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Acapella vs. Avantgarde

I currently run a Cary CD-306, Cary SLP-05 preamp, and Cary 805AE monoblocks with a pair of ProAc D38's (see system). The combination is sweet and involving, but the combo just does not boogie when asked to play a large orchestral piece, by Mahler/Wagner/Shostakovich. When the volume is turned up, dynamics are poor and the system starts to sound compressed. I suspect that the 50W Cary's simply does not have enough guts to drive the ProAc's, so I am considering replacing them with a more efficient speaker. Since most SET afficionadoes love horns, this led me to look into Avantgarde and Acapella.

I live in Melbourne, Australia. Avantgarde is available through a dealer here, but he does not have any in stock. The Acapella dealer is in Sydney (a plane flight away). I am looking to spend A$30,000 - which will buy a nice Avantgarde Duo, or a secondhand Acapella High Violon.

I have read plenty about the dynamics of the Avantgardes, but my concern is if they have horn coloration. Also, how do they image? Are they sensitive to room placement?

Would the Acapella High Violon's be a better buy, considering the pair I can potentially get my hands on have been heavily discounted? I have read that Acapella's suffer from disjointed sound because of the three different driver technologies (plasma tweeter, horn mids, conventional woofer). How much is this a problem? And are there any room placement issues? Given that the Acapella's have lower sensitivity (91 dB/W/m) would I be achieving a real upgrade by moving from the ProAc's?
amfibius
whart's avatar
whart
3,046 posts
 
Jim- nice to see you on this thread. You certainly made a difference in my audio life, and I had been around the block a few times myself. My travails with the bass integration issue may speak more to issues of set-up than to any real flaw in the design of the speaker. I originally set the woofer frequency range too low, based on my past experience with subwoofers and the Quads. But, as you point out, these woofers are supposed to play higher than a true subwoofer. Having said that, though, is the setting you are discussing as an approximate starting point, eg 140 hz, equivalent to 10- 10.30 o'clock on the dial?
(The manual contained a little card, showing the setting at noon).
Be well, and the invitation still stands if you get to NY.
triode
263 posts
 
Whart, on my SUB225, 140 Hz is at high noon.
jclnv
26 posts
 
From a European perspective I'd have to say people from north america seem to be obsessed with low frequency, Almost at the expense of everything else !. Jim mentioned that his customers found it hard to distinguish the sub crossover, well I have to agree that the Avantgarde systems that I have heard also had very good intergration.

However even if they didn't the dynamics of those horns would make up for nothing below 100htz. Totally tunning speakers.
hornguys
180 posts
 
I think I remember that 140 Hz is at 12 o'clock.

It should be marked.

Best regards,

Jim Smith
tbg
5,263 posts
 
I have heard many Trios in my room, at others' homes, and at shows. Only once have I heard good integration of all the drivers and good bass. This was at a home in Minneapolis with a very large listening room designed for audio and not using the woofers provided by Avantgarde.

Having often heard compression drivers with horns, I only wish both Avantgarde and Acapella would using them. With the exception of the Acapella plasma tweeter, I think both companies' speakers sound slow with inability to provide the sharp leading edge of compression drivers.

I am saying all of this not to knock either companies' speakers but to long for the magic of quick, efficient, well integrated, and affordable horn speaker systems.
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