Why Goldenear's hybrid T44 tower speakers somehow boast the best of powered and passive worlds

The concept of a hybrid speaker is rare, but not necessarily unique.

However, what hybrid means when it comes to the Goldenear T44 is unparalleled.

That’s because this speaker, along with its big brother, the T66, is both a powered and a passive speaker.

All the best stereo speakers that I’ve come across have been one or the other, but not both.

If you’re not familiar, a passive speaker used to be the standard in homes 20 years ago (and a lot further back too).

And when it comes to audiophile-level Hi-Fi, it still is.

These speakers connect via speaker cables to an external amp that provides all the power and through which the audio signal is sent (whether directly or through additional hardware).

You cannot use them without an amp.

Powered speakers (and their active cousins, where each driver receives its own dedicated amp unit), have become the more popular type of speaker with the advent of portable and bluetooth speakers .

Powered designs integrate amplification so that all you need to do is give your speakers a power source, whether there's a battery that needs to be charged or they just need to be plugged into the wall.

But you don’t need a separate amp, because it’s all inside the speaker.

Just connect your phone and you’re off to the races.

So, why make a set of speakers where half of the frequency range is already powered and the other half is not? For the Goldenear T44 (and the T66), it’s the listening experience.

By using a 56-bit DSP-controlled Class D amplifier for the low-end, the T44 allows for a few things.