Are active speakers the best upgrade


I have recently heard Brentworth (single driver, no crossover) and ATC active 100's. They were both vey revealing speakers and it occurred to me that we're chasing better electronics while maybe the speaker crossover is putting all this distortion back into the system.
Is the fact that these speakers are active what makes them so clear? Has anyone compared the active vs. passsive versions of ATC?
It's interesting that ATC focuses on accuracy in the drivers by eliminating hysteresis effects and 1st and 3rd order harmonics while B&W focuses more on the enclosure. I wonder how good B&W could sound if they made their Nautilus speakers active. Maybe they use such good crossovers that its as good as ATC's external crossover. Any thoughts?
cdc
I am no expert, but I can't help thinking that keeping the electronics away from the vibrations, magnetic fields and limted heat dissipation that come with most speakers might be a better idea. I do agree that putting the amps before the crossover seems like a superior method.
I did it again, PUTTING THE COSSOVERS BEFORE THE AMPS SEEMS LIKE A SUPERIOR METHOD! Sorry!
I'm glad to see this topic is receiving so much attention. Those that are interested should check out these sites: http://www.crossovers.com, http://www.genelec.com and http://www.westlakeaudio.com.
This technology may indeed become the driving force for huge performance increases in home audio.
Happy listening,
Patrick