Any experience with them?
Best to contact Peter Hansen at The Cable Co. he owns SA an is quite familiar. email: Peter@thecableco.com
Have they graduated to the level where they actually take acoustical measurements? 
I believe they have a different strategy, based on modelling the room, which they argue gives better results. You can read their arguments in their blog. They have though graduated to the level where they work with Roon, and have done so for some time, unlike some less-experienced vendors of DSP based speakers who have been promising Roon readiness for years but failing to deliver it. Linn stuff will also work with DLNA based streaming, should you prefer that. I donât own any Linn, but they should certainly be recognised as a major player in the domestic active speaker game and are well worth shortlisting.
https://www.linn.co.uk/blog
Iâm using an ELAC ARF-51 floorstanding active speakers now. Moved from KEF LS50W. Advantage of ELAC ARF-51 is that it is an analog active speakers with no built-in DSP. Sound changes according to DAC, pre-amp or streamer. This gives you a bit of upgradability or tinkering to fix most audiophilesâ incessant itchiness to try something new.
Yeah. Read their stuff but I regard it as disqualifying.
What do you mean âdisqualifyingâ? Disqualifying from what?
Hi @Redwine,
I am enjoying ATC active speakers SCM 50ASLT in my stereo listening room.
To try answer your questions:
- High end active speakers have probably always been better than passive speakers, but my personal view is that since latest years you can have good quality active speakers at all prices nowadays, including wireless speakers.
- This will highly depend on what is your priority: ease of use/integration (example KEF LS50) or sound (example ATC) or possibly both but highly taste dependent (example Kii Three). To give you an idea on where I am coming from: I enjoy very much listening to music on my Google Nest mini in certain situations . I find the quality of sound coming out of these very small active speakers are just so impressive vs cost and size! Now on my main system my ATC 50ASLT are driven by the ATC SCA2 linked with a Trinnov ST2-Hi-Fi to correct the room and Roon is coming from a Lumin T2. The room itself has been acoustically treated by a professional. So different use and moments, very different set up but still the same joy of listening to music.
Not sure it helps very much but big fan of active speakers here!
I faced the same decision after extensively refurbishing my house, when some old hi-fi separates plus my speakers were written off by the storage companyâŚ.
I then decided to go as minimal box count as I could, and - if I found what I liked - stop tweaking components and go for actives.
My aim was to find something to last 30 years if I couldâŚ.
I now have just an Innuos Zenith SE and a pair of Kii Threes with a Kii Control.
I run Roon Core on the Zenith straight out via a Curious USB cable to the Kii Control.
The Kiiâs do everything else.
I stream just Qobuz and my own library - having recently given up Tidal.
It works really well for me and sounds absolutely fantastic.
Not everyone can live with the âtwo or three boxâ idea - although, after a lifetime of always tweaking, itâs nice to be at a point where it is so good, you donât ever feel the need to âfixâ it!
I think the defining characteristic of active loudspeakers, and what gives them their advantages, is that each drive unit is driven directly by a dedicated power amplifier, and these are preceded by a crossover. Whether the crossover is executed in the digital domain or the analogue domain is a different issue, but not a defining one. Similarly with DSP. DSP can be done in the speaker, or externally via a dedicated unit or in your music player software or hardware, and it can be applied equally to passive or active speakers.
PS. And while I remember, Neumann also have some excellent active loudspeakers, and subwoofers, some of which include measurement based DSP room correction. They even sell a matching measurement microphone and software. Rather more pro oriented, but nonetheless worth putting on your shortlist, especially if you fancy separate subs.
https://en-de.neumann.com/studio-monitors?product_attribute[]=325
Great input I receive from you all, doesnât make it easier to decide but for sure, my decision will at the end be far more qualified based on updated knowledgeđ
I meant that I consider their systemâs inability to utilize on-site acoustical measurements as disqualifying it for my personal consideration. Modeling, at best, is predictive of the probable sound context in the room while measurements are data (even if not entirely inclusive).
Lots of good conversation on this topic. Iâll add that Iâm a fan of Genelecâs âthe onesâ series that incorporate DSP via an external box and some software. I use the 8351s and am quite pleased with them. Learn more here: The Ones - Genelec.com.
That line should be the opening of an entirely different thread. 
ATC active
Debatable.
Iâve had several systems worth more than my home, including a Wilson WAMM 2-channel, but have been using active speakers for quite a while in both stereo and home theater systems (Genelec Pro monitors, on which much of the music you listen to was likely mixed). No more expensive amps, speaker cables, etc. etc. just great sound with no component matching required. Amps designed to drive just the individual speakers to which theyâre directly connected in the speaker seems a far better alternative to âgeneral purposeâ amps that donât know what theyâll be expected to drive, or through what cables. Want more information, send me a Private Message via this forumâŚ
debatable on what? Being it is not pure analog or that active speakers with DSP is better?
All audio amps are general purpose. They need no âknowledgeâ about what they are expect to drive or through what cables.
Technically, actives are better due to the amplifier being connected directly to the drive unit, without having to drive a passive crossover, which can present a complex load and reduce damping factor.