New KEF Studio monitors - any good?

Actually I agree.  Too often at the moment threads are ending up turning into debates about distortion or active vs passive or similar, and not really getting to the heart of the original post/question.

I personally think its time to cool all the posturing and focus on keeping things on-topic a bit more.  That way we might actually be able to help each other instead of going round in circles all the time.

I don't think so. As has been mentioned numerous times, and something which the active brigade can't seem to let sink into their brains, is that not everyone wants an active solution! A lot of people are happy with separates as they can choose what they want, tailor their system, and choose speakers that they like the look of (yes,mthat is important to people nowadays!). There have been many people state that they think active speakers sound bright to them. You may disagree, and no doubt countless others, but you have to take into account people's personal preferences when it comes to looks and sound.

Oh right, so it's no longer manufacturers(who don't make actives) holding actives back, it's the retailers. There's always someone to blame isn't there? Do pro places sell any electronics at all? Or is it just a wall of active speakers?

Let me ask you something (as well as all active followers) - are you supporting actives because they're active, or because they're supposedly more accurate?

Well said MP; people can pick and choose as they see fit, not have a solution that fits some thrown at them as the be-all and end-all.  It is tiresome and this place doesn't need it.

There's a place for everything in this hobby and everyone has different requirements.  

This is a thread about studio monitors, that are claimed by KEF to be the most accurate on the planet, so it was kind of inevitable that comparisons with active studio monitors would come into it. 

And again, i don't see anyone saying all actives are better or actives are the be all and end all, so why do some people keep insisting that others are saying exactly that? When they're not. 

I'll be interested to see if anyone is interested in answering my previous questions....

Yeah, but people are making comparisons based on the fact that they're passive, and making huge assumptions about how they will, and how they won't, sound. Surely, at this point, we should wait and see what people think who have actually heard the speakers rather than judging them before they even hit the stores. It's like saying Prometheus is going to be rubbish.

Can you not see why?

Indeed.

See I just don't buy this argument. Joe blogs may go in to the shop wanting speaker a (passive version) plus amp b, or with a budget of x, but any good salesman is going to be able to not only show joe speaker a (active version) at less overall cost than x, but an even better active speaker that ends up costing joe his budget of x and gets him an even better overall system. The same total sale price so the shop is no worse off. Anyone into Hifi is going to struggle to spend less than their budget to get the second best system they have heard IMO.

Im sure you will then go on to tell me that the profit margins are lower as the charitable active speaker makers don't like anyone making any profit, but that's just speculation and IMO BS (unless anyone can demonstrate comparative retailer profit margins passive vs active).

In the mean time if active joe wants to upgrade he has to buy a whole new system and can't change any individual part of it, effectively buying a whole new system, not just a single item upgrade. If the active speaker replaces some combination of dac, pre amp, power amp, integrated amp, speaker cable, and speakers, then joe can upgrade an aspect of his passive system approx four times for the equivalent of one active upgrade. Several active lovers on here are on their fourth active system, that the equivalent of 16 individual component changes. I've never even bought 16 individual components and I have two separate systems! 

 we should all sell our speakers and go buy some quad or similar electrostatics, no crossovers, distortion levels lower than any cone/dome based speaker can dream of.

And getting on for 50 odd year old design.

Stick that in your active/passive pipe and smoke it!!!!!!!!!!!

You are right of course, I am arguing from a "high fidelity audio" standpoint, not a fancy furniture one. And I agree, not everyone wants the same thing. And  at the moment there is little in the way of actives to choose from in that department. I am certain these KEFs will be awesome passives. They will probably sing like nightingales in Spring on the end of a high quality amp. Total cost in the region of 2 to 3 grand. 

It's all about the money.

As to why are some people supporting actives? Strange choice of words, i personally don't support them, i think that even cheap, flawed active speakers are better than most Passive speakers i've owned, and that high quality actives like mine are much better than any passive speakers i've owned or heard, perhaps others would disagree if they demoed them against everything i've heard.

I also believe, based on my own experience and what i've read, that good active speakers are more accurate sounding and have greater clarity and balance, than good passive speakers, because of the benefits an active crossover. 

Now that's a pretty clear, personal analysis.

Does it read like i'm declaring that all active speakers are better than all passives? Or that i'm declaring that active speakers are "the be all and end all"? Or does it seem obvious that my poor little mind has been brainwashed by some nasty active spindoctor?

And there was me beginning to think you were being nice about it. They're £800, and they'll cost no more than £800 to someone who already has an amp and speakers. They'll cost more to someone starting out for the first time or to someone moving back to passive from active.

Stop with the stupid, petty nitpicking.

You missed Paul's wedding music thread Max.

Last time I looked at it, no-one was talking about active speakers!

Did you read that back before posting it? You've basically slagged off most passives in favour of even rubbish actives. 

Yup, read your paragraph above.

Well you do spout the same EDITED, almost word for word.