Any thoughts on passive v. active speakers?

For the most part, I think powered speakers are over rated and over priced. I know most people will argue me on that, but if you look at it from a common sense point of view, do you think that whoever builds the amp for your speaker will make one as good as the one you already have? Same thing with whatever speaker you pick. As far as cables go, if you do a good job matching your components, cable choice is easy. I would never let cables be the deciding factor when building a system. If it comes to that, you've made some mistakes that need to be fixed before you continue.

If you decide you need more power (or want more resolution, or whatever), an active speaker means you have to sell the speaker and start over.

Maybe if you gave some more info, we may be able to recommend some speakers to consider.