Active Speakers vs New Amplifier/Speakers

[Vishal]

I have an aging but beloved Stereo setup of NAD Amp + PSB Speakers. My setup works great but is dated now. Meanwhile the world has changed and become streaming first. I bought a Network Streamer to add to the setup but feel I’m at crossroads now.

Should I ditch the Amp/PSB and go for Active Speakers like KEFs? My source is all Digital now, I could connect my TV as well as I’m looking for a good Soundbar plus my 7 year old is getting into music and the digital App based Spotify/ Apple Music world is easier to use.

Or Should I do a full classic Stereo Amp + Speaker upgrade ? Source would still be Digital though.

Regards

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

Don't throw away your old amp and speakers as long as they are working OR repair cost is not too high . Trust me - you can upgrade based on your requirement but you will miss the Sound Quality which these old amps come up with .

Seems like you are looking for streamers , to play digital music . Check with FM's who are using them in this forum .

 

[Saiganesh]

I have an aging but beloved Stereo setup of NAD Amp + PSB Speakers. My setup works great but is dated now. Meanwhile the world has changed and become streaming first. I bought a Network Streamer to add to the setup but feel I’m at crossroads now.

Should I ditch the Amp/PSB and go for Active Speakers like KEFs? My source is all Digital now, I could connect my TV as well as I’m looking for a good Soundbar plus my 7 year old is getting into music and the digital App based Spotify/ Apple Music world is easier to use.

Or Should I do a full classic Stereo Amp + Speaker upgrade ? Source would still be Digital though.

Regards

Newer ones are very bad. Need to spend a lot (serious lot, a lot and even more) to get what the old setup is offering. Bought a portronics soundbar for my second room. Its good. May be try jbl or sennheisser soundbar. Try them first. All these new offerings from denon marantz, pooneeretc.. are shitty (budget and mid range)

 

[rwnano]

Like everyone else said. Old passive is good.

 

[Naturelover]

Discard NAD and PSB?
A beloved one, at that.
No, please don't

 

[reignofchaos]

Unless you are talking about ATC/Neumann/Focal type monitor speaker in their mid-high end range, I'd not recommend actives.

As for KEFs, they are mostly meh.

 

[Vishal]

Thank you all.
I live in Mumbai and space is always a premium. I feel the stereo setup intimidates the doctor wifey n 7 yo daughter, not that they have complained though. I did invest in a Bluesound Node to stream HiRes n use Spotify Connect ( direct WiFi download into Node) but in a dilemma over the amp+passive or sleek modern Actives.

I also have a big living room , 20x 18 so don’t know how those tiny actives will sound? Do active speakers come in Floorstanders under 1.5 lac .

The only argument is favor of Actives is the one box solution, compact and easily operated in a family home.

 

[Vishal]

Don't throw away your old amp and speakers as long as they are working OR repair cost is not too high . Trust me - you can upgrade based on your requirement but you will miss the Sound Quality which these old amps come up with .

Seems like you are looking for streamers , to play digital music . Check with FM's who are using them in this forum .

The Amp is working fine n so are the speakers. I did buy a BlueSound Node streamer.

 

[Vishal]

Unless you are talking about ATC/Neumann/Focal type monitor speaker in their mid-high end range, I'd not recommend actives.

As for KEFs, they are mostly meh.

Are all Kefs or their wireless range? I wanted to audition the q550 ..

 

[reignofchaos]

Are all Kefs or their wireless range? I wanted to audition the q550 ..

KEF is good only in the reference and up range. Rest sound thin to me especially for male vocals. Others may disagree otherwise.

 

[Shammi Dang]

I have an aging but beloved Stereo setup of NAD Amp + PSB Speakers. My setup works great but is dated now. Meanwhile the world has changed and become streaming first. I bought a Network Streamer to add to the setup but feel I’m at crossroads now.

Should I ditch the Amp/PSB and go for Active Speakers like KEFs? My source is all Digital now, I could connect my TV as well as I’m looking for a good Soundbar plus my 7 year old is getting into music and the digital App based Spotify/ Apple Music world is easier to use.

Or Should I do a full classic Stereo Amp + Speaker upgrade ? Source would still be Digital though.

Regards

Stick with your current set up as Nad and psb are very nicely matched combo as they come from the same group. I had owned a Nad amp (C325bee) for almost 15 years and I can say the mids are spot on although sometimes one may feel little harshness but sound is very natural. If you love these aspects then stick with your current set up. For TV connectivity you can buy decent DAC available at headphone zone/others sellers and connect via an optical cable. Some dac's also come with an hdmi port. Active speakers are not a great idea. An integrated amp & passive speakers is a better option then active speakers. However these are just my personal thoughts.

 

[MaSh]

I have an aging but beloved Stereo setup of NAD Amp + PSB Speakers. My setup works great but is dated now. Meanwhile the world has changed and become streaming first. I bought a Network Streamer to add to the setup but feel I’m at crossroads now.

Should I ditch the Amp/PSB and go for Active Speakers like KEFs? My source is all Digital now, I could connect my TV as well as I’m looking for a good Soundbar plus my 7 year old is getting into music and the digital App based Spotify/ Apple Music world is easier to use.

Or Should I do a full classic Stereo Amp + Speaker upgrade ? Source would still be Digital though.

Regards

In my opinion you are on the right course.

You could start with visiting various dealers with your amp and speakers and audition what they have. See if you like any of the combinations?

For actives, you could also check Klipsch five or sevens too. QA m20 actives + a Sub could also be a good option.

MaSh

 

[availlyrics]

WAF aside , you would loose more than what you will gain. Tiny speakers are no match to any proper floorstanders. Current active speakers are powered mostly by Class D modules

 

[hydra]

As a former PSB + NAD owner, I'd say don't sell. You'll have to spend a whole lot (a LOT) of extra money to get close to what you'd be giving up.

Actives would mean you don't have an amp to deal with, but you'd also have an extra power cable per speaker to deal witth. Removing one box from the equation may not really matter much in terms of wiring complexity.

The cost-benefit ratio here is stacked very much against changing the system, unless you're going to spend about 3 times what you spent originally, just to make it feel like an upgrade.

I really wished I'd retained my PSB Imagine B6 and NAD 326BEE, when I was looking to get a second system for my office use. I'm happy with what I got, but I ended up spending about double what I'd invested in the earlier NAD+PSB system.

 

[Vishal]

I played about 2-4 hours of music after a long time. The Bluesound Node has started to pair well with the NAD + PSB and the speakers are also re “breaking in”. My system was in storage for about 2-3 years so was a bit skeptical about the components working, audio quality etc. I did a few running repairs:
Serviced the NAD Amp at Lakozy.
Chopped off the old oxidised banana plugs n attached 8 new plugs (amp - speaker leads).
Updated n configured the Node to use Spotify Connect (WiFi) vs Bluetooth downloads.

With no additional investment the music quality is starting to sound beautiful again. The sound stage, clarity of vocals and depth are slowly becoming better n better. After almost 3-4 years of digital music, today was a Golden day for classic stereo Rock-Stars !!

 

[Vishal]

WAF aside , you would loose more than what you will gain. Tiny speakers are no match to any proper floorstanders. Current active speakers are powered mostly by Class D modules

You are correct - Size does matter. In our new house with a big living room and open plan, French windows and poor acoustics arrangement, my PSB Image T45 can barely fill the room with sound. I’m not planning to play head banging music anyways but I feel that smallish Actives just cannot function as main stereo speakers.

 

[Nitin K]

You are correct - Size does matter. In our new house with a big living room and open plan, French windows and poor acoustics arrangement, my PSB Image T45 can barely fill the room with sound.

It's a good decision to retain your Nad + PSB. If you feel PSB is straining to fill the room, then you can add an appropriate sealed sub( if the amp has a preout) and reduce the load on your amp and speakers. The crossover can be done from the subwoofer.

 

[availlyrics]

Nice to hear that you are re-enjoying your music again. BTW , how large is your room? As I had also auditioned PSB bookshelf when I had purchased NAD C352 (2004) from Lakozy, but opted diy route for the speakers. I can barely recall how those PSB sounded and anyways, the listening arrangement was less than ideal.

 

[Vishal]

Nice to hear that you are re-enjoying your music again. BTW , how large is your room? As I had also auditioned PSB bookshelf when I had purchased NAD C352 (2004) from Lakozy, but opted diy route for the speakers. I can barely recall how those PSB sounded and anyways, the listening arrangement was less than ideal.

The room is about 20 x 18 ‘ but acoustics are poor. has walls on 2 sides only. 1 side has glass windows and the other his open.

 

[DB1989]

You are correct - Size does matter. In our new house with a big living room and open plan, French windows and poor acoustics arrangement, my PSB Image T45 can barely fill the room with sound. I’m not planning to play head banging music anyways but I feel that smallish Actives just cannot function as main stereo speakers.

Do you mean a lack of bass when you say the speakers can barely fill the room?

if so, You'll likely need floorstanders to fill the space. Check out the Q Acoustics M40HD if you want to try actives.

for passives, check out a large pair such as the Polk r700, Klipsch RP8000F, SVS Prime/Ultra.