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@lonemountain I have a feeling you know some of those guys, I got to talk to John Meyer for 2 minuets, I was star struck, the best part was I got to also meet Roger Nichols at the same workshop, I think it was at an AES convention about '85' or so. I worked with many of the biggest stars in Hollywood but those were the guys who were really cool to me.

Steinway Lyngdorf make every component and their speakers together in exactly the way this thread has tried to describe the best practices of system synergy. The other side of that synergy is the fact that I already have a 15K$ Lyngdorf processor and I couldn't use it in the Steinway system, also I love my surround sound speakers and I couldn't use them in this system.

@donavabdear

What do you think about waiting until 2024 to consider getting the Steinway system? Get rid of the hum in your current system and maybe try a matching Anthem amp for your Paradigm speakers in 2023 and then see how you like it?

@kota1 I think I have 2 of these units to run my surround sound Paradigm Bs and 2x channels on my Paradigm CC. Paradigm and Anthem are the perfect example of a company that should really make speakers and amps and crossovers made for each other. I don't know if I have the Gen. 2 units.

I spent the first 10 years buried in engineering and didn’t get to hob knob with celebrities like some have on this topic :-) ... just a bit envious, though I have been star struck a few times since but back to the topic at hand.

If you don’t mind your amplifier and speaker adding something to the music that was not there in the recording, then by all means go with the Pass amp and passive speakers. You have to like what you are hearing. If you want a improved level of accuracy, then you need to get rid of the passive crossover. If you want the absolute lowest distortion possible in a given form factor, then you will need to ditch the Pass amplifier as that requires a tight integration of amplifier, driver, enclosure and more than a "hint" of advanced signal processing. If you want a single speaker that can adapt to your environment, your mood, or your music, more than just simple equalization and time alignment, than that is going to require an active speaker and that is what you will start to see more of. Active speakers are in their infancy.

Where it is going to get complicated is "deciding" where an active speaker ends, and where a room correction system begins.

@donavabdear 

Paradigm and Anthem are the perfect example of a company that should really make speakers and amps and crossovers made for each other.

I didn't realize you were driving your surrounds with Anthem. I already own many of the Paradigm/Anthem active speakers and of course agree that they are made for each other. I don't think it matters if you use gen 1 or 2 in a surround system. Maybe a fun comparison to run your mains in 2 channel stereo mode and swap the solid state Anthem out with the BHK tube amp and compare the differences.