Avalon Eidolon Diamond vs Revel Salon 2

I have a pair of Eidolons and haven't been interested in new speakers for years. On the other hand Jeff Rowland Design Group uses the Revels.

I never really heard the Eidolons potential until I got them home and the whole family realized their attributes. While non audio enlightened visitors question their location in the room they usually find their looks very interesting.

Chuck+1, as I see it the most help that can be given a query such as this is to give ones direct in home experience, with a clear description of ones system and in the case os speakers, the room.

We can appreciate the intensions of those who profess their degree of experience. Unfortunately describing casual impressions from stores and shows is quite useless.

The only thing I take away from auditioning speakers at shows and stores is any glaring higher frequency sonic issues and the idea of living with the looks of the product. But that's me.

Ptss, It's impossible to intelligently disagree with the subjective negative comments here regarding either of the speakers you're interested in.

First of all, both of these speakers systems are incredibly revealing of EVERYTHING upstream as well as is the room and their setup within that room.

Some years ago my initial encounters with Eidolons at shows and in showrooms were similar in some respects to what some have mentioned here. On three occasions I chose to purchase speaker that seemed more extended and vibrant than the Eidolon, which seemed sleepy and underwhelming in direct comparison in an unfamiliar environment.

Once home my choices never satisfied as I was always found myself listening to the system and not the music. I replaced cables and electronics in an effort to attain the cohesive musicality I wanted without success. Frankly, I was an uneducated listener.

I'm a working professional Bass player with a great deal of time spent recording. During a session in Los Angeles I was called on by a very famous music producer who asked me to record a simple twelve bar bass line on Upright for another project. I often ask people what they listen with at home. Interested in audio this producer invited us to his home. There I believe I heard ceramic Eidolons at a higher potential for the first time using unmastered mixes and much later, as I said in my earlier post above, at home.

The Eidolons sonic accuracy and musicality could be a very subjective topic. I have a great many unproduced track recordings of my Bass playing on 1/4" magnetic tape and digital files. I've used the digital files to audition other systems at shows and stores. So far the only other speaker that sounds musically correct to me is the Vandersteen Model 7. This could easily be a product of my ears comfort with the two speakers similar attention to time and phase in their design.

I recently switched back to tube amplification and Cardas cabling. I use Hypex nCores to power my Avalon two way studio monitors. Powering the Eidolons with the switching amplifiers offers a completely different presentation of high resolution and transparency.

Opinions can be very helpful if the context is clear. Beware of generalities and absolutes as there are simply far too many variables in this hobby. If you're ever fortunate enough to hear a system that speaks to you make note of every aspect of it as well as the room.

Have fun.

Audiolabyrinth, My first LOUD backline Bass system (before simple public address became sound reinforcment) was made up of two James B Lansing Scoops,

http://www.google.com/search?q=JBL+scoops&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ET6mUYzeEIjIiwK08oDYCg&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=843&bih=603

powered by Marantz 8Bs and a Twin Reverb wired as the preamp. This Rube Goldberg (pain in the ass to move and setup) of a system served me well until the first commercially available loud Bass amplification my 69' acoustic 360/361 horn.

In the sixties JBL was unbelievably helpful regarding construction and componentry. Their other offerings outclassed Altec hugely. My audiophelia began with lens and cone and the advent of the new Everest line is very intriguing to this old fud. I can't help but recall the incredible low volume dynamic unique to these designs. I can only imagine what modern refinments have contributed. I envy you.

If there's a problem with Avalon speakers its the need to have someone who actually knows what they should sound like properly locate them. I heard a pair of Eidolons set up correctly only once years ago at dB Audio's second location on Shattuck Ave, In Berkeley California.

I remember they were driven by an Ayre V-3 with Cardas cable but little else. Subsequent installations at shows and other stores never came close to the dB Audio setup.

Bo1972s accounts with Avalon are completely understandable. While Avalon provides fairly detailed setup instructions not knowing what should sound like is a huge handicap. I guess this could be said of any speaker.

From memory I thought I had mine dialed in until someone in the industry with this familiarity moved them about eight inches back and less than two inches wider apart which created a substantial improvement.