Justubes--hi. Every speaker ever made is colored. If this was not so, many of us would have sound in our homes identical to the concert stage. Like probably every other high performance speaker at their level, the Avantgardes require careful attention to speaker positioning, cables, and using electronics that are synergistic to the speakers. Also, the use of the newer and faster subwoofers are necessary. Lacking this attention, the AGs will not perform to their potential.
If you let Kmart install cheapo tires on your Maseratti (or even good performance tires) and they incompetently balance these tires, your $250,000 car surely will not perform near its potential. This lack of performance is not the fault of your Maseratti.
If you walk by a home with music playing thru an open window, or in a home with music playing in an adjacent room, it is a simple task to determine if the music is live or reproduced via a stereo. There are many reasons for this. In my view one of the reasons that the AGs are so good and unique is if those are Avantgardes playing the music when you walk by, it is indeed possible that you believe that the music is live and not recorded. That suspension of believe in making recordings come alive makes Avantgardes special speakers.
