This is an intriguing speaker in some ways.  I read that Klipsch was now making active speakers so I was eager to read more about them.

However,  the specification sheet said nothing about active crossovers and separate amplifiers for each driver.  I get the impression that the manufacturer simply put an integrated amplifier in a speaker cabinet.

Needless to say, B & O does active speakers better!

D

I think you're right, which means they won't have the full benefit of a true active design, but still interesting. 

Actually there are a lot (socalled) active speakers on the market today - it is a booming market, indeed!

There are several different combinations - all of them offering simplicity (which is wanted today).

But like the mentioned Klipsch a lot of these are a combination of a speaker with a built-in amp (with one or more - wireless or wired - connections) and a passive  speaker....

....which is far from the concept of the BeoLabs of today.

Then again - we must also see the (BL) active speakers concept as a part of the B&O infrastructure.

For years it was a distribution of (different oldschool) sources from a master unit to the peripherial 'slaves'/linkrooms.

With the new NL concept it is units with their own sources (mainly netbased) built-in, that can be used either locally or on the network.

There is a long way from a simple active speaker (like the Klipsch) to the active concept of B&O.

MM

I had a home audition of these speakers from PSI, a popular studio monitor company, last year and they were by far the most detailed speakers I had ever heard and was deeply impressed. They are fully active and the amp and drive units communicate with each other but the wife said no to big purple boxes and now i'm holding out for a smaller and more affordable version of the Beolab 90 which also has room correction, beaming etc...

Millemissen wrote:

Actually there are a lot (socalled) active speakers on the market today - it is a booming market, indeed!

There are several different combinations - all of them offering simplicity (which is wanted today).

But like the mentioned Klipsch a lot of these are a combination of a speaker with a built-in amp (with one or more - wireless or wired - connections) and a passive  speaker....

....which is far from the concept of the BeoLabs of today.

Then again - we must also see the (BL) active speakers concept as a part of the B&O infrastructure.

For years it was a distribution of (different oldschool) sources from a master unit to the peripherial 'slaves'/linkrooms.

With the new NL concept it is units with their own sources (mainly netbased) built-in, that can be used either locally or on the network.

There is a long way from a simple active speaker (like the Klipsch) to the active concept of B&O.

MM

There is a UK company, ATC Loudspeakers, that has been manufacturing active loudspeakers for many years.  They are a more traditional design but are highly regarded.  This is an example along with a review.

http://www.whathifi.com/news/ces-2015-atc-to-introduce-scm40a-active-loudspeaker

http://atcloudspeakers.co.uk/hi-fi/loudspeakers/hifi-entry-series/scm40a/

What got me most about the Klipsch speakers was the design that eliminated the need for any central audio master, it seems to be a good example of how things are changing. I think the Moment has great potential, marred by the usual B&O software issues sadly. The concept though is thoroughly modern and forward thinking.

My brother-in-law is a musician who also has a very good studio in his basement that he not only uses for his own work but rents time out to other musicians with him acting as studio engineer. He manages to make a fair amount of coin with both his performances and his studio work. He has a pair of 3 way, active studio monitors that I can't recall the maker, German I think. I remember being very impressed with the sound of them listening to them last time I was over there. I think they retailed for almost 5000 dollars a pair or such, but the sound was incredibly good and the bass extension from such a small speaker was impressive. I remember thinking that if I wasn't into B&O these would be an excellent speaker for any listening room.

Jeff wrote:

He has a pair of 3 way, active studio monitors that I can't recall the maker, German I think. I remember being very impressed with the sound of them listening to them last time I was over there. I think they retailed for almost 5000 dollars a pair or such, but the sound was incredibly good and the bass extension from such a small speaker was impressive. I remember thinking that if I wasn't into B&O these would be an excellent speaker for any listening room.

Isn't the canonical choice for that purpose Genelec? (which is Finnish... 🙂 ) They have been making active speakers since 1978.

They have a good variety from small near-field monitors (very popular computer speakers among nerds over here) through home cinema speakers to the most demanding studio monitors. And although I personally don't like their appearance that much, they actually are designed, by Harri Koskinen who probably is internationally best known for his Block lamp by Design House Stockholm.

These aren't Genelecs I think, though I've seen Genelecs in many studios, they have a well earned reputation as the go to company for such things.