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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
nanderson OP
291 posts
 
Thanks for all the thoughtful comments. I really want to get over the bass issue with the Unos/Duos. Maybe in the end I will given the compelling presentation of these speakers.
twl
3,251 posts
 
I will make a suggestion that you could try. Have you tried placing them in the corners? This placement will simulate the radiation pattern of a bass horn, for your woofer box. It is possible that it may integrate better in this location. You will have to play with the controls on the bass box some more, because the corner load will add about 6 more db to the bottom end. There may be some tradeoff in imaging, though. Probably worth a try.
cawson4de0
2 posts
 
As a matter of interest, did you prefer the Duos over the Unos? I've heard convincing reports that the Uno (with 10" drivers in sub) as a more satisfactory design. I happen to have Unos as they were in my budget range and so well considered by Stereophile and others. I had not heard a Duo until recently abd I must say, I wasn't of the opinion they are any better, let alone £XXX better!

On the question of base coherence, I would agree it is not perfect, but anorther idea worth trying if you haven't yet done so, is to change the polarity of the bass unit. This is mentioned in the handbook (I think), but often overlooked.

I have found satisfactory settings for my subs and I'm very happy with the system generally. However I think that the bass performance varies a bit more rom one CD to another compared with conventional speakers. I find that on a few CDs the bass booms slightly more than I'd expect, but on most it's fine. Those few slightly booming CDs would possibly be less so on other speakers.

Overall, though I think they're fantastic speakers - I'm still looking for an ideal amplifier!
blw
147 posts
 
I auditioned the Duos a few weeks ago. The dealer (who is VERY good) had them set up in the corners as Twl suggests. In this configuration, I found the imaging distinctly sub-par for this class of speakers. Not that it was "bad", but it was obvious from 30 seconds that the other stuff he had (Avalon, Sonus Faber, ProAc are the ones I can remember) was imaging a LOT better. I found the bass to be somewhat light, but not as obviously "missing" as, say Magnepan 3.6's.

But personally, I didn't care for them primarily because they are REALLY immediate. 5th row set? No way! You are on stage with these AvantGardes! I found this to be too immediate and, I guess I would describe it as exhausting.
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,370 posts
 
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
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