Oct 26, 2009 01:52 pm Without ripping too much - I thought the *active* versions of these bad boys were just horrible. Then once, I heard the passives and thought that they were pretty decent - THAT SAID - they were being powered by a Bryston (3B if I recall).
So on a good note, with a nice amp, I think you're in much better shape than you would've been with the active version (as I typically feel with more 'budget-friendly' speakers). But the amp can make-'em-or-break-'em very easily.
The HK970... It's certainly usable. My experience with HK is that they make reasonable 'consumer-level' (as in, 'made to sound good' as opposed to 'made to be accurate and consistent') stuff. I'd imagine you'd find it somewhat colored and inconsistent across varying volumes and frequencies, and lacking in contrast. Going to something along the lines of a used Bryston, Rotel (high-current models only) or Hafler (even the 'cheapo' series) would be a fairly substantial step up.
