Avalon Opus vs. Verity Parsifal Encore

Ok, I have to confess. I am the owner of Eidolons. Chearly it has a better low end than the Verity's....but oh what a midrange and sounstage depth. I have to say if I had to do it all over again..I don't know. When I made the purchase of the Eidolons, Verity had just revised the system to Encore status. I found the older Parsifals somewhat lacking in upper octave transparency. Based on the choice with the Opus, I'd have to say the Encores win hands down. Heard the Encores with an Accuphase front end (DP-75V) directly driving the power amp (Accuphase A-50V). Absolutely stunning. BTW, this is from someone who has also owned older Avalon Eclipse's. Let's remember that the Eclipse has been out since 1991. I still think the Eidolon is an overall better speaker but that Verity midrange is to die for.

I've compared the original Parsifal to the newer Encore, and there's no question that the frequency extremes are improved. The larger scale and better controlled bottom, as well the slightly more resolving top octaves sold me on the Encores' coherence. They simply sound "of a piece" in my room. Their resolution certainly required an amp upgrade immediately, though (Aleph P and 2 monos).
At these price levels you'd be crazy if you don't compare all comers IN YOUR ROOM! I would imagine that the Avalons have a lower mid/tweeter crossover frequency, so that dispersion spectra will differ from the Encores. Likewise the Encores need to be dialled in re their twistable woofer pods. They were anemic rear-firing in my room, but amazingly potent AND tight front-firing (flat to 30Hz, and NEVER harden on peaks!) I could imagine that the Avalons' strengths may be competitive at the frequency extremes, but I'd be surprised if their midrange is as natural or quick as the
Encores'. They are scarily real-sounding! Be good to yourself and arrange home demos. Good luck!

Hello Linkster, I don't know if this is going to help. Four years ago I had my dealer bring both the orginal Parsifal and the Radian HC to my house. The Parsifal had the advantage of being the easier of the 2 speakers to drive. My amp at that time was an ARCvt130. We set up the Parsifal first and spent a long time tweaking it to make it sound it's best. After about 2 and a half hours we plopped down the HC Radian and without even any dialing in of speaker placement it was a night and day difference. The Radian did everything quite a bit better! Image placement, soundstage transparency, speed of dynamic shifts, timbre of tone, you name it the list could go on and on. I have not heard the Encore version of the Parsifal and I've never heard the Opus. I've since upgraded from the Radian HC to the Eidolon. No two people hear it the same so please try to make the comparison for yourself and trust your own ears. To most people this is a lot of money we are talking about and you need to be happy with what speaker you choose to buy. All the best, Tom

The Parsifal is really all finesse and class, AND offers the option or front-firing or rear-firing woofers, to tailor the low-bass response to taste and room condition. What amazes me with this speaker is that despite it's small footprint, it goes down L O W to about 25Hz - truely incredible. No wonder it's the reference for so many well-known reviewers (and other's who will not admit to kiss-assing big name manufacturers)the Avalon opus is also a fine speaker, but I preferred the Parsifal in every way, having purchased the Opus, kept it for 1 month and trading it for - guess what? You got it. If ever the Parsifal sounds less than excellent to you, look elsewhere for the trouble...these gloriously-made speakers will be my pride and joy for the rest of this lifetime anyways. And no, they are NOT FOR SALE! Happy listening, hope this helps.

I auditioned both of these speakers one right after the other with the same music, the same electronics and the same room. My opinion is the Opus sound better in all respects. The low frequency was more extended and detailed, the soundstage was deeper and a little bit wider, the sound was more coherent across the range of frequencies.

I definitely did like the Parsifal Encore. My opinion according to my ears and tastes is that it is priced too high and cannot compete directly with the Opus.

I have not heard the Verity, but I have a pair of Opus - about 2 months old. I love these speakers. I have never heard a combination of resolution, and musicality. They are extremely natural sounding, with an incredible amount of detail. They say that it doesn't have the bass extension of the Eidelon, but I think it's there, although I am in a small room.