Active speakers, end of discussion.
One amp per driver, selected by the manufacturer (who aught to know best and you are already trusting with the speaker design). With a simple/direct load the amp can work much more effectively. Its a boys to men comparison, not close, no contest. It's what many professionals use in concert and in the studio. Don't forget that most subwoofers are active.
Active speakers have flatter frequency response, much greater dynamics, and unbelievable bass extension.
I've written this before, but it was an ephiphany for me to compare Paradigm Studio 20 and Paradigm Active 20 speakers (same drivers/cabinet). Audiophile bystanders were literally slack-jawed. The Active 20s had the same bass extension as the Paradigm medium sized floorstanding Studio 80s for the same price, but flatter response, more dynamic, and of course included the amps.
A special case is single driver speakers. By default they're active which helps explain why they can do as well as they do.
