for any quality level music listening, a powered speaker may be a way better option.
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the Xeo 10 you recommended is an active speaker, not a powered speaker. And an active speaker is a completely different beast from a passive powered speaker. I agree that a quality active speaker can be a better option than a passive speaker with a passive crossover. The active crossover outweighs the inherent internal cabinet compromises I was referring to, and the Xeo 10 seems like a good value based on the What Hi-Fi review.
A ‘powered’ but non-active speaker is simply not a good design, and I would try to avoid it. It’s not a matter of price—price doesn’t make good music. You just need to be a bit more open-minded.
Looking further into its specifications, its DSP-based crossover includes only a simple placement-sensitive adjustment, with no PEQ or room correction, and it supports resolutions only up to 24/90. Still, it offers a good value proposition at its price point IF it really sounds good.
