ive had several missses,eg. I bought speakers for a particular amp and the sound was not good when reviews said they would sound good. I disovered actives at my job and bought several sets and decided to keep a set of Dyaudios to replace my hifi system. The fact that actives are neutral is good its how most speakers attempt to be , a nuetral speaker doesnt add or subtract anything from the sound so one type of genre will not sonund better it will come out more exact like the artist meant it . Usually when people say actives are cold or flat it is because theyve heard them through a mixer or at guitar center where they split the signal into many this sucks tone which gives a thin lifeless sound.
I beleive you have a point in what practicality one is looking for but I add this bits of info to add to that consideration
- Studio Speakers are usually built like tanks and they have protection circuits inside eg circuits that will shut down the speaker if there is too much current or if the signal is too loud.
- These are built built for professionals so there is not as much smoke and mirrors as there is in speakers that re advertised for youre average audiophile.
- You can get an in Inexpensive preamp or switcher if you need to connect differnt sources.
- Active crossovers this is the main reason actives sound so much better, passives have passive crossovers that reduce clarity in comparison to active crossovers that preserve the sound clarity.
- The amplifiers are matched to the speakers
- They are biamplifed
- They are less expensive
- Take up less space