Hey @mijostyn - I guess you're one of those guys who say an athlete can give 110%. Perfect is 100. You can't get better than that.
The 80/20 reasoning makes no sense as any system is only as good as its weakest link, and for a stereo system the source is the most important. Each step after that can only distort further. So if the 80/20 chooses 80 toward the end of the signal, he will have a very distorted sound. Even 80 at the front makes no sense. Why wouldn't you want to match the components synergistically to get the best sound possible within your pricing restraints? The point isn't "quick and easy".
I have an active system in my garage too. It's called a Bose Wave radio I listen to when I am washing my car, and one in my hand called an iPhone. For maximum convenience, sure, and maybe for home theater (notice how there is no mention of audio there) with lots of speakers it makes sense, but not my cup of tea for 2 channel high quality stereo systems (I don't use separate sub woofer boxes nor know much about them....perhaps it makes sense for them to be active?).