ATC preach the following benefits of active over passive: - Correction for phase is possible, which improves group delay and imaging. - Passive crossovers are designed for a response at a given input power but their response changes as input power changes, active crossovers have a stable response. - Each amplifier channel works over a narrower frequency band, reducing amplifier intermodulation distortion. - A stable and excellent Q for well controlled bass because there is a known amplifier damping factor and direct connection from power amp to driver (no passive crossover and no long cable run in the way). - No power dissipated as with passive filters...equivalent active power is 6db louder i.e. typical 100W active is equivalent loudness to 200W passive.
Many would add, active amplification allows DSP e.g. EQ in the crossovers to provide improved performance and adjustability. (Although this isn't "the ATC way"! They use "simple" fourth order Butterworth filters which are complimentary in phase combined with all-pass filters for driver group delay correction--not possible with passive crossovers. But then again without notch filters or EQ, because they prefer to rely on driver design.) All the above equate to greater accuracy. Accuracy is important for pro users, who want to hear the recording as it is. But it's a matter of taste whether accuracy is good for music lovers, who want as many of their loved recordings, no matter what they are really like, to sound as realistic as possible. This is an important distinction. Regards, Darren ------------------------------------------------------------------------ darrenyeats's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10799 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
