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should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:31 am
by derzai
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan06/a ... 0106_7.htm

What do you say?

And how do I connect from my computer to the amplifier?

Point is i would like to have tl design speakers. The only active i found were PMC's, but they are too expensive.

There is company (remo electronics) they sell DIY tl loudspeaker building kits. Then I could combine with a Luxman amp. Thats the idea.

Here's an article on (pmc) transmission line speakers.

http://www.pmc-speakers.de/PMC-Transmis ... y%20PT.pdf

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:46 am
by 8O
soundonsound wrote:In the middle and upper parts of the monitor market there is no doubt that active models offer significant advantages over passive designs, such as optimised power amps for each driver, optimised driver-protection circuitry, short and direct connections between amps and drivers, more complex and precise line-level crossovers, and so on.
I wonder why this seems to be conventional thinking for studio monitors, whereas in the hi-fi world it's all about separate (passive) speakers and amps. Wonder why that is...?
derzai wrote:And how do I connect from my computer to the amplifier?
Just into line-in or aux inputs of the amp, like any other source like CD, etc...

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:53 am
by TomViolenz
8O wrote:
soundonsound wrote:In the middle and upper parts of the monitor market there is no doubt that active models offer significant advantages over passive designs, such as optimised power amps for each driver, optimised driver-protection circuitry, short and direct connections between amps and drivers, more complex and precise line-level crossovers, and so on.
I wonder why this seems to be conventional thinking for studio monitors, whereas in the hi-fi world it's all about separate (passive) speakers and amps. Wonder why that is...?
Isn't that pretty clear?! In the HiFi world it's not about the most linear response curve, but about what to boost in the frequency range and how. That's why you want different combinations: to give more choice.

While in the studio world, you would want the amp to drive your speaker in such a way that it will produce the most linear response with the driver you have. That's best to achieve, if you know exactly which driver you are driving. Hence the fixed combination. No?!

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:03 am
by Samuel L. Jizzle
I think it's more a question of easy of use. Hifi speakers often get installed in weird places, which makes getting access to their controls unpractical for day to day operations like switching them on and off or changing volume.

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:59 pm
by 8O
TomViolenz wrote:
8O wrote:
soundonsound wrote:In the middle and upper parts of the monitor market there is no doubt that active models offer significant advantages over passive designs, such as optimised power amps for each driver, optimised driver-protection circuitry, short and direct connections between amps and drivers, more complex and precise line-level crossovers, and so on.
I wonder why this seems to be conventional thinking for studio monitors, whereas in the hi-fi world it's all about separate (passive) speakers and amps. Wonder why that is...?
Isn't that pretty clear?! In the HiFi world it's not about the most linear response curve, but about what to boost in the frequency range and how. That's why you want different combinations: to give more choice.

While in the studio world, you would want the amp to drive your speaker in such a way that it will produce the most linear response with the driver you have. That's best to achieve, if you know exactly which driver you are driving. Hence the fixed combination. No?!
Well, not really - at least the advertising blurb's aims are accuracy, transparency and no colouration - exactly the same as studio monitors. That's what High Fidelity literally means. Though reality and money doesn't necessarily follow marketing slogans :wink:

Moreover, the more you spend on hifi, the fewer controls you get.

I suspect it's closer to the well-named Samuel L. Jizzle's suggestion.

Anyway, let's not derail derzai's thread too much...

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 4:25 pm
by 102455
derzai wrote:how do I connect from my computer to the amplifier?
The same way you connect anything else to an amplifier. Use a cable. :?

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:18 pm
by derzai
8O wrote:Anyway, let's not derail derzai's thread too much...
Oh no. I get myself a pair of entry level active speakers.

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:19 pm
by derzai
102455 wrote:
derzai wrote:how do I connect from my computer to the amplifier?
The same way you connect anything else to an amplifier. Use a cable. :?
Yeh thanks.

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:19 pm
by derzai
Samuel L. Jizzle wrote:I think it's more a question of easy of use. Hifi speakers often get installed in weird places, which makes getting access to their controls unpractical for day to day operations like switching them on and off or changing volume.
I'll put one downstairs and one upstairs.

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:56 pm
by Samuel L. Jizzle
Nice!

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 6:01 pm
by TomViolenz
Yeah, should do wonders for the stereo field... :mrgreen:

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:01 pm
by andydes
TomViolenz wrote:Yeah, should do wonders for the stereo field... :mrgreen:
Speaking of which, when I move to the fatherland, I'll probably be getting new monitors to not use on Sundays.

Thing is, I'm nearly completely deaf on the left (maybe 10% of what I can hear on right). Think I should just sack off the two monitors thing and just buy one really good one?

I can just pick up enough on left to perceive stereo, but it's no use for proper imaging at all.

Seems wrong to just have the one though.

Thoughts?

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:06 pm
by TomViolenz
Wow! Sorry to hear that (no pun intended).
In your case, yes one monitor is plenty, and you shouldn't even attempt to do work on the stereofield. Let someone else do that. Maybe a mastering guy?!

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 8:31 pm
by derzai
andydes wrote:Seems wrong to just have the one though.

Thoughts?
Image

Take care you get the one for your right ear.

Re: should i opt for passive or active monitors?

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 8:35 pm
by derzai
would like to have this one, timeless design.

Image