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Craig: do you think an active tuba would be more of a hot item than an active lab ?
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Depends on what your definition of a "hot item" is.
First, I'm not sure there is a small enough size amp unit with large enough power available to convert a LAB. And if there was, I don't think there is a large market segment of those who use Labs (or other large concert sized subs) that would switch from the racks of amps and cabling that they already own and use, to built in amps. So, for the Lab sub, I don't think built in amps are going to be a hot item.
As for the Tubas, it may be a better fit. Bill's designs require less power, and there are a bunch of available small amps that could be built into his cabinets. In fact, there is a guy on his forums that turned his small monitors into self powered units!
For a guy lugging stuff into a club or other small venue, self powered cabinets have a lot to offer. They don't add that much weight to a cabinet, but cut out a lot of weight from an amp rack. In addition, they eliminate having to find a place for the amp rack on a small stage, and in a small truck or trailer.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of self powered cabinets. The only benefit I like about them is the fact that a good manufacturer can install amps and electronics perfectly matched to the cabinets drivers, and get the most out of the box. But, today, with cheap DSP X/Over units like the Driverack stuff readily available, and some signal testing gear (like PC based Smaart) most folks can get the same level of quality out of any box and amplifier combo.
My main dislikes are the fact that you have to run BOTH Signal and Power to each cabinet, and if the amp dies in a cabinet, that entire cabinet is now out of service. In a standard unpowered speaker/seperate amplifier setup, you can always jump around a dead component (like and amp channel) or substitute a spare amp.
My other dislike is that unless you are starting out, you already have a big investment in amplifiers, racks, speaker cables, etc that are now obsolete if you buy powered cabinets. But, if I stay with unpowered cabs, I can always upgrade cabinets and keep my amps, cables, etc OR I can upgrade amps without having to buy new cabinets! More flexible to me.