Avantgarde's are Great but Bass Integration?


I just back yesterday from an extensive audition of the Avantgarde Uno and Duo horn speakers. In a word, jaw dropping incredible speakers but .......I never felt really comfortable that the bass integration was going to get quite where it needs to be. Too much bass, too little, slight to noticeable bass to mids transition etc. We changed the settings on the subwoofer, moved the massive Duo's around, which actually was not hard given how the speaker is designed, changing setting positions etc. This speaker more than any other I have heard conveys a "you are there", "organic", and "pure oceans of spatial dimension" qualities in the all important, for my musical tastes, midrange and up. These speakers are so good that once we got things very close to being there with the bass I was convinced that anybody considering speakers, no matter, how little or how much you spend really need to hear how a speaker can take you to another world given a good recording.

What has been others experience with this phenomenial speaker especially in the area of bass quality and integration with the rest of the system?
nanderson

Showing 2 responses by ejlif

I just got a set of Duos with the Audiopax amps, and they have proved to be very challenging indeed. I can see why a lot of guys hate them, if not perfectly set up and placed with the sub controls set just right they fail to make audio dreams come true. I have not realised the potential of mine yet, but am getting closer everyday.

Not to mention the fact that the Duos take about a month of constant playing to really break in. They sound awful for the first week.

I agree that the bulk of the difficulty arises in the bass. Every little move I make to the Duos seems to have much bigger impact than what I have been acustomed to with box speakers. Plus the controls on the subs are extremely powerful with numerous possibilities for optimal settings. The toe in amount is also hugely important to get right.

If I had not been pre warned that the Duos can be very tweaky and difficult to get the most out of, I might have been ready to throw in the towel. This is not a set it and forget it speaker if you want to realise it fullest potential.
The Duos are so picky, if everything is not perfect they won't sound good. I have tried them all over the place in my room and have been ready to dump them, but after sufficient break in and taking the time to get them placed I love the way they sound, exhuasting no way.

I can see why there is so much distaste for these speakers, if everything is not just so they suck.
They certainly aren't the speakers for someone who doesn't want to put a lot of effort into getting them right. If anyone heard these setup right there is no way they wouldn't have to admit they sound pretty darn good. Chances are if you are hearing Avantgardes sound bad it's not the fault of the speaker itself. Which goes for most speakers.

Setup is everything