Acapella vs. Avantgarde

I only have experience with Trios. I used a Cary 805c. It was very effortless sounding on the Trios but on 92 db or lower speakers it was a little slow. I now use a Viva Aurioa monos (845 also). In comparison the Viva is a little leaner sounding, much better bass, more extended highs and cleaner sounding thoughout. The Cary thickness I like when listening to acoustic guitar though. I have had my Trios for more than three years. I felt when I got them they tended to sound at the time maybe bright, edgy and aggressive. I have heard others many times comment on this. Ananrgarde speakers are very dynamic and reveiling. Any imperfection in what goes to them seems to be more audible than other speakers. In average electronics comparing Avantgardes to dynamic speakers. The Dynamic speakers will probably be easier to listen to. Any harshness comes out more in the Avantgardes. Over the time I have had mine I have gradually changed equipment and tweeked it. My system is such a beautiful, natural sounding thing that would be hard to critised in anyway. Avantgarde speakers are very clean sounding speakers so when everything is right you can listen at decent levels as long as you want with no fatigue. Anyone who has negative comments on Trios have never heard them set up correctly with the right gear. I think with the duos it would be better to separate the subs. The best spot for the horns is not necessarily the best spot for subs. Doing this eliminates the discontinuosness people sometimes complain about with Avantgarde horn/subs. This also isolates the low frquencies from affecting the horns. My Viva is only half the power of your Cary and can play at concert levels if needed. Don't try this though it will damage your hearing. The Cary was a little noisy with my Trios. They are higher sensitivity though. It won't be as noisy with Duos. I think you might be happier with a ART PX-25, 300b or Audiopax. Many other possibilities too. If you purchase Avantgardes expect to put some work into your system, but when you do you will be satisfied you made the right choise. One more thing. My wife that I have ben with for seventeen years has never been interested in sitting down with me to listen for very long. She is a music lover and musician. For the past six months she has been, sometimes to three or four in the morning and I have to send here to bed. To me this means more than anything else. It's easy to get an audiophile to sit for hours and listen to almost anything within reason. But your non-interesed wife.

I should be carefull how I say things here. The comment I was disageeing with the most is when people say that avantgardes sound edgy and harsh. This is totally untrue in my system. My system is so smooth and natural that I can listen at high levels for many hours with no fatigue. I have not found this in many other systems costing even more. I have been in this hobby for many years and this is just my opinion and taste. This system, the way I have it now, is the first time ever that I have been content with the sound. I have always had some fatigue, even with vinyl, and I find that I am more sensitive than others to this. When I first got the Trios I was not happy though, it took alot of work to get them to this point. I haven't heard Acapella speakers before. I bet they are very nice. I am very sold on SET amps and would not use anything else. With a large push-pull amp maybe they are the way to go. I agree that Avantgarde speakers don't have the best bass, but I think it is still very good and what you gain is worth it for my preferences. The amplifiers I have tried other than my Viva Auroras are Wavac 300b, Cary 805c, Vt-52 custom and Yamamoto A-08s. With these amps I found the subs to sound slow and disconnected. With the Vivas I find the bass to be very good and fast enough to keep up to the horns. Also placement is very important. Like I said before, the subs don't always work as good in the same position as the horns. Also, I use good speaker cable direct from the amps, not jumped from the horns, Also good power cords help too. I have some Aurios Pros on there way to put under the subs that I think might help tighten the bass up even more. What amps are people using that they find the bass not fast enough for the horns.

I used to place my subs beside my Trios with about four feet of space behind them . I now place them about a foot from the front wall, almost right behind the Trios. I find this to work better for me. It seems to integrate better, has more extention and more impact. Where are others finding the best placement for the subs in there system?

Steve.

Jim, are you agreeing with my sub placement as an acceptable trade off. How do you set your subs and horns in your room. Could you please include dimensions. As others have stated earlier I really appreciate hearing your recomendation and opinions. Are you enjoying the audio world at the user level more now than you did at the business end of it. What a crazy fun hobby. Couldn't go without it.

Steve.

Thanks Jim, I'll try that. My pre went back to the factory for some up dates. My system will be down for a while. I'll give that a try as soon as it gets back.
Steve.