[Doublej]

Active Floorstanders

http://elac.com/product-category/air-x/

with lossless, wireless transmission

[FullRangeMan]

Wireless speakers is a silly feature, wire are used to taylor the sound to a personal taste.

[Tone Depth]

Is it not better to use tone controls to tailor the sound?

Wireless speakers is a silly feature, wire are used to taylor the sound to a personal taste.

[FullRangeMan]

Is it not better to use tone controls to tailor the sound?

Mid Fi amps w/tone controls are very inexpensive usually SolidState.
Its all about personal taste.

[AJinFLA]

Its all about personal taste.

Yours of course, being not silly like the wireless folks.
So you use wires to fix a 10db peak at 60hz? Or overly bright recordings? What happens if the recording is too dull?
Those must be some wires.

[Early B.]

So you use wires to fix a 10db peak at 60hz? Or overly bright recordings? What happens if the recording is too dull?
Those must be some wires.

I believe he meant using wires to "fix" speakers, not recordings. Finding a perfect speaker can be tough, but if a dome tweeter tends to be a bit bright, it can be tamed with wire, for instance. 

[FullRangeMan]

Yours of course, being not silly like the wireless folks.
So you use wires to fix a 10db peak at 60hz? Or overly bright recordings? What happens if the recording is too dull?
Those must be some wires.

You need an equalizer not an refined cable as Cardas, Crystal or Siltech.

[AJinFLA]

I believe he meant using wires to "fix" speakers, not recordings. 

Right, whereas a tone control can fix both. Not to mention bass issues too.
For those with obsessive-compulsive wire rolling desires, there's always the power cord with active speakers. Yes, even the "wireless" ones too.

[Jonathon Janusz]

With as fast as things like DACs or DSP type devices are changing/advancing/improving, keeping this in the discussion of actives as they apply to audiophiles who are continuously in pursuit of better sound, wouldn't having all of that stuff built in to the speakers mean that as soon as "next year's model" - or in the case of some electronics these days "next week's model" - comes out, wouldn't an audiophile basically be pressed into tossing an entire "system" to the curb rather than flipping a single component of a less integrated system?

Maybe the "audiphile" answer to active might involve some sort of modular design, kind of like one trait that has made LIO so popular?  Sure, an active speaker would still be a somewhat closed system to a single manufacturer/designer, but if the thing were engineered from the start to be able to easily swap out the electronics (either with repair/replacement parts or upgrades as new improved tech comes out), it might be one way to give the concept some longer legs among a customer base continuously chasing technology?

[AJinFLA]

You need an equalizer

Or an active speaker

[Early B.]

Right, whereas a tone control can fix both.

Tone controls create more problems than they solve. That's why most audiophile manufacturers omit them.

[Early B.]

With as fast as things like DACs or DSP type devices are changing/advancing/improving, keeping this in the discussion of actives as they apply to audiophiles who are continuously in pursuit of better sound, wouldn't having all of that stuff built in to the speakers mean that as soon as "next year's model" - or in the case of some electronics these days "next week's model" - comes out, wouldn't an audiophile basically be pressed into tossing an entire "system" to the curb rather than flipping a single component of a less integrated system?

Maybe the "audiphile" answer to active might involve some sort of modular design, kind of like one trait that has made LIO so popular?  Sure, an active speaker would still be a somewhat closed system to a single manufacturer/designer, but if the thing were engineered from the start to be able to easily swap out the electronics (either with repair/replacement parts or upgrades as new improved tech comes out), it might be one way to give the concept some longer legs among a customer base continuously chasing technology?

Good point. A perfect example is class D amplification which would work well in an active speaker design. Over the past 10 years, class D amps have progressed significantly. Imagine being stuck with an "outdated" active speaker. You'll be lucky to recoup 1/4th of what you paid.   

[FullRangeMan]

Tone controls create more problems than they solve. That's why most audiophile manufacturers omit them.

I was afraid to mention it.

[JLM]

Why not just buy speakers with flat frequency response?

Obsolesce is why I prefer to keep source/DAC/preamp out of the speakers.

But fans of active speakers (including studio professionals) prioritize drivers/crossovers/cabinets over amps, so obsolesce of amps is a minor concern, especially when you can get so much performance for so little money/space.

[Early B.]

Why not just buy speakers with flat frequency response?

Speakers with a flat frequency response -- that's what studio monitors strive to achieve, but they don't necessarily sound good simply because they measure flat. 

[FullRangeMan]

Speakers with a flat frequency response -- that's what studio monitors strive to achieve, but they don't necessarily sound good simply because they measure flat.

Monitors usually sound cold, some are voiced to sound this way.

[AJinFLA]

Tone controls create more problems than they solve.

Only to the clueless. And anyone who's never been in a studio.

That's why most audiophile manufacturers omit them.

Bingo!

[AJinFLA]

Speakers with a flat frequency response

Speakers radiate 3 dimensionally. "A" flat FR???

[AJinFLA]

Why not just buy speakers with flat frequency response?

Or heaven forbid, adjustability.
Like actives can.

[Letitroll98]

Hey AJ, how are ya?  So what kind of adjustability can you get?  DSP, Frequency response, level controls, other?