Isn’t every passive crossover removable?
Maybe not so much if it has soldered connections and the board is glued in place or not easily accessible.
Control surfaces are wonderful technology and there is a delicious irony of an analog-like control surface used to control digital equipment.
Neat setup.
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I have to believe the AN2 project has died and Psaudio personnel do not mention it not to renew the pain as as soon as you ask it they go deadly quiet… 
From what I’ve seen, a reputation for active speakers comes almost always from the pro audio world, as @danofesherintheuk said companies like ATC and PMC, and others like Adam etc. The exception in the UK market is Linn, because they had pioneered streaming and class D amplification, so doing their Exakt system was mostly using existing technology, plus they already had very good active speakers. @danofesherintheuk clearly has a lot more knowledge than most consumers, taking speakers apart, but I look at a fully active system as the opportunity to implement a good DSP system, for example that allows speakers placed closer to walls, and they generally seem to offer better value for money. The top-end systems I’ve heard all tend to be passive, using speakers from the likes of Wilson, Focal and PMC.
Hi Steve, not derived from Studio technology are:
- Quadral Aurum Active
- Backes & Müller, they have a very long active speakers only history, for high end they were the first
- Rowen, they offer active cross overs for each of their speakers
- Avantgarde Acoustic ZERO.XD
- Meridian
- Manger S1
All full range floor standing absolute High End speakers.
Then more studio derived:
- Dutch & Dutch 8c
- Grimm Audio (all speakers active)
- Kii
- HEDD
- Dynaudio
- Dali Callisto
- Genelec
All absolute High End contenders.
Then there are seriously high end contenders from:
- Canton A45 and Vento A9 Active
- KEF LS50
- ELAC Navis Bookshelf’s and Floorstanding speakers.
- Canton Bookshelf’s
- Bose
- Nubert NUPro series
- Teufel Active Series
- Yamaha
- Devialet
The list is not complete.
But very few companies offer the AN3 partially (Teil Aktiv) concept, which marries the goods of both worlds, DSP Bass management, taking care of most, if not all Room / Positioning issues and high end low complex X-over solutions to allow any amplification method of your taste for the important mid and treble.
Which is what I like about these.
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In reply to Steven and Rudolf, a few comments:
1 - the German market definitely likes active speakers (more so than the British market). They also like ceramic drivers by Accuton (and folded/AMT tweeters)
2 - lots of active speakers are totally incapable of being tuned properly to their environment because they don’t offer any EQ/DSP (i.e. nothing that’s user accessible). Some don’t even offer level control of each driver frequency (which in my view is a crazy decision) and have the crossover and amps built-in
3 - the advantage for using stuff from the pro world, such as PMC, is that you know it can be taken apart easily for servicing (i.e. access to the crossover and easy driver removal, hence it’s easy to do what I’ve done and end up with something that’s totally flexible). Also, each frequency range has its own set of binding posts (or Neutrik connectors). My speakers don’t weigh a ridiculous amount (although they’re large I’ve mounted them on formica style board so that they can be shoved across my solid tiled floor)
4 - I’m not sure that because PS A are using servo bass (or active bass) that they’ll provide any DSP for room correction - as has been said details are few and far between.
Rudolf
You sort of make my point.
The first, Aurum, been around 35 years, dozens of products and only two are active.
The only other of the first lot I know are Meridian, you don’t want their track record of declining sales and massive accumulated losses.
You then have three Putzeys-based brands, small fully active studio monitors based on leading class D power. I’m considering the 8c.
Dynaudio have been around since the 1970s and are a major global brand in pro and automotive (eg the VAG group). Genelec are a primarily pro brand and still are.
Of the final lot, the likes of KEF have been around forever, they supplied the BBC with drivers for the original LS3/5a in the 1970s. ELAC, great bookshelf actives, designed by one of the world’s leading speaker designers. Bose and Yamaha have been massive and global for decades. Devialet is again based entirely on class D power in standalone units, the Phantom was mainly designed for P.A. use.
All these brands seem to have succeeded, except meridian, but doing one thing really well in one market and then slowly building on it. A globally recognised speaker/driver designer also seems to help.
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I’m familiar with PMC, having owned some, and Peter Thomas, having met him several times. I’m also familiar with Esher, having visited a client down in Claygate many times, walking down from the station I never spotted a small house. So BB5 and BB6 can probably fit easily in any property in Esher, but up in the northern suburbs closer to town they are more of an issue.
As is generally well known, Peter Thomas was a BBC engineer and was asked to design new speaker systems for the Maida Vale studios (I used to live opposite them), for which he set up PMC in 1990. The resulting speakers were developed for consumer use, basically by adding a prettier wrapper to the cabinets. They are mostly available in active or passive versions. However his many ranges of speakers designed specifically for consumer use have all been passive, including his $75,000 Fenestria.
He obviously thinks there is a good reason for not making specifically consumer speakers active or semi-active. Has he explained that to you? If not, will ask him next time I see him.
He also decided at the beginning to partner with Bryston for his active speakers, continues to do so 30 years later and is now their European distributor and service agent. The smaller twotwo. range use Class D and have sophisticated DSP, so whilst a professional unit, they are sold as consumer units as well.
these work effortlessly…i have the PMC 15" Transmission Line and i put them up on a 36" stand, another 125lbs (or more) and this +250 lbs combo which I alone move it with little effort/weight …the Giant is the one I use…and they are also cheap…
i don’t think the shipping at their E-store (whatever it’s called), while it’s free at like The Cable Company…just saying…
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Thanks iron, I didn’t know about those gliders.
Thanks as well - what an excellent product. Will order some.
Hi Steven, PMC pick different dealers for consumer v pro. Luckily a dealer near me is a good friend of Pete Thomas. The dealer had a ‘PMC Day’ and had the smaller MB2s - I was amazed at what they could do so got a big extension built (my house was originally not very large and still isn’t by Esher/Oxshott standards) and ordered up a pair of passive BB5i and a pair of XB3 (just the 15" driver in the large transmission line enclosure - no crossover/amp) and bypassed the crossovers in the BB5i (I also bought a pair of the 34mm pro tweeters to replace the BB5i modified Seas tweeters so that I had the same drivers that are found in studios such as Metropolis).
With the new BB6 range PMC have their own crossover and amps - similar to their new Q range as far as I can tell. Recently PMC took over the Martin Logan UK distributorship and run their distributor products separately from their own speaker range.
Steven, I’ll PM you. Dan.
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Not sure why you’d draw that conclusion. The AN2 and AN1 are very much alive. They just have to be patient.
The launch plan is simple and I will repeat it again for those keeping track.
We launch with the AN3, a speaker model I like to refer to as the “pivot” speaker. This speaker sets the stage for our entire speaker line in two directions, up and down. It’s the center point, or middle of the line. From here we go up and down
in models, performance, and price.
So AN3 launches first. Should be available in 2nd quarter 2020.
Next we launch the full line of 3 lower cost full range floor standing Stellar speakers, ranging from $10K down to about $3K the pair.
Following that we launch AN2, then AN1.
We chose this order for a number of reasons that are probably too long to include here in this post. The easiest too understand is solving the challenge we face of entering a very crowded marketplace as a newcomer. AN3 sets the standard, the bar,
of what to expect. To gain traction in the marketplace, we believe we’ll get more penetration but then making speakers everyone can afford. Once established and we have footing, it’s easier to get traction on the more expensive models.
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Paul, any plans on making a smaller stand mount in the lower range?
Vandersteen?
Yes, we have a Sprout speaker in the works which is a killer bookshelf. Hopefully $1195 the pair.
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Vandersteen, probably., my list was certainly not complete. I trust you know more from te West side of the Atlantic. As you can see my list is rather Europe oriented.
All I know, Leander van der Steen is a very good componist, director and musician in our city in The Netherlands. But I am pretty sure you talk about a very good loudspeaker designer, manufacturer in the US or Canada.
Perhaps they are related if you climb down far enough the ancestors tree.
And where does the Sprout speaker sit in the lineup for the release cycle?
Paul, I’m looking forward to a production AN3 pics, specs, costs, and time of shipping. Keep up the great work. 2020 maybe AN3’s in the house? Just a quick question. Any guess on the AN2 as far as cost and when they will start to ship? My guess is 2021