Intriguing inquiry, are floor-stand speakers always better than active speakers?

[preston8452]

Hi guys,

Just a general wondering though, nowadays I've seen a lot of new active speakers, and truth to be told, I find them quite professional indeed, when I go into an audio shop and ask some advice, some might even encourage to purchase the bookshelf speakers, as they're more cost-effective and space-saving hahah.

All that asides, regarding the sound quality matter, it ain't bad at all, but I'm not sure if it's my living room just not that big or some technical matters, the sound experience is actually vivid, but yeah I also think when you put the extra circuit inside the speaker for amplifying use, it'd certainly affect the original performance more or less. Especially under this digital streaming era, every part seems to be specifically separated, so it can perform to its fullest, and lessen the interference between each device.

Anyways, let me know what you think, I'd be grateful, or maybe share you existing setup with us!

Best,

 

[ryanosaur]

There is a lot to consider in your general question.
The general answer is:
Not necessarily.


So much has to be taken into consideration. For example: Driver/Speaker sensitivity, application and usage in your room, distance you will sit from the Speaker, quality of amplification, and.... this list can continue...

Standmount Speakers, whether 2- or 3-way, active or passive, paired with a Subwoofer can be quite competitive with Towers.
Where Towers usually excel is in dynamic range... they can usually play louder and have more impact at dynamic extremes compared to the smaller cabinets of Standmount designs.
Of course, there are Active Towers as well...

A lot to weigh based on your potential usage and needs.

 

[preston8452]

Like I now only use a Silent Angel Rhein Z1 as a Roon Core, and Munich M1T as a Roon Ready streamer, then to PS Audio DAC, then to KEF active speakers, that being said, my whole streaming system is based on Roon I suppose, never really pay attention to speakers that much. I sincerely appreciate your insights, I really gotta spend more time in speakers area I'd say...

 

[ryanosaur]

I really gotta spend more time in speakers area I'd say...

Speakers are Sound Quality. (Simplified, at least. More appropriately, it is the interaction of the individual Drivers and the Cabinet coupled with a Passive Crossover on one hand (just for example) and then the interaction of that complex system with your Room...)
A bad Speaker design will never be great. However, a great design can be rendered horrendous by poor setup.
Chasing SQ through the electronics is a losing game as once you hit a certain level you get beyond the point of diminishing returns, and in some cases, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get there.
Of course, there are those who will argue that Cables and DACs matter far more than they actually do. Yet no amount of high end electronics or Snake Oil Cables will make up for a Speaker with inherent flaws.
A well designed Speaker will not necessarily need exceptional electronics to perform its best.

 

[Verdinut]

Speakers usually are the weakest link in an audio system. I suggest that you pay more attention to them and you will be amazed at the difference in performance of various speakers. Should you have access to a serious audio shop, you will hear differences with the various brands. A very expensive speaker may not necessarily sound better than a medium price one. Bring one or two CDs to compare the products.

There are good floor standing passive speakers as there also are good active speakers. You have to listen and find for yourself within your planned budget and slightly above it.

 

[lovinthehd]

Dont forget that speakers in a store also reflect the room they're setup in, a greater influence than a particular streaming device/service let alone dac....

There are good active/passive speakers in all shapes/sizes....and not so good ones. What Kef speakers do you have?

 

[fmw]

Whether the amplifier is internal to the speaker system or external is trivial assuming a competently engineered amplifier in either case.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi guys,

Just a general wondering though, nowadays I've seen a lot of new active speakers, and truth to be told, I find them quite professional indeed, when I go into an audio shop and ask some advice, some might even encourage to purchase the bookshelf speakers, as they're more cost-effective and space-saving hahah.

All that asides, regarding the sound quality matter, it ain't bad at all, but I'm not sure if it's my living room just not that big or some technical matters, the sound experience is actually vivid, but yeah I also think when you put the extra circuit inside the speaker for amplifying use, it'd certainly affect the original performance more or less. Especially under this digital streaming era, every part seems to be specifically separated, so it can perform to its fullest, and lessen the interference between each device.

Anyways, let me know what you think, I'd be grateful, or maybe share you existing setup with us!

Best,

There are plenty of active floor standing speakers. With the development of DSP, active designs now have an overwhelming advantage.

 

[Pogre]

Like I now only use a Silent Angel Rhein Z1 as a Roon Core, and Munich M1T as a Roon Ready streamer, then to PS Audio DAC, then to KEF active speakers, that being said, my whole streaming system is based on Roon I suppose, never really pay attention to speakers that much. I sincerely appreciate your insights, I really gotta spend more time in speakers area I'd say...

For sure! The speakers have the greatest impact on sound quality than anything else in the chain, by far.

There's a lot of woo and pseudoscience in this hobby and it's easy to fall prey to magic cables, power conditioners, esoteric amplifiers... do the homework and follow the science. When it comes to power and cables don't waste your money on the super expensive stuff with grandiose claims. Spend it on the speakers.

That said, do you have KEF LS50s? By all accounts those are pretty good speakers.