Someone asked for it, so here goes:
Before/After Review:
I guess I'd have to say the main difference is CLARITY. Cymbals are crystal-clear; the "edge" of instruments shows through--saxaphone, trumpet, etc. Stringed instruments& awesome voices sound so good on great recordings it could just make your cry. The closest I can call it is a "graininess" that was there before & now isn't. Before, if I played at moderately loud levels, it would sound better after about 30 minutes, but never as good as now. My guess is the caps & in-line passive crossover components were aged & in need of replacement. If I had all new passive crossovers, PERHAPS the difference between passive & active wouldn't be as great. Too late to tell for certain now~
On top of that, a lot more headroom is available from the amplifiers; I give a conservative estimate that roughly 40% of available power was wasted on the passive crossover components.
I can't think of a single thing that's suffered (other than simplicity) from the upgrade. I highly recommend it! Just don't skimp on active crossover components, & get the most for your dollar there.