No get the Avalon, MUCH better speaker than the others mentioned IMHO.
The Avalon when properly placed and driven will throw a HUGE soundstage with well defned holographic images. Tonally very neutral and detailed. The only area where the others might offer competition is in low bass reproduction.
good luck |
Based upon the three speakers on your list, I agree with Buff. (Note: I have not heard the Proac D80 though.)
The Avalon Eidolon is a really special speaker. It sounds great, and works well for any music, not just classical, (although, I will admit, that it does sound fantastic when listening to classical). It is very transparent, and tonally is very neutral. It is not quite full range, but pretty close, especially if driven with a fair amount of power (say 200+ wpc). (FYI, they are so transparent, that if your upstream electronics are not top notch, it will reveal that, and therefore may not sound as good as they can sound. This is not a criticism, just a statement; Most, (all?), highly refined speakers exhibit this characteristic.) Also, notice what Buff said about being properly placed. The Eidolons like lots of space around them, so be prepared to pull them well into the room, and kept well away from the side walls.
The B&W 802D is also a very good speaker, with a very highly refined treble response of course. However, it is even less full range as the Eidolon is, nor is it as transparent, at least IMHO. This is certainly a good (and close) second choice, if you can not find a pair of Eidolons at a good price.
My two cents worth. |
Hello Paulo,
No question in my mind, if you can get the Eidolon!
At the used prices they are selling for I don't think anything can touch them.
Good luck in your search.
best,
Tom |
I agree with the above posters on the relative merits of the speakers you mention, though each has its own distinctive voice that you might prefer over the others, so I can't say one is better than the others to anyone but me. How big is your room, though? The speakers you're talking about are close to full range, and need some room to breathe, especially the Avalons. If you have a listening room that's 10x12 feet, for example, you might be better served with smaller models from these manufacturers. I don't think lack of bass below 35-40Hz will be that big of a problem for you, given your listening preferences. |
In the one system I heard them in the 802D was a bit thick in the midrange - colored IMO, though clear and uncolored on top
YMMV |
Avalon is my choice.
Auditioned 802 with Classe gear which was good but I just prefer the Avalons with Electronic and Jazz music. |
My system is:
Hovland HP-200 preamp
Conrad Johnson Premier 140 and Krell FPB 200c power amp's
Manley Steelhead phono preamp
Audio Research CD3 MKII
Micro Seiki RX-1500G
Arm-VPI JMW 12.6 w/two armwand. Cartridge's Benz LP and Shelter 901
Proac D38 speakers
My listening room is 20x20 feet. |
The Avalons would be my choice. They require adequate power and placement. They look beautiful and sound fabulous with most music when properly placed.
Get the Avalons and look no more! |
I've been involved in audio for over 30 years and I'm familiar with the speakers you mentioned. Properly set up, there is no comparison between the three. The Eidolons are way superior in every way IMO. |
It's rare you'll ever get 5-10 audiophiles on this forum to agree on ANYTHING so this is as close to a unanimous decision as I've seen here.
I agree with the others - with your great equipment the Eidolons would clearly be my choice as well. The 20' x 20' dimensions would be the main limiting factor unless you have adequately treated the room. Just my $.02
Good luck. |
Hi,
I have owned the Eidolon and heard the BW several times. To me there is no comparison. The Avalon has a capacity to render detail and nuance that the BW lacks. And the soundstage is incredible. However they do not have a very strong bass.
Be careful with amplification. The Krell should work well but I never heard them with a big valve amp, like the Premier 140.
I do not know the Proac.
Good luck |
Not a fan of B&W, even their D series.
But I am also not a fan of ceramic driver speakers like Eidolon unless your room is not superly huge and require monster solid state to drive them. If I were to pick Eidolon, I will mate them with tube amp and in a medium size room. In a large room with solid state, Eidolon sounds very hi-fi to my ears. |
I have no experience with the Avalon Eidolon, I like a lot the Avalon Eidolon Diamonds, but mainly for classic music.
Since you listen mostly to jazz, blues and some rock and roll I would advise you to consider seriously the Proac D80 - I have owned Proac 5's and they were really good with this type of music and should sound very good with either of your amps - I preferred the sound of the Proacs with tubes, but I have read that a well know studio in Portugal has Proac with Krells. |
Not sure if the Rockport Ankaa falls in the Eidolon price range. If it does, that is another to consider. I also have not been a fan of the specific ceramic driver speakers which I have heard. Avalon was not one of them. I had the Eclipse with a C-J Premier 8A,and thought it was very good. I had the C-J converted to Triode at that time, and it was lacking in power for the Eclipse. I sent it right back to C-J to go back to the pentode 250wpc. The Eclipse certainly liked power. FWIW, I moved from the Avalon's to Verity Parsifal Encores, and did not look back. I would like to hear one of the Proac's also. |
Fjn04, IMHO you have a good point. The Rockports are amazing. I have the Aquilas but the Ankaas are fantastic speakers as well. I always try to repsond to the OP's question and try not to inject new suggestions unless it appears that the OP is open to same. That said, if the OP is still considering all options, I agree with you that the Rockports, IMHO, are an even better choice than the Eidolons, at least given my preferences and considering his gear. Not that the Eidolons aren't good but, like you, since I have had speakers with ceramic drivers, I prefer the drivers in the Rockport speakers as being more tonally accurate and musical.
Just my $.02 |
Uh, guys,
The Rockport speakers you are referring to are priced way out of the OP's $10K price range. New, the Aquilas are about $46K, and the Ankaas are about $28K. (And even used, I am pretty sure the Ankaas would never drop down to $10K - maybe $15K. And they are not quite full range either, but they are close.)
The only Rockport he could afford would be the Mira speakers, which run about $16K, so used they would be around $10K. And while they are fine speakers, they are more monitors than full range speakers. (The Mira Grand would fulfill his requirements, and they do sound fantastic, as they are nearly full range, but they run around $35K new.)
PS The Rockport Antares speakers are really amazing. (A friend has them.) They are a full range speaker, with incredible imaging and soundstaging, and they are the best tonally balanced speakers I have ever heard. But they ran, before they were discontinued, around $46K new. |
AVALON very musical great highs warm midrange great imaging THE BEST!! |
Kurt,
I didn't see any mention of the OP's budget or the $10k figure in the OP. However, I do agree that it's almost always best to stick to the question posed by the OP. |
Fmpnd,
You are correct that he did not mention a $10K figure directly. However, a quick look at used prices for all three speakers shows that they are all around $10K.
One thing the OP should be aware of, (which none of us who did recommend the Avalon Eidolon mentioned, which we should have), is that the Eidolons are a discontinued speaker model, and will probably be well used, (i.e. they will be several years old, versus the other speakers mentioned that may only be a year or so old). (The Eidolon Vision replaced the standard Eidolon about three years ago I believe, although what the difference is I am not sure, as they look identical to me.) The Eidolons used prices used to be up around $12K a few years ago, and have drifted down to $10K due to age. It is something to consider. |
Thanks for all the great responses. I decided to buy the PROAC D80 and after three months under review I'm very satisfied with it.
I opted for ProAc because it has a very natural sound with a powerful bass very controlled and natural. I am a musician, a bass player ...
Best regards,
Paulo |
And what type of bass would that be Mr. Paulo?
electric-acoustics bass
acoustic bass
electric bass guitar
Happy Listening |
