Why aren't systems with active speakers (ie, Meridian) a growing segment?
-- Thu, 07/02/2009 - 15:44
With the vast majority of source material in digital form, why haven't systems that do the D/A conversion and amplification IN the speaker become a standard architecture? That architecture provides many opportunities for efficiency, refinement, and ultimate compatibility. For anyone not familiar I'm speaking of a front end device that sends the digital signal via what is essentially a network connection to the speakers. There the D/A conversion takes place, the signal routes immediately to amplification, which can be optimized for each DRIVER. The purity of this is unmatchable by conventional architecture. A very clean set up, the analog signal doesn't travel through interconnects or speakers cables either. The Meridian system has been around for 5 or 6 years now, NHT built a system, also Dynaudio and Genelec have excellent studio monitor systems designed this way and reviewers have praised them, but there's been no further movement. I'm mystified, since this takes full advantage of what digital encoding of the signal path offers.
I've heard it said that this architecture doesn't allow for much in the way of "tweaking". That is, switching of cables, amps, converters etc. To me that seems like a good thing. I've also heard that retailers don't like this system because it isn't well suited to component upgrading, thus they are less able to sell to a customer repeated upgrades. I think modular designs could help with that.
Are you familiar with this system? Have you heard one? What do you think?
I guess it is the same kind of reason(s) why the active crossover/multiamplification is also NOT popular...
When you realize that the passive crossover approach has so many strong disadvantages, and that most loudspeakers designs are plainly wrong, that the usual "tweaking" made by the manufacturer (more a component "assembler" than anything most of the time) is a futile attempt to correct an inherently flawed design too; then,
why is the industry persistently making more and more elaborate speakers based on the same old concept (passive crossover, multiway; with one powerful extremely expensive power amp) instead of using multiple amps (even less expensive than the single one) and active crossovers?
MAYBE that is because, in this way the industry maximizes its earnings, selling extremely expensive cables, accesories, and perpetuating this approach is very convenient because that way the manufacturers keep prices rising to outrageous levels, and audiophiles keep believing that every single upgrade must cost an eye to be considered correct.
Of course you are right, it is the perpetual and absurd "tweaking" what fuels the present industry and stimulates the hobby. I consider that a rational approach is at least, to multiamp the system. Continuing in that way, a totally digital active crossover is reasonable, and your proposal is absolutely correct, albeit it is not as simple to achieve by a Do-It-Yourself individual.
Meridian introduced their first active digital loudspeaker in 1991 (the DSP6000, which I reviewed). It surprises me as well that this approach has generally been rejected by audiophiles. The benefits are manifold: no transmission of analog signals, no crossover parts in signal path, the ability to choose any crossover slopes and characteristics with no sonic penalty (it's done in the digital domain), amplifiers optimized for each driver (and a known load), simplicity of installation and operation, remote control, the system can know the SPL and make adjustments accordingly, useful signal processing such as a balance control that also invokes a delay so that an image can be centered for off-axis listeners (engaged on the remote control), to name a few.
I disagree with "amclaussen" that the prevalence of traditional system architectures suggests an industry-wide conspiracy to maximize profits. Rather, I believe it stems from the audiophile need to have more hands-on involvement in choosing and setting up a system, and the ability to modify it over time. Meridian seems to aim their active digital loudspeakers more at affluent music lovers than at tweakers.
Incidentally, a once heard a Meridian system comprising six DSP8000 loudspeakers playing multichannel high-res from DVD-Audio that was transcendental.
Finally, Sue Kraft reviews Meridian's DSP7200 in the current issue of The Absolute Sound.
Post new comment