I cannot say anything that will make people turn and give this speaker the attention it deserves. Only if you go and audition it will you realize what a good design this is. I have a B&W801 and Krell combo, and all I can say is I daydream about the time when I heard them at the dealer.....

I may sell this gear and go for it, I just need more spls to make my decision.

Go hear them, you will be impressed.

By the way the unpowered version sucks!

Great dynamics, great mid range, great adjustability - there isnt a set of speakers that compares at this size... due to that they are powered.
People always wonder where the range of sound is coming from in the living room... the Active 20s dont take over the focus of a room because of their size, so they are great for limited spaces and when you dont want towers in the middle of the family room.
Great design, great range, great price... highly recommended.
1 year a going with them, and havent looked back.

Detail,base extension, tremendous soudstage for such a compact speaker

Poor quality control compounded by incompetent authorized factory service techs that make the warranty worthless.

Purchased these speakers nearly 2 years ago as a close-out new in factory-sealed boxes. Hooked them up to the variable audio output of my 10-year old Philips CD changer. WOW. This must be the best two-channel audio system on the planet for $700.

However, one of the speakers does not auto-shutoff. Not a big deal in my book. Just lived with it until about a six months later when the tweeter in same speaker began working only about half the time.

Took it to the local Paradigm service center. They had it for 3 or 4 weeks. Could find nothing wrong with the tweeter or the auto shut-off. They insisted that the little green light on the front of the speaker stayed on even when the speaker was turned off (that's not true of the other speaker). "Check your cables" they said--which I had already done by switching the left and right cables. It made no difference.

Now (another six months later) the tweeter in the OTHER speaker is cutting in and out. I dread taking it back but these guys are the only warranty service center around.

I primarily listen to soft jazz, never have the level control on the back of the speaker above 1/2, have never seen the red light on the front that would indicate clipping (then again, I have no way of knowing if the red light actually works), and have both speakers and the CD changer plugged in to a good surge protector.

For those Active 20 owners who take offense at the two-star rating just be thankful that you have two speakers that work.

I owned the Active 20's for over a year w/ Servo 15 and was more than satissfied. I've since upgraded to the Active 40's w/the help of my dealers excelent trade up policy and have to say I am in heaven. I thought I was completely satissfied w/the Active 20's until I auditioned the 40's. The 40's are in a word FLATTER and integrate better w/the Servo 15. The extra 4 to 5 hundred dollars to jump up to the 40's is well worth it. Well, I said it once before and I'll try to say it again. This is all I'll need for the rest of my life!?.

Going into an audio store I always have to take into account that the products that they display will not sound as good as they will set up well my own home. Before I listened to these speakers I had never heard anything sound better than my home system, even though many products I listen too are much more expensive than what I had. I expected the same when I listened to these but what I heard blew me away. The Active 20's were the first speaker I ever heard that had good imaging in the store. I instantly fell in love with them and bought them. The greatest thing about the Active 20's is their highs; they send shivers up and down my spine. I have never heard such great highs on anything else. A defanate buy.

Going into an audio store I always have to take into account that the products that they display will not sound as good as they will set up well my own home. Before I listened to these speakers I had never heard anything sound better than my home system, even though many products I listen too are much more expensive than what I had. I expected the same when I listened to these but what I heard blew me away. The Active 20's were the first speaker I ever heard that had good imaging in the store. I instantly fell in love with them and bought them. The greatest thing about the Active 20's is their highs; they send shivers up and down my spine. I have never heard such great highs on anything else. A defanate buy.

Great sound, value

Bookshelfs - require stands

Bought 'em to combine with a Velodyne sub for a smaller room where I wasn't able to use my Def Tech's. Now they are the front speakers in a surround system and are great for both music and movies. Bass goes down to about 60 Hz, very good for a bookshelf.

Similar Products Used:

Definitive Tech BP2000, AR TSW-410

Detail, detail detail.

Equipment dependant.

These little dynamo's are an absolute revelation!!!
Hooked straight to an Arcam 8 se cd player with nothing between them but Kimber PBJ's, these are a very hard to beat combo.
Progidous bass from a small enclosure like this. The highs are like buttah and the midrange is beautifully neutral. Precise dynamics and a huge soundstage.
A bi-amp setup similar to this would have cost much more and still would have not sounded better.
Tossed the audiostream a-400 as soon as possible and invested in some PBJ's.
Also got the premier stands sold with these speakers and filled them with something called "carbon pearlite metal"
sold by audio advisor. Heavy pakage (47 lbs. for 4 litres) but well worth it.
It is a bit of a shame other manufactures don't make active speakers, B&W are you listening??

Similar Products Used:

Mirage, Monitor audio, B&W, Canton.

Deadly accurate and dynamic, detailed yet smoooooth. These do what the source tells them to do due to active technology. Integrated wide range of frequencies. Transparent and spacious soundstage, yet you can locate instrumentalists and vocalists.

None for a 2-way bookshelf.

These speakers are, in a word, "sweethearts". Naturally blooming high frequencies, fantastic midrange (eg piano, acoustic guitar, vocals), nice tight and energetic bass. These speakers DO NOT cease to amaze me after a couple of years of ownership, these are one of those products that just keep the music experience fresh and true. Smooth yet detailed, ultra-dynamic without being too forward, etc.etc.etc.!!! Any kind of music such as Santana, Hawaii Music, Beethoven, U2, Sting, Chris Isaak, etc. sound lively and natural...DVD's bring the movie experience to life! A bargain at 1500 given the performance, no need for amps, etc.

Similar Products Used:

None are similar to these.