Passive Vs Active Speakers for near Field Listening (Desktop PC)

abadacus on 14/05/2023 - 12:28
Last edited 14/05/2023 - 12:28

More specifically, I am looking to upgrade from my Edifier R1010BT speakers and am considering two different pathways and am torn between them:

  1. Edifier R2000DB at $100 (second hand)

  2. Passive system

a. Amplifier: SMSL AO100 / Aiyima A200 or similar (small form factor with integrated power supply) ~$200 delivered

b. Speakers: JBL HLS 610 / Aaron ATS-1 etc. ~$100 (second hand)

Questions for Ozbargain:
1. What benefits if any, does having a passive system give over the Edifiers
2. Are there any other mini amplifiers with an integrated power supply around the $130 USD / $200 AUD price range that I should consider?

Electrical & Electronics Speakers

Comments

  • rumblytangara on 14/05/2023 - 13:15
    +3

    1. No inherent benefits for passive vs active, you are just moving the location of the amp. Different speakers will have different overall sound though, so any advantage is really down to the specific speaker choice. With the amp built into the Edifier or the SMSL, or anything comparable, they are all going to be budget Class D amps. I would not expect any amazing sonic differences and would hold that anyone who claims otherwise to be a bit far down the road of cheap audiophile self-delusion (and probably spends too much time reading dumb internet sources like Audio Science Review or Reddit).

    2. The vast majority of cheap amps (sub 200 is cheap) will be pretty similar. Especially when played out of random bookshelf speakers.

    My take on it- anything connected to a PC is there for convenience. Not for scratching at audiophile nervosa. Get an active system and keep it simple.

  • AustriaBargain on 14/05/2023 - 13:18
    +3

    I like active speakers, so when you upgrade you can gift the old ones to your mom or whatever without her needing to mess around with an amp. Or you can use them as party speakers or put them in your bathroom and you'll be thankful you don't need to worry about an amp. Of course if the amp in the active speakers break then you can't just replace the amp easily like you would with passive speakers, but meh. Also a lot of active speakers today have bluetooth which is a lot handier than you might think.

    • brendanm on 14/05/2023 - 15:27
      +3

      mom

      Shipping to the US might be prohibitive.

    • mskeggs on 14/05/2023 - 17:37
      +1

      This is a nice way of thinking about stuff, AB.
      This year we got nicer audio speakers for music. It caused a domino effect as various other rooms and kids inherited different legacy smart speakers and things.
      And the bottom of the pile are the little corners where you occasionally listen to some music that get better sound, so I don’t think it is a bad idea to buy nice speakers for the top of the pile and ripple it down.

      Our place still has some dreadful $10 Bluetooth speakers and 1st gen google mini pucks so it will be a few years till we winkle out them all.

  • evol on 14/05/2023 - 14:38
    +2

    I'd go for active studio monitors (JBL LSR, KRK ROKIT, Yamaha HS etc. depending on the sound signature you like) paired with a cheap simple DAC from SMSL or Topping.

    Will cost slightly more overall but IMO will sound way better than the above options especially for near-field listening.

    • AustriaBargain on 14/05/2023 - 14:42

      What's wrong with the DAC built into speakers such as the Edifier R2000DB?

    • rumblytangara on 14/05/2023 - 18:26
      +1

      OP shouldn't need a DAC- he can just use a 3.5 mini jack to RCA, bog standard little audio cable because there's a DAC built into his motherboard. Same holds true for just about any other active speaker.

      • AustriaBargain on 15/05/2023 - 02:40

        The Edifiers he linked to has a DAC built in, if his computer has TOSLink/optical audio out then he can just use that.

        • rumblytangara on 15/05/2023 - 08:09
          +1

          I was responding the the comment about buying a discreet DAC. OP doesn't need one, doesn't matter of he uses the one in the motherboard or the speakers. An additional cheap discrete DAC is just a pointless way to spend a limited budget.

          • Mr Plow on 24/05/2023 - 01:56

            @rumblytangara: The motherboard's DAC won't sound anywhere near as good as a decent USB DAC. They don't have to be expensive these days either. The SMSL DO100 is excellent value for money. Definitely worth spending the money on if you want the speakers to sound any good.

            • rumblytangara on 24/05/2023 - 08:57

              @Mr Plow: I have compared motherboard DACs to SMSLs, Schitts and Toppings. Using switching gear to AB sources. Unless the mobo is poorly shielded, there is sweet FA difference.

              Especially when the downstream chain is something as low fidelity as a cheap bookshelf speakers.

              This is for computer monitors. The guy isn't setting up a 20K audiophile system in an acoustically treated room.

              • Mr Plow on 24/05/2023 - 12:33

                @rumblytangara: How have you compared them? Subjective listening on your own equipment? That is not a reliable method as there are many other variables which affect your perception such as your other equipment in the audio chain, genre of music you're listening to, mastering of your source, codec, listening environment, and cognitive biases. That's not a scientific method. In order to be reliable, subjective listening tests need to be done in a controlled environment with double blind testing. If you don't notice a difference then you're not doing it right :)

                If you measure the responses across the audible frequency spectrum (15Hz-20KHz) you will see a great difference in noise and distortion between onboard DACs and decent USB DACs. This translates to much better listening experience on anything half decent, such as the active monitors mentioned above. Not to mention the power output from an additional amplifier which is necessary for decent headphones or passive speakers (eg the aforementioned SMSL AO100).

                You don't need anywhere near $20k to enjoy a decent system these days.

                • rumblytangara on 24/05/2023 - 12:38

                  @Mr Plow: I think you need to look past budget Reddit audio subs and meaningless graphs on dumb sites like ASR, and do your own testing rather than latch on to shitty FOTM brands like SMSL.

                  Lines like "subjective experience" and "double blind testing" are the cries of ASR noobs who don't trust their own abilities or have the budget to do their own testing. And just want to be told what the 'right' answer is from a flawed authority figure.

                  FWIW, I bought an SMSL DAC/Amp, it's totally fine. I have no issues with it. But it's not better than my mobo DAC, it just so happened that the form factor was perfect for my niece because I was building speakers for her. She loves it. Because her comparison are bluetooth headphones.

                  The only guy I know IRL who's done actual audio engineering courses is totally happy running his active nearfield speakers out of his PC DAC, because he's tested enough stuff to know what matters and what does not. Cheap DACs out of average bookshelf speakers do not matter except for on the internet.

                  • Mr Plow on 24/05/2023 - 13:25

                    @rumblytangara: Haha ok. I'll leave this thread alone now because you've made it obvious that you really don't know what you're talking about.

                    • rumblytangara on 24/05/2023 - 14:10

                      @Mr Plow: Let me guess, you have never compared, tested, designed or built any audio gear. You don't own any sort of testing equipment. And rely on solely the internet (either Reddit or ASR) and a bunch of half-understood charts to tell you what is 'good'.

                      • Mr Plow on 24/05/2023 - 17:49

                        @rumblytangara: Let me guess, you believe the moon is made of cheese. Some guy you know IRL told you he's a spaceman who's been to the moon, and your knowledge of geological science is equivalent to your knowledge of audio science, so you'll argue with anyone who claims otherwise.

                        • rumblytangara on 25/05/2023 - 15:56

                          @Mr Plow: That was the most weaksauce reply I've had for a while, have a star ;)

  • plmko on 14/05/2023 - 14:46

    I'd go passive. You can replace DAC/AMP anytime there are new formats or interfaces you want to try. With active you are stuck with what they have.

    Buy a pair of good passive speakers and you will never need them replaced. My speakers are 10years old and still top tier.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 14/05/2023 - 18:30
    +1

    I have some Edifiers, but I'm thinking about upgrading to these Samsung LSR 305P MkIIs

    • Drpepper666 on 15/05/2023 - 22:58
      +1

      Those are proper studio monitors and will shit all over the edifiers

    • Mr Plow on 24/05/2023 - 02:00

      Second this.

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 24/05/2023 - 09:36

        I went to buy them, and they couldn't find them. So I bought KRK Rokit 5's which sound amazing.

        • Mr Plow on 24/05/2023 - 10:35

          Those are pretty good too

  • Fergy1987 on 15/05/2023 - 08:40

    Passive better in the future since you can replace single products. Active better for convenience. Plus I'm no sound engineer but I would have thought active would be built more for nearfield listening.

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