Avantgarde..... Still a contender???

I’ve my owned Duos for 2+ years and consider them in the top echelon of speakers. Some of the speakers I’ve owned previously include Celestion SL 600s, Martin Logan Sequels, Quad 63s, Innersound Eros, & Verity Parsifal. The Duos, set up correctly and using synergistic equipment, come close to bringing live-in-your-home concerts to your everyday listening sessions. What the Duos can do and the emotions they bring to listening sessions are unique and addictive. Certainly, they are keepers.

Like most perfectionist speakers, especially those in the Duo’s price range, system synergy and fine tuning are required in order to achieve this speaker’s considerable potential. The issues that Cobra mentioned are not part & parcel to the Duo. Though, they are part & parcel to Duos hindered by set up or synergy issues. Critical setup items include speaker positioning to achieve excellent imaging and a coherent blend of the bass to the midrange, adjusting the bass to midrange crossover frequency, and setting the volume of the bass. Like many users, I find the Duos are coherent with the horns in their “stock” position. A few other users adjust horn positioning via the adjustments available to achieve a similar blending of the various drivers.

The Duos certainly let you know about the equipment used in front of them. Lacking proper attention to other components, the sound certainly can suffer. This is not a fault or a problem; just something to consider and is shared by most other speakers in this performance class. I sit about 10’ from the front of my speakers and the sound is fully integrated. Given decent source material, the speakers disappear and I have a lovely deep rectangular soundstage. I’ve never heard any lack of integration where I became conscious of the individual drivers. Timbre, harmonics, accurate tonal colors, etc are essential characteristics in my listening priorities. I used OTL amps for many years in part as they excel in these characteristics. The Duos also excel. You want emotion; you get it in spades with these speakers.

Per your electronics questions. I have not used a balanced amp in years so cannot provide any help there. Electronics that I like a lot with the Duos are the Viva electronics (like the Verona amp) and the Art Audio PX-25 amp. Viva components drove the first Duo system I ever heard and which initially caught my attention. The Viva Solista integrated amp, a scaled down combination of the Verona amp & Linea preamp, is rumored to be a great fit. Also, try the Audiopax as Cobra suggested. If you get the Duos, I highly recommend evaluating the new power cord from Basis Audio to replace the stock Cardas power cord as the improvements obtained are considerable.

Johnk, per your comments about the old 2.2 version of the Duos. I never heard that older model, but what you mentioned seems right on. A large portion of the difference between the 3.2 Duos & that old model addressed the very issues you mentioned. The crossover changed, there were subwoofer changes, and the cables and power cords changed. Currently, a new version of the Duos is available which no doubt provides further improvements.

For those who knock the speaker, I respect your opinions. No audio product fits everyone’s priorities and goals. I do maintain that the objections people made are mostly if not entirely due to artifacts of setup and system matching issues. As with any high performance product, imperfect results readily occur if one but has few listening auditions & if respectful attention is not given to the setup and matching of components. And sometimes it takes living with a product a period of time in order to get the entire system in sync. Just one case in point. If I based my opinion on Quads from but hearing them at shows or at Quad retailers, I’d critique them to no end. Yet, when properly set up and matched with synergistic components, we are talking about a legend.

The Avantgardes have the potential to perform in ways that other speakers cannot. Although this performance is not for everyone, it has brought significant pleasures to many users. For many of us, the AGs provide the sonic performance that ends our quest for the last speakers we’ll ever purchase.

Chris, there is something about Avantgardes that caught your attention, and thus it seems worthwhile to audition them. Although you will have to travel a ways to listen to them, they or any other speaker in their class represents a considerable investment. Maybe making said trip a practical thing to do prior to spending the $$$.