jparvio

2024 will begin with Devialet Expert Pro 220 CI, a pair of Dynaudio Contour 30i´s and a Dynaudio Sub 6. Main source is Roon Nucleus with a NAS and Qobuz. Sony´s 75" TV will be used for concerts and movies and therefore is a vital part of the setup.

At least Roon+Qobuz works just fine. To be more precise I run Roon on MacBook Air M2 (Sonoma) while streamer/amp is Devialet Expert Pro 220 CI. Roon core runs on Nucleus. BTW, there is already another topic for this discussion:

Let me also clarify that "an active speaker" as a concept does not automatically mean bad execution. Not all amplifiers suffer from the mentioned problems. In pro and high end audio there are many examples of high quality solutions based on external dsp/amplification where the heat is not an issue. As an example: https://jblpro.com/en/products/m2#specifications

Yes, but less and less every day. There is a strong movement from ab towards D. Also the heat issues are no way less of a problem with class ab (in active speaker).

There _can_ be some truth into it; heat issues can shorten amplifier module lifespan. This can occur when class-d-modules are installed to a place where ventilation is not sufficient (inside a speaker cabinet). Some class-d-modules also have a design weakness; normal heat dissipation causes capacitors to die faster than their lifespan would be otherwise.

Solaudio´s are fuller having more body and weight; authoritative and at the same time more gentle and less shouty. Highs are of better overall quality. PAP on the other hand has faster transients, is more lively and "there", creates a huge soundstage. PAP can create a very live-like results but also require some trial and error when it comes to amp selection. Both are absolutely killer speakers with different nature.

Solaudio Fusion mk2 by a Finnish manufacturer called Solaudio.

...and some more:

Here are some pics of my old systems during the Years. Some of these pics can be found on the internet since I am a journalist.

Thanks! The Floor is made of Finnish Birch. Here in Scandinavia it is easily available whereas bamboo isn't.

System consists of Devialet Expert 220 Pro and ML Electromotion ESL X -speakers. Sources vary from cd and Roon to BD and PS5. Very often these Days I find myself streaming Concerts and watching Musicals and opera.

My long time favourite was Canare´s excellent LV61s, a classic 75 ohm coax. In fact I still have them as my to-go el cheapo references. Years and Years ago I did a subjective test (not scientifically proven): I equipped LV61s with different orca plugs and listened. There were differences. At the end the best overall balance was found with Eichmann´s plastic/copper RCA plugs.

Wadia 151 PowerDac. Not very powerful but surprisingly nice sounding. Not available as new, but used ones are plenty available for a pocket coin.

Not to mention that tinned copper was once widely and cheaply available. Early Supra Ply speaker cable looked very much like the 1980´s telephone line-related tinned copper cables; my father used to work for telephone company back in the Day and noticed the similarity and showed me. I was using Supra Ply. I cannot recall if I really compared the two. Were they DNA basically the same? I don't know, don't really care. By comparison to some competition Supra was less extended on top, fatter and less detailed overall. I've since heard more than decent sound from setups using Supra cables, so they cannot be all that bad ;)

The latest class-D amps do not suffer from the impedance load-variant behavior as the early ones did. That said they are not all made equal. So before rushing into D based on the price as value meter, one should listen to the product.