Avalon

Hi Vicweast,

First, fantastic speakers - I owned the Avalon Eidolons for close to 10 years, and to me they represent the point of diminishing returns in speakers - you can spend a lot more, but not get all that much better. I powered them mostly with Cat JL-1s, but also with BAT VK-60 monos, an Ayre V-3, even some VTL TT-25s.

The Eidolons are revealing of upstream changes, and I think an upgrade in speaker cables would result in a notable positive change for your system. With that said, what is your budget for the cables? Depending on how much you are willing to spend, I think you might be better off upgrading the Rogue Cronos first. For example, since it seems you like the Ayon sound (given the CD-07s), the Ayon Spirit III might make a nice upgrade, and the new version with the KT-150s should be able to drive the Eidolons a little better. Assuming your are interested in tube integrateds, the VAC Avatar might be a great choice as well, depending on the size of your room and how loud you like to play music.

If you are focused on upgrading the speaker cables in particular, the best choice with the Eidolon in my experience, hands and feet down, was the Siltech Emperor (I am still kicking myself for selling those). I also had success with, for example, the Purist Aqueous Anniversary. Thus, guessing your budget to be in the $1500 range new (based on the reference to Homegrown Silver), I might recommend you try the Purist Aqueous Luminist or the Siltech Classic 330L. Both should be available for demo via thecableco.com so you can try them in your own system. If your budget extends up to $3k new, there are a number of other cables I could recommend.

Best of luck.

HI Vicweast,

I think you have reached the right decision.  The Ayon Audio Triton III should be a significant upgrade, and I certainly recommend you demo it if you have the opportunity (although you may need to run in pentode to really drive the Eidolons).  However, at that price (I believe the Ayon is $11k retail), there are three other options I would recommend you consider.  

First, for solid state, the Symphonic Line Kraftwerk and Kraftquelle integrated amps are exceptional pieces, will be dead quiet, and are very good pairings with the Avalons.  Second, also solid state, and reflecting your preference for Parasound, the JC-1 amps would also make a very good pairing with the Avalons, coupled with an appropriate preamp.  Finally, if you want a call it quits, "end of the line" system, get a used CAT amp and preamp (which you can get for ~$7-11k used), and you are done -  I have literally spent triple that price of that setup (i.e., Avalon and CATs) and not equaled the performance.

Best of luck.

Vicweast - I hear you, and the Ayon is still a great choice; I am sure you will enjoy the combo.  Let us know how it works out; just watch out for your back when you pick it up - its pretty dang heavy.