Audio Physic Virgo II vs Avanti III

Taking your subjest a bit side way, I was very impressed by the new Sonics speaker lines---www.sonicsonline.de/---designed by Joachim Gerhard---the original founder of Audio Physics---at the Home Entertainment show.

I believe the Virgo II was still Joachim's design, but the third generation was done after he sold the A.P.. And I heard many thought that the magic of A.P. was gone after his leave. I would think if you like the Virgo II, you should definitely look into the Sonics speakers. Except that, as they are so new, there will not be used one on the Audiogon for quite a while.

Robert

Greg,

In the June issue of Stereophile there was a review of A.P. Scorpio. In it, Michael Fremer stated: "The Avanti III, which I reviewed in the August 2001 issue, was far more capable in everyway than the Virgo II, it was my reference for a few years, and it's still a great speaker--but to my ears, the Virgo II's magic balance of strength eluded it."

I have not owned the Avanti III, had nothing against it, actually, I was thinking about getting it at one time, so I looked closely into it, and still pay attention to the whole A.P. line.

Contrary to Wendell's opinion, I was quite impressed by the new Sonics speakers. But I agree too with him, that it is very hard to tell the true nature of any equipment from a show room. I would love to hear from someone who has first hand experience on those Sonics speakers.

As an alternative, the Scorpio received a very good review from Michael Fremer. Maybe something to consider too. And I heard that there will be a new Virgo in the next CES.

Robert

Greg,

I do feel we share similar preference, even I have not owned any Audio Physics. I have been looking into a floor stander to replace my Dynaudio C1 monitor. The Virgo III and the Avanti III were among my top choices. I like the clean line and compact size of the Virgo III especially, and the fact that it is fairly efficient, supposedly much easier to drive than my C1. However, I am also afraid that the Virgo III may not be enough of an upgrade.

The Sonics speakers did not appeal to me on paper, or in pictures. But after seeing the Allegria speakers in person at the HE show, I was really attracted by their compact size and sleek quality look---kind of similar to Audio Physics, and I really thought they sounded fine. Did you see the show report? Link: http://blog.stereophile.com/he2006/060106louis/

They are my dream speakers for now. However, I am not ready to spend anywhere near $15,000 on a new set of speakers. On the other hand, the used Avanti IIIs at 6 grands seems a lot more reasonable. Please let me know your thought if you do get a set of them!