Why are active speaker designs so favorable?
Should space be available, why wouldn't you want to have the dac, dsp, and amplification devices be independent of the speaker? This allows for easy upgrades if so desired, as well as more control over the hardware in general; you'll likely choose higher quality components than what's in the average active speaker by default. I can't see any reason to go integrated beyond convenience and/or space saving- the latter is pertinent in studios where active speakers are popular, yet, these traits are not so special in the average home.
Is there anything beyond convenience and space saving that I'm missing? Is there something persnickety about doing active crossovers outside of the cabinet with, say, an external MiniDSP device that's going over my head?
You cannot select a DAC that is audibly better than a transparent DAC in a great studio monitor.
You cannot select an amplifier that is audibly better than a transparent amp in a great studio monitor.
You may be able to find a DSP that works better than inbuilt or company specific DSP solutions.
Part of the convenience: Imagine selecting the best DAC and amp for a pair of speakers so that they are no longer the limiting factor, after testing dozens, and then having an engineer optimize them and the crossover points via DSP after hundreds of hours... But actually you had to test many dozens to find out they were crap or not designed for your speakers.
Then imagine the engineers saying "hey, we have a time machine and a shrink ray, and we can go back in time and just sell you the speakers we've made now, with everything inside, and it's all taken care of, and we'll throw in this DSP tool so you can do some room correct."
Would you say, "no thanks, I'm okay having spent hundreds of hours or more, I'd rather just have a bunch of boxes and cables, and I'll just use someone else's DSP."
You could certainly try to rip the guts out of something and power it with a MiniDSP and an amp, especially if you knew what the engineers did about crossover points and slopes. Not really an upgrade, but theoretically it could be done.