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Are active speakers worth it now?

I've been paying attention to recent reviews and product announcements for active speakers.  Mind you, I'm a convert, I think active speakers are the right answer for many, but I'm a conditional fanboy.  For me it's conditional on the overall value. 

In the residential high-end ATC has long been a darling of audiophiles, and of course many studio monitors are active.  Recent reviews for the Grimm, Focal and Dynaudio active in Stereophile make me hopeful this trend will continue, but at what cost? 

That question is literal.  Admittedly these speakers have amps built in so that is one less component and cables to buy, but ahem, those prices leave me unimpressed.  I'm just one minor voice though, so I ask you, A'goners, if you've been thinking of going fully active like me and what do you think of the price/performance of the marketplace, both in the pro arena and residential high-end?  Do these prices say "bargain" to you or "simplicity for a price?" 

erik_squires
kofibaffour
713 posts
 

they have been worth it for years. depends on which ones you want and how they fit your demands. Active speakers have been tremendous for years.

if you have a passive speaker. an active version is almost always superior if implementation is done well

erik_squires OP
17,543 posts
 

@kofibaffour  - Can you give me an example of a brand or specific active speaker you think is a good value?  How do you do the math? 

erik_squires OP
17,543 posts
 

To be clear, I'm not asking if active speakers sound good. 

I'm asking if they are worth the markup to you, and what you felt it compares to that makes it worthwhile. 

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