Why do most audiophile prefer passive speakers?

[bluesman]

Why do most audiophile prefer passive speakers?

Hoping to offend as few as possible, I think it’s because they don’t know any better.  As long as they don’t require more from you than you’re willing to devote to them and they deliver what you need, the only thing that matters is how they sound.  
 

Having said that, many actives that can sound great on their own terms impose unacceptable restrictions like limited input options or restricted playback formats.  If you love your USB DAC, you don’t want active speakers whose only digital inputs are optical.  Many decent powered speakers have digital inputs, but their onboard electronics will only play at or below Redbook.  Powered speakers need power - so there are two more relatively thick cables to route and hide.  A fair number of actives have no grilles, which made me hesitate to put any where they’re at all likely to get whacked or even just sprayed with Pledge.

And many are best described as unattractive in appearance.  I tried a pair of small black powered monitors on the back wall of our living room, and they looked so bad I didn’t even wait for my wife to see them - they looked terrible there.  I’ll buy a pair of white A2s if I ever find a decent sale on them (no, I don’t really need another pair of speakers - I only have half of what I have to test, review, and report on new ideas and experiences).