Powered Speakers Suck! Can The Triangle AIO Twins Change My Mind?

[@aceofspades6667]

I love active speakers and have owned 8-9 sets in a near field and mid field environment. For an office or desktop usage or a small spare bedroom listening space they are perfect.

[@aceofspades6667]

I’ve owned Yamaha hs8, Adam tv8, Adam a7x, genelec 8030c, focal solo 6, event 20/20 BAS v3, jbl 306p mk2, and the SVS wireless pro. I also demos a few pairs of Kali monitors that were nice.

[@stevenorcio307]

@@aceofspades6667 Im looking for a pair pf powered speakers for a garage set up to use with a new Wiim Pro, suggestions please. $1,000.00 budget

[@1bye4bye9]

What a great review. So helpful. Thanks! This is my first time catching you. I will be looking for more reviews as I seek out an active speaker solution for my new room.

[@michaelpatterson6575]

Great video, it’s nice to see an audiophile guy who isn’t afraid of to admit when a product such as this sounds good. I have owned the triangle AIO twin for some time now and I am very impressed. I have owned some very expensive systems in my time and I have to say these speakers can compete with hifi systems twice or even three times the price. Well worth a look if you are looking to cut down on cables and big bulky components.

[@iluvj00]

Can I use them as computer speakers?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Time Stamps: 00:00 Start 03:02 Crossing Paths 04:12 Listening Impressions 08:43 Equalize Expectations 09:54 Sound Clips 12:54 Speaker Measurements 14:41 Final Thoughts

[@hoth2112]

For a small room or desktop setup, these seem to be a pretty solid choice especially if space for gear and other goodies arent an option. I also suspect that little iron-core in the bass network is probably where that last bit of texture and tone got lost. On a side note, It would be interesting to see you explore in-room measurements regarding how distance to the front wall affects the sound and response of a speaker, especially if you have access to open-baffle, sealed, front-ported and rear-ported speakers, to see how each one reacts as they get closer to the front wall, and possibly include sound clips at say 7-8 feet, 2-3 feet and 6-12 inches from the wall to further illustrate those differences. Keep up the great work! 👏👏

[@thomasalexand]

I own two Q-Acoustics BT3 active speakers and Q-Acoustics M20 active speakers. Paired with subwoofer, all are good. The M20s are excellent. Three months ago, I bought a Rotel a11 tribute amplifier and a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 50s passive speakers. The separates are very good. The M20s just about hold their own with a warmer sound.

[@Tom-z9y2e]

Thank you for your work. I think providing original tracks and recordings plus a review to pay attention to differences is the best way to review audio gears. It reinforces the knowledge about what to expect from each one and it's the only way to check our personal engagement or not with the gear reviewed.

[@leeh4722]

Good to see you back Ron. I love Triangle speakers. I have the Borea BT’s in the bedroom, Borea BR02’s in the kitchen and Titus Ez in the living room

[@jadisperdu9412]

Big differences between titus and borea thanks to the higher-end tweeter ?

[@BradleyGreenburg]

I have the AIO Twins paired with an SVS SB 1000 Pro. Just fabulous clean sound for the money. Banging system.

[@mc8795]

My question is, have you heard Adam Audio monitors, Genelecs or PMC? There are speakers in the pro audio world that are actually used to produce the music you love, so they arent bad... What do you think of Adam Audio?

[@Newrecordday2013]

I’d be down to check them out.

[@artureff3046]

ATC 100 SCM100A PRO? [£16,950.00]

[@roberts3889]

Active speakers are fantastic. The devil is in the details, just as it is with passives.

[@musicman8270]

Except that passives are way more reliable

[@roberts3889]

@@musicman8270, maybe. I always hear concern about amps failing and having to send the entire speaker in for repair. But how often does that really happen? Any more often than external amp failure? Don't you have to send your whole amp in for repair anyway? If you've saved the original carton, it's not a big deal in either situation. The argument just seems like people trying to find a reason not to like active speakers.

[@musicman8270]

@@roberts3889 I have a pair of bowers 702s2 floorstanders. I was reading the reviews on Crutchfields site. And one of the reviewers said that he had to send his Golden ears speakers back three times. And while my Bowers subs have class d things like subs is pretty much what I limit class D to. Most "active" speakers use class D amps. And class D doesn't have quite the hours of AB and class A. Anyway best of luck.

[@vtkz]

@@musicman8270 so how many high end / well build actives broke ? do youve any statistics or are you just repeating the ignorance of all the audiophiles who never own a high end active system ?

[@musicman8270]

@@vtkz Never will own an "active" system. My philosophy is simple. My preamp breaks I get the old receiver from the den An amp breaks I re-arrange things( I have three). I don't worry about the speakers because they just don't break. Not unless you make them unnessearily complicated by putting an amp in them. Some people have to find out things the hard way. And taking something simple and reliable and making it complicated is the meaning of the hard way. As you will discover

[@IrenESorius]

Thank you ever so much for your time and work it takes to share your knwowledge,, 🙏

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

I have a pair of Focal Solo 6 monitors with upgraded synergistic Master fuses! Sounds great!

[@redpill4431]

I've been using pro gear for a very long time ,active speakers are great, i have never looked back

[@vtkz]

same here. I listen with Neumann Speakers (and some other Brands like Unity Audio, Abacus, Ksdigital) for many years and never want to go back to passive stuff

[@svalbard01]

Ron, you are Mr. Consistent with the quality and depth of your reviews. I **would** like at least one reference to Cosmic Hippo per vid, but I'm perhaps too nostalgic.

[@hugomoradas2912]

Do you think they are on the same league as the lsx 2 ornlsx 2 lt's?

[@dparis2172]

I’d like to know, too.

[@mindhead1]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Buchardt A10 w/ its ability to change sound profiles.

[@backrack01]

I have the Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Speakers in my office set up. I like them a lot. No internal Dac or streaming.. no TV. Just analog. I'd recommend checking them out.

[@thomasalexand]

A British Audiophile highly recommended them.

[@starzas1998]

Great review as always, also thanks for the sound clips, i haven't seen this quality of recording anywhere else

[@saint6563]

"Rounded" is putting it politely. Thanks for the review. They don't have the attack & detail of the reference nor should they.

[@RedSinter]

Well Ron, I certainly say overall I liked what I heard between the reference track and speakers and the Triangles. I tend to think that certainly some of it is the result of my one individual ears, as no two are alike. Genetics playing in the background not to mention the psychoacoustics in perception and the individuals musical preferences. The oddities I heard between reference and the powered were noticable in two regons one the upper register tool off one one cut wasn't as linear and seemed muted or vailed in another the upper midrange had similar issues. I can say neither were bothersome overall and I imagine there could be ways to easily midigate that. I didn't find the highs overly exagerated and I did not find tge low registers lacking to a point, but again slightly vailed for two particular cuts. Again these differences aren't deal breakers and I was happy that the lows not as low as I would prefer were not smeared or muddy. It would be nice to think adfing a sub would correct this and hopefully the amp macis has an auto high pass filter. They did strike ne as slightly cool. What wasn't addressed was the ability to disappear or their overall sound stage. They are certainly worth consideration. So, thanks a lot now I have another mfg to fret over...lol😂

[@skymax7437]

Pro audio manufacturers offer great value for money speakers. I own two pairs of KS Digital A100. KS Digital is a small peo audio manufacturer from Germany and the pro audio branch of renowned active speaker manufacturer Backes & Müller. The A100 as the smallest (2-way) and cheapest (1600,- € a piece) replaced my Scansonic HD MB-5 (7k € a pair, the more budget friendly sister of Raidho) in my living room. My next step would be the KS Digital A200 Mk 2. And never forget Neumann Audio (world class mics, studio standard plus awesome speakers), i.e. the KH 80 DSP, KH120 II or KH310. And of course ME Geithain. Both Neumann and ME Geithain are broadcast studio standards in Germany.

[@masterblaster2555]

Don't forget Genelec! I am saving for a Sun Audio Purified 4 system, love to have electronics outboard and they measure very clean.

[@bgroovin1343]

Would be great to see you do a comparison of these against some of the other popular speakers. There is definitely a market for them.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

I really like your playlist choices .. and these demos were great!

[@tomazgaber3798]

Great little speekers! What are you yuzing for a reference speekers? Dey war imazing!!!

[@The340king]

The main difference on my system was the bass difference due to my subwoofer kicking in on the reference material playback. They didn't appear to be fatiguing. They have a lot of options for the money.

[@andrewmccorkell652]

Would this not be best described as a powered speaker, rather than an active speaker. Not clear if it has amps in both speakers or just one amp in the master speaker.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Actually that’s a great point! Thanks!

[@VuNguyen-mh4oo]

I am about to order a pair of Kanto TUK but waiting for this pair's evaluation before deciding. Thks

[@Zombie101]

which did u get

[@cinemaipswich4636]

Some speakers have XLR inputs, for those with a modern mixer.

[@dicksonsmith9258]

some of the vocals were more forward but not over bearing not too bad for active speakers but is there any hiss when level of input is lower ? most active speakers are hissy

[@vtkz]

what actives are hissy ? i heard and owned so many an no one have so much noise that your distracted

[@basukisugito8929]

I seen so many speaker factories put the tweeter and the woofer so far away from each other. I always asking me why why why???

[@razisn]

So this is strictly speaking a powered speaker not an active one. Active ones have active crossovers (analog or digital) before the power amplification and, of course, one amp per driver. Why one would prefer a powered speaker rather than a properly active one, beats me..

[@thomasalexand]

Powered speakers mean each speaker has an amplifier and a dedicated power source , so two main sockets are needed. Active is one speaker with an amplifier and the other speaker is passive. Only one power source required.

[@vtkz]

​@@thomasalexandno the opposite. Powered = Master & Slave / Active = Each Speaker has its own Amp

[@thomasalexand]

@@vtkz Yes. Silly me.

[@johannjohann6523]

Thanks for the video. Those are some of the better bookshelf home speakers I have heard (listened with headphones). Never heard of the brand so yes thanks for putting the video together. New subscriber. And maybe I'm wrong, there are good and comparable speakers to studio monitors. I am just not aware of them.

[@johannjohann6523]

For the money you can'tbeat Pro Eqpt. these days, not for the price compared what is offered for the home. If you're ready to spend some $$ on a stereo or surround system you definitely need to look at some Pro Eqpt offerings and seriously consider Pro Line Array speakers (powered & passive). There are some that are smaller in size and would fit well in your living room. Bose being some of the smallest Line Arrays, but brilliant big sound. In fact I think the Bose are better in a home setting than stage because of their size. They are certainly the best offering from Bose. And regardless of brand, pretty much any line array system is good these days regardless of price. German "LD Systems" being my favorite brand currently. Well built, sound great.

[@6StringPassion.]

On a serious note, these do sound pretty sweet. Do you think that the difference in cabinet mass between the two speakers due to having the electronics in one speaker affects cabinet resonance?

[@TriAmpMyFi]

Not as much as the effect in cabinet air volume has due to the crossover's existence.

[@roynusser5246]

How is the user experience with the APP? That's a pretty good looking tweeter. I dig the copper-ish color

[@johnt2442]

Nice review. When can we expect the Caladan review?

[@sidesup8286]

SOME people buy $3,000 isolation bases to put under their source and andanother one for their preamp & another one for their power amp, so vibration from the speakers coming up through the floor doesn't adversely affect their electronics performance. WHILE SOME people don't think twice about their electronics being bombarded by vibration from the speakers, from sitting RIGHT INSIDE the speakers!

[@vtkz]

Because it doesnt make a huge difference and the main point is to have the crossover before the amplification. And when it causes damages, why brands are so successful in the studio market where you need acourracy and durability... I use actives for over 10 years and never had any failure

[@sidesup8286]

Speaker vibration getting to the amp does make a HUGE degradation. Even micro vibration and magnetic interaction between the transformer & the rest of the amp circuitry degrades the sound. That's why the best preamps have their own seperate box power supplies. I'm a vibration and resonance expert and I know that vibration from speakers can degrade the sound ENORMOUSLY. Inside state of the art amps they do certain things with magnetic shielding, but that only helps a bit. Vibration is less with distance, and likewise magnetic interaction and static fields and all kind of other degrading fields also. Seperation and distance is the solution; not putting tha amp circuitry right inside the speaker, where there is a vibratory mess going on inside. The very best transistors, resistors, capacitors etc. are ones that internally vibrate the least. Situated next to a woofer in a speaker cabinet is the last place you'd want them. That's the last place you'd want a crossover too. The very best speakers have an external out of the cabinet crossover.

[@vtkz]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@sidesup8286than maybe ìm deaf, because every active system outperform this passive high end systems (with cable riser nonsense, filters and other gadgets) - and i listen to a lot of systems in every peice category. And when vibrations are ,,so bad,, why nearly all Studio owners use active ATCs / Neumannˋs as Reference Systems - wich outperform nearly every high end passive nonsense with this ,,audiophile gadgets,, as mentioned… I listened to many different speakers and every active system as i said is not only in Value, but also in Audio Quality way better than the typical Show Setup where 70% of the front are just Electronics…. and didnt you think these brands are also beware of ,,vibration problems,, and use an working solution wich are measured how it works. but propably the typical youtube viewers of this ,,mainstream,, hifi channels dont know anything about active systems because they want to ,,play,, with gear and believe in stuff to feel good. I personally focused on Listening, Performance and Measurements means : Room Treatment & Bass Arrays (Subwoofers) for the best Lowend Response. Whatever, happy listening. Everyone has its own journey and passion in this hobby

[@m_c_8656]

Genelec? Have you heard em?

[@theohuon5221]

You should try the brand Cabasse with their "The Pearl Collection" (+ Rialto)

[@davidstevens7809]

That dip at 100hz is from cancellation due to being that far away from front wall.

[@montynorth3009]

Unusual to have passive crossovers within an active speaker. Effectively you have a normal passive system, the only difference being that you are stuck with their amp selection and its gubbins, which normally have their own box as a stand alone unit, but the crossover stays in the speaker cabinets.

[@richardjohnston4682]

Gubbins is a great word,touch of Mark n Lard! You may not know of them 🤓

[@noahbirdrevolution]

My current apartment is so small (across st from beach is the tradeoff) that these would be interesting, but that'd require me to find a non existent place to store my current setup.

[@erwinvangrinsven9345]

Try Magnepan lrs+ , if you don’t have cats,if you have cats try Falcon Acoustics Q7 diy kit.

[@Audfile]

Thank you great guru master

[@davidstevens7809]

Compare them to a passive model if they make them

[@tpn8402]

Passive crossovers? Let Danny get his hands on them 😉

[@johannjohann6523]

For the most part, yes powered speakers Suck! And I still prefer passsive speakers and subs for my home surround system. They seem "warmer" and more dynamic. However, there are some really good powered studio monitors, even some that are entry level that don't suck because they have an individual amp for each driver tuned to that driver and no crossover. Kali, Presonus, and JBL are my 3 picks when it comes to entry level studio monitors. Worth mentioning are Yamaha, Pioneer, and KRK. KRK was owned by Gibson, but since bought up by a holding company and I don't think they are as well made as they used to be and why I placed them last. But still better compared to regular speakers same price.

[@jaredpmoser]

Missed you. Also please see Buchardt A10's they surprise everyone

[@paulburton9904]

proves how much this plantpot knows about speakers 😂😂

[@Premium-vv9kw]

Sir may i know your reference speaker please? Cause they are far better

[@AllboroLCD]

Hear yourself a set of PROPER FULL RANGE active towers where each driver has its own discrete amplification, and i assure you, youll never look back.....

[@charlesking678]

Good video, but as a suggestion you should change the title. No one is gonna goggle or keyword search, "ok ill admit it...these surprised me." Looking for a review of triangle aio twins. Maybe add the name of the product in the title. You'll get more views that way.

[@ripjones5294]

Preferred the Reference, EXCEPT with the female vocals. Female vocals seemed to be a little "closer", more like I was in a "Jazz Club" environment. Maybe it is just me. I think this might be a little "large" for a desktop, unless you have a REALLY big desk in a good sized office. Once again, just me. Enjoyed the installment. Rip

[@joonas4427]

you need to try some genelec speakers to realize that active speakers dont suck

[@danbailey1229]

Boy way to suck the fun out of HiFi even though it’s all about the music swapping out gear is the fun part. I’ve upgraded my speakers 3 times in 2 years and I’m now happy (for now). Now for a standalone phono preamp or a tube preamp fun stuff.

[@bbfoto7248]

Try the Michael Fidler Classic Audio MM Pro or MC Pro phono preamps. ;)

[@musicman8270]

Passive speakers last a long time, and are mostly trouble free. Easy to change the amp. Powered speakers only last as long as their amp. Which is usually class d. Have heard of people sending their Golden ear speakers in for repairs numerous times. Putting an amp in a speaker takes something simple and elegant and turns it into a complicated piece of crap with a much shorter lifespan

[@vtkz]

youve the same repair chances like when you buy an external amplifier. Studiomonitors have 20-30x runtime of an home system and doesnt fail... this argument is only for maybe cheap made active from klipsch or so but not for the serious high end stuff

[@musicman8270]

@@vtkz If your active speaker breaks you have to send it back, and you're out of a speaker. If the amp powering my speaker breaks I pull a backup out of the closet. And while you're waiting for your speaker to make the round trip I'm listening to tunes. Speakers hardly ever break. An amp breaks a lot more often.

[@maximumsoftness7469]

I dOnT LiKe aCtiVe sPeAkeRs

[@geofftucker3846]

These aren’t active, they are powered passive speakers. You will find plenty of information on the internet which will explain the difference.

[@Newrecordday2013]

You are correct - and it was a mistake or slip in wording without putting much thought into it. When I said active - I wasn’t implying the specific definition of an active crossover speaker - I was pointing more towards a powered, or lifestyle type speaker like the twins.

[@Abrikosmanden]

Given that you don't know what an active speaker is, it's hard to value your preference between active or passive speakers. Those are obviously internally powered passive loadspeakers. An active loudspeaker is crossed over at line level and has a separate amplifier for each pass band directly connected to the driver(s) that operate in each pass band. This offers steep cross over slopes, perfect phase behaviour, AND high damping factor at the drivers, unlike passive loudspeakers, that are compromised in all of the important technical parameters.

[@Newrecordday2013]

You are correct - and it was a mistake or slip in wording without putting much thought into it. When I said active - I wasn’t implying the specific definition of an active crossover speaker - I was pointing more towards a powered, or lifestyle type speaker like the twins.

[@timleelim9930]

I don't like passive agressive speakers 😂

[@davidrivera2165]

Reasons why built in power with dsp is not for many of us:1) Amp will likely not last more than 5 years, 2) tweaking with tube amps or preamps is not an option, 3) upgrading dac is also out of the question (software updates doesn't mean design improvements). Lastly. the big one: Guarantee obsolescence. Thanks Ron for trying to look at the bright side, yet remaining truthful to your sonic preferences.

[@vtkz]

Sorry but thats the same nonsense most of the ,, audiophiles,, talk because theyve no idea what brands are in the active world and how everything works. - Amplifier in Actives spec. Pro Audio / Studiomonitors have 10-30x the runtime of your Home Audio Stuff and doesnt fail. So, its not realy realistic that these Brands still relevant at the Market when the Electronics are not reliable or low quality. You cant sell Products with a short Lifetime in the professionell High End sector - Tweaking arround and change Equipment doesnt mean to make the Sound better - DAC : Use Analog Actives like PSI or ATC or buy from an Manufacture who Updates the DSP Boards and even build in new one. There are enough Brands on the Market. You can repair for Example Genelec Actives wich are 30 Years old - this is mostly not even possible in the Passive World - Guarantee : youve the same Guarantee on everything like an external Amplifier. Its just Electronics. You can let replace it when you buy from an well known Manufacture like anything else... There is a reason why (High End) Actives are the Main Products in the Studioworld. They work, theyre damn acourate and they deliver an Quality wich is mostly only possible with twice the price in the Passive world And the most important point : ALL !! of these Hifi Reviewers dont review High end Actives. They all made Videos about this Streaming-China- Allinone Solutions. Theyve nothing to do with finest Active Loudspeaker Design

[@thomasalexand]

Nonsense.

[@6StringPassion.]

As a certified audiophile, I know what you mean. The last set of active loudspeakers I had were extremely active - constantly running up and down the stairs every night chasing my dog. I finally had to have them neutered by removing the amplifiers. But they were no good for rock after that. No balls.

[@tessie4204]

They cost 650 euro in Europe.

[@Kocsis_Robert]

hdmi.............

[@jbnavarrete]

Lost me at active

[@zogzog1063]

Yuck! blocked.

[@vtkz]

Sorry thats not an Active Speaker, its another ,, Lifestyle,, Product with a lot of Electronic Nonsense inside. Well made and High End Active Speakers are ATC, Neumann, PSI or Genelec - this is Consumer / Lifestyle Garbage. And probably most of the ,,Audiophile Anti-Active Army,, never heard one of those in a treated Room, to see how obsolete most of the Time this Amp-Speaker Matching is. A Neumann KH420 / ATC SCM100A + DAC and you not realy need another Speaker in your life

[@tedkay5272]

@@vtkz 😂

[@burton7023]

Nope