[brasewel]

The simplicity of active speakers is very compelling and they're near-field which is another added bonus. Let's see how my speakers sound once I get them. I don't think they're near field monitors but that's fine since I won't be listening next to them.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

Pretty much simplicity and size as well.

They're meant for near-field listening, so they don't need a lot of power because they're not meant to go night club loud.

I do agree. Different amp's give out different sounds.
You would need a very good amp that retains the flatness of the original audio.

Don't forget the really big passive monitors which obviously need an amp.
But if you're going that big, you would be spending a lot for high end amps and what not anyways.

So yes, based on pretty much monitors reproduce the "true" sound of the audio being played.
Otherwise, why would they be called monitors, or why would we even need speakers designed to reproduce audio as accurate to the source as possible?

It's easier to go straight for monitors designed for reproducing accurate audio than looking around finding good speakers and an amp that do the same.

You are forgetting one, maybe the major limiting factor here....what is "true" to Steve Lillywhite's ears may not hold true for Bob Ezrin or anyone else behind the mixing board...a lot of pro gear is built to be rugged rather than the last word when it comes to fidelity or finesse. I have been in and out of studios for years (trained as a engineer back in the late 70's and early 80's). One thing I do know for absolute sure pro gear can be truly awful at times with many folks mistaking  their "truth" for what amounts to horrid digititis (to these ears)...and not knowing the difference further complicates matters. It's funny I ran into some truly talented folks that could not put together a home system worth a damn if their lives depended on it while others (who had an open mind) would really step away from the console take off the engineer cap and listen to the so called kooks in the audiophile world....you can learn from both...I certainly did.
 
Just for kicks have a look at the small mastering studios like Analog Sounds etc...they have very unique monitoring setups not at all like the typical run of the mill studio.....there is a reason recordings from such places are considered a cut above. It seems to me that true mastering skills and the knowledge needed for the next gen are not being passed down any longer....it's reflected in the abysmal quality of today's mainstream recordings by a large degree.
 
A quality mastering job involves gear capable of revealing the tiniest nuance without color, unfortunately there is NO such gear made yet on this planet that is capable of such miracles...we have to settle for a close approximation of such based on what ? Our own perceptions which brings me back to the first sentence in this post. A lot of the old guard producers were known for their particular preferences WRT what they considered "truth".....the gear used for that truth is as varied as the perceptions of the producers. Of that there is no doubt. When Daniel Lanois took over the production duties from Lillywhite in late '84 U2's sound changed quite a bit.
 
Peete.

 

[sizzlincok]

I agree with you 100%. 
 
Of course no speaker is 100% accurate as like you said no gear is capable of such miracles.
Humans make these speakers based on the designer's ears, and/or a few others as well. Not everyone.
 
I'm not saying what you're saying is irrelevant, I'm just speaking on the side of the speakers reproducing audio as accurate as the source that's outputting to the speakers.
 
That's all!

 

[jackmccabe]

Studio stuff provides far better value equipment than the audiophile market, in which you mostly pay for the shiny finish and status that comes with it.
I would definitely go with active speakers because they are much more simplistic and are generally better value.
I have also found that expensive amps provide no audible improvement over any half decent well suited amplifier.
 
Amps that do make an audible difference are producing a large amount of distortion.

 

[JRG1990]

Studio stuff is the best value you don't pay extra for badges and stuff.
Active and passive speakers both have there advantages and disadvantages, the crossover in active speakers is better than passives, passives have better cabiants and better airflow since theres no amp in the back taking up room, also the amps and circuits of a active speaker have to be small enough to fit in the back of a speaker without intruding too much in the air-flow design of the speaker or making the speaker too big and bulky and may not perform aswell as a seperate amp where the size of compenents isn't an issue.

 

[brasewel]

My speakers just came in today and I am really wowed. Resolution, detail retrieval and clarity is as good as my LCD-2 and the soundstage is obviously much better. Bass rolls off somewhere around 40hz but I don't think you can ask more of a mini-tower bookshelf. I bi-wired them since they had the dual speaker posts though I'm not sure how much that would help. These are a beautiful complement to my headphones =]

 

[sizzlincok]

Once you decide on some actives and get your hands on them, be sure to post a comparison!

I want to look into getting some passive monitors now haha.
Possibly even upgrade my actives now too.

Audio is an expensive hobby.

 

[brasewel]

Not sure how my passives would compare to similar priced actives but these are phenomenal.
 

 
Does anyone know how I can add a subwoofer into the mix with just my preamp and amp? Or do I need to get a receiver?

 

[sizzlincok]

Your speakers look like center speakers!
 
Subs are the same concept as active and passive speakers.
 
RCA output to an active sub, or passive output to a sub, which would require a receiver, such as home theater receiver and such.

 

[brasewel]

Yeah they do look their centers but they're not 

Adding a sub is too cumbersome at the moment as I don't want to get a receiver. Although it would nicely shore up the lows, I'm pretty happy with these.

 

[mayassa]

I have a few energy speakers they sound pretty good. Vanns has them on promo sale all the time.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

You don't need to buy a receiver to add that sub, you can keep your current gear line up and add that sub rather easily.....what gear do you have (the preamp/amp brand and model number) ? Once I know that I'll be able to explain how you can add a sub.
 
Nice speakers BTW...that design is a D'Appolito type......see this link for details http://www.speakerbuilding.com/content/1105/page_2.php
 
Peete.

 

[brasewel]

Nice article Peete.
I will definitely consider getting a sub if I don't have to add a receiver to my current setup.
My preamp is a RSA Apache http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/apache and power amp is a Rotel RB-970BX http://www.rotel.com/content/manuals/rb970bx_eng.pdf .
I have used the RCA line out from the preamp to feed the power amp while the preamp is fed with balanced outputs from my DAC.
The preamp has a set of balanced outputs as well that are not being used.
 
Cheers

 

[RexAeterna]

active studio monitors are only flat if you have a properly acoustically set-up studio or any speaker by any chance. passive or active. lot of speakers tend to have a flat response on avg. doesn't matter if it's floor towers,bookshelf,monitors,ect. good speaker is meant to be designed with flat response. problem is room. lot of people overlook this issue and automatically blame the speakers. also lot of amps especially lot of stereo solid state amps are design to have a flat response curve as well and meant to do their job and that job is amplifying the signal from the source only. some designers do try to design their own house sound yes with certain amp line-ups, but the basic fundamentals of a solid state design is still their with overall available amps.

 

[jackmccabe]

Quote:

active studio monitors are only flat if you have a properly acoustically set-up studio or any speaker by any chance. passive or active. lot of speakers tend to have a flat response on avg. doesn't matter if it's floor towers,bookshelf,monitors,ect. good speaker is meant to be designed with flat response. problem is room. lot of people overlook this issue and automatically blame the speakers. also lot of amps especially lot of stereo solid state amps are design to have a flat response curve as well and meant to do their job and that job is amplifying the signal from the source only. some designers do try to design their own house sound yes with certain amp line-ups, but the basic fundamentals of a solid state design is still their with overall available amps.

Very true.
Diy bass traps are a great investment.