Many audio designers (both pro- and commercial) agree that active speakers are the way to go for best sound quality at a particular price-point, but commercially available active speakers suck SQ-wise - they're not designed for delivering the most satisfying listening experience. Many audiophiles eschew active speakers as they're not amenable to being upgraded hence there's scant demand for high-end sounding actives. Rather than design my own from scratch, which would be a really major project I decided to undertake substantial modifications to some 'Swan' speakers which are available very cheaply - the prototypes have some of the desirable characteristics of a high-end separates system now but at a small fraction of the price.