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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
fastfreight
1,278 posts
 

HERE IS THE QUESTION:  What percentage of Active speakers have amp failures vs percentage of separates that have amp failures?

Yes subs have amplifiers, but always outboard with heat fins, and easily replaceable.

How many of us have changed amps several times?  hmmm.... I did. Classe > PS Audio (Stellar and BHK)  > Parasound (Halo and JC1+) > Mola Mola (Makuas) > Audionet (Max monos) . Audionet (Heisenbergs).  Tough to make this journey with actives.  NONE of these amps ever failed; Most never got a chance :).

audio_guy_uofw
73 posts
 

One factor is that active speakers can have much more complex crossovers that not only perform the crossover function between drivers  but also can compensate for irregularities in the driver response. 

mashif
471 posts
 

I know people who have had active ATC speakers for 20 years without issues. That goes for Genelec as well. 

The active ATC speakers have heat sinks outside the speakers like any amp. There are 3 amps per speaker so if something should happen after warranty, it's not that expensive to replace one. Probably less than a typical high end amp out of warranty. Like anything, the brand quality matters. 

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