Will these speakers, being ACTIVE, color my sound from my record player or some other power source as opposed to passive speakers being driven with an amp? Will these need/benefit from an amp?
ACRoThey are a bit coloured. but good speakers. Especially for this price. You should check out reviews for more details.
The main side has an integrated amp which you can't bypass sadly.
If you have the budget to go for a passive speaker and amp, that would be a much better setup, of course depending on what you choose.