Self-Powered loudspeakers or "monitors" as they are called in the pro world are the standard configuration for monitoring, mixing and mastering of both live and studio recorded sound. This is because of the numerous sonic and convenience benefits this system offers. Advancements in high resolution digital signal processing of high sample and bit rates and advanced hardware now yield extreme high fidelity that can be brought to domestic high end loudspeaker systems at a reasonable price.

Incorporating the amplifier into the design of the speaker system eliminates any and all performance degrading mismatches between the speaker, cable and partnering amplifier. Power levels in terms of both voltage and current as well as sonic characteristics can be precisely matched at the design stage. The system's drivers are able to operate in an optimal fashion and there is no longer a need to run speaker cables.

The above performance advantages coupled with the increasing popularity of line-level music sources such as music servers, iPods, Redbook CD players or DACs with volume controls and even phono stages make the self-powered loudspeaker a product whose time has come.

What exactly is a Self-Powered Loudspeaker?

Self-powered loudspeakers by definition have one or more amplifiers built into the speaker enclosure. All self-powered speakers are not the same and in fact there are several levels. At the simple end of the spectrum, a basic passive speaker (a loudspeaker with a traditional crossover of inductors, capacitors and resistors) with a power amplifier affixed to the back panel or installed inside the box is all it takes. A more sophisticated implementation involves a fully active DSP controlled system where the crossover functions are implemented in the digital domain before the amplification and each driver in the system has its own dedicated amplifier.

In fact, implementing high resolution digital signal processing DSP (typically 24bit/96Khz which is far superior to 16bit/48Khz) in active loudspeakers brings another level of performance improvement that just hasn’t been possible in more traditional designs. Steeper crossover slopes for higher power handling and lower distortion, individual driver response contouring and amplifier/driver matching are all done with high resolution processing which is a noise and distortion free environment. This enables the speaker system to much better handle both the micro and macro dynamics that are critical to the high fidelity reproduction of sound.

A DSP controlled bi-amplified active loudspeaker, like the Symphony S210 or Sonnet S207 from SALAGAR Sonics, also has the ability to perform room correction, significantly optimizing the output of the speaker to compensate for the less than perfect acoustics in most rooms simply by flipping a switch, a task that is all but impossible in passive loudspeaker designs without outboard DSP equipment.

Experience what the pros use in making your music and you may be pleasantly surprised how much sense it makes and how much more performance you can get for your dollar!