The fact is, AVR and non-powered speakers and subs (within same brand) are a lot less expensive than AVP and powered speakers.
For example, the least expensive AVP from Massimo is $3200 (AV7706, made in Vietnam).
Imagine how expensive the Revel Salon2 and B&W 801D4 would be if they put amps inside them?
Unless you think most people are getting a lot richer, why would most people buy AVP and powered speakers?
About 90% of HT consumers buy AVR, not AVP. Probably 99% of consumers buy passive speakers. For a very good reason.
I may be an old dog, but I think I am younger in outlook and more open to new ideas than most of you.
The only reason that AVPs cost more than AVRs is marketing, and the idea they are higher end. Of course they are cheaper to produce, to deny that is silly.
So if new technology reduces the demand for AVRs, and increases the demand for AVPs, then the tables are turned, I would think you would find that AVPs could be produced for about half the cost of an AVR.
Putting 15 amps in one box with on board processing driven from one power supply, is just silly, and a recipe for poor performance and premature failure. No one in their right minds should consider the purchase of such a contraption. Unless all those amps are heavily biased to class B and away from A it will be a toaster. I would really like to see what the low level distortion figures look like. It is low level distortion measurements that really unravel the crossover distortion of excess class B biasing.
As I keep saying your cars have had active speakers for years, and failure even in a harsh environment is rare. Our threads are just littered with AVR failures and this will worsen on the current trajectory.
Passive speakers waste a lot of amp power, at least half, and in three ways, and in those with higher order filters, a lot more. Who votes for that when there are alternatives?
The facts are that active speakers will not have their power shared from a unitary power supply with other amps.
The big advantage though is the active crossovers allow for huge benefits in performance not possible with passive crossovers.
I mentioned one just recently, and that is by being able to make truly integrated designs and increase power in the crucial power band. This is huge, and these speakers will deliver the goods. When the the lower string section is fill forte, and the huge bass drum is beaten, then active designs can deliver in a way that totally passive designs never will.
I have been working with active crossovers for half a century now, and I know the benefits first hand. That is what the pros do. For years now, no pro installation would have passive crossovers, if for no other reason than the fact the it can not come close to competing on efficiency. The new start ups like Sigberg Audio and Double Dutch are the new flag bearers, and they are on the right track. Designing AVRs with 15 power amps is definitely the wrong track on the route to crazy town.
The other issue is that this change to active, will make installations, especially larger more complex one easier and simpler. Just look at the clutter on the back of an AVR, especially the speaker terminals. The next generation of AVPs will have an ethernet port for each speaker, and a Cat cable to each speaker. I suspect it will not be too long before the AVP will be a very small box and just one ethernet port to your router, and the speakers connected to the router.
Wake up you guys, you are clinging to the dark ages, and big changes are afoot, which will bring huge cost savings and far improved performance. We are now in early transition and resistance is useless.
