Powered vs. nonpowered speakers for HT???

marion.r · 10-01-2003, 08:18 PM

I have been searching for very good/excellent speakers for a home theater system. The home theater installers say use Genelec for great home theater. The music guys say use Wilson Watt Puppy 7's or Vandersteen 5A's.

There is a price difference, but when all is considered it doesn't seem to be much.

Is there a consensus opinion of what would be the best to use...powered vs. high end Wilson/Vandersteen type speakers?

Thanks for the help,

george_k · 10-01-2003, 10:39 PM

I curious about this myself.

I'm considering a pair of JBL EON10 G2's to use for fronts by hooking them up my receivers Front L/R preouts. Mind you, my choice of speakers aren't in the same league as yours.

marion.r · 10-01-2003, 10:56 PM

george_k,

It seems to me that weather you are at a level one in speaker selection, or the highest level...this issue should be easy to resolve. But, I have not read anywhere, or had postive proof one way or the other.

The HT guys say, you can reach easily 105 db in an explosion scene and return to quiet instantly. Although a music speaker may not reach the 105 db level, it certainly could reach 90 db, which is as much as I could probably accept in my room.

I feel certain some gurus are in this group and can help up both.

Thanks for your reply.

Arthur Vino · 10-02-2003, 07:18 AM

Dedicated amp is a better idea...
George, JBL EON10 G2's are more of DJ speakers

george_k · 10-02-2003, 11:16 AM

Quote:

George, JBL EON10 G2's are more of DJ speakers

What exactly does that mean? Does it mean that DJ speakers are meant to produce booming club music rather than the lows->mids->highs of home theatre sound?

Funny thing is their same "pro" lineup is used in real cinemas, the G2's are marketted as portable speakers.

**HTF Ads**

marion.r · 10-02-2003, 11:26 AM

It is difficult for me to understand much of the jargon used. I would like to know if there is a consensus of HT builders/end users, and music audiophiles that have listened to the difference to determine what is the best for HT.

Some people who produce SACD use ATC powered speakers for replay while recording. I wonder if this is because they are portable, and easy to set up, or if they really are as good as traditional music listening speakers.

Wilson Audio advertises that many film studios use their speakers.

I listened to SACD on Vandersteen 5A's in surround recently. The room was very well set up, and indeed it sounded great. I just wonder if movies with explosions and then dead quiet intervals are better with one or the other?

Thanks

CarlV · 10-02-2003, 03:42 PM

I would go with the active/powered speakers, they are so much more realistic than regular speakers. The amps are meant to match the speakers perfectly. I've owned B&W 804s, ML Aeon, Klipsch KLF30s setups and they just don't compare to my current Hafler TRM8 speakers. I have 5 of these for full surround and I'm blown away by them every time I watch a movie or listen to music. Go with the Genelec's...

marion.r · 01-03-2004, 10:30 PM

I have compared ATC and Genelec in an A/B test. The ATC's are the 150 actives, with the C6 center. The Genelec's are 2 way.

The ATC's are considerably smoother, and much better as far as range, stage, and dimension.

The Genelec's are much better at effects...breaking glass, explosions, etc.

In my application, I will have to use the ATC's and the Genelecs...side by side to get the full dimension.

If anyone is interested, I can explain more.

Thanks

John Robert · 01-04-2004, 01:16 AM

In normal HT, "active" and "powered" mean two different things. Active speakers have amps the power all the drivers - woofer, mid and tweeter. Powered speakers have a single amp that powers the woofer only, and need a separate receiver or amp for the mids and highs.

Powered speakers are less, starting at <$1K per pair. Active speakers are more $$$, with ATC and Genelec running as much as $15K/pr.

Hope this helps!

John

WayneO · 01-04-2004, 02:16 AM

And I think most would agree, powered(active) or not, if it sounds great for music, it should be great for HT.