I have listened to Diamond, Opus, Ascendant and bought Studio Pro for obvious (!) budget reasons. Both Ascendant and Studio are tremendous achievers and the Studio Pro offers bass to only 34Hz but its quality is even better than on some higher Avalon models and eventually the best defined limited lower end I have heard without compromising musicality. The Studio Pro at $2500 are a real bargain if one likes - or tolerates- their look(I find them nice but I may be weird)....better limited bass than bad bass for me.
At $7500, the Ascendant may face some stiff competition but they are fully worth the price in a fit-finish-musicality combo. My dealer suggested that the Opus may be THE ultimate value winner (value for those who can afford $10-25k speakers...).
Finally, yes there are some giant killer $4,000 full range speakers out there (VR4 Jr, Gallo Ref3.1, Hyperion 938) but neither the VR nor the Ref approach IMHOOnly Avalon finish, look (would you like to have your Ref 3 or Hyperion in your living room? in 10yrs?), midrange, imaging and effortless musicality.
Obviously I am biased as I fell in love with the Avalon imaging and tonality. Yet, go audition some. With the right gear, you'll only need 1mn or 2 to love them hard or to just walk away.
At $7500, the Ascendant may face some stiff competition but they are fully worth the price in a fit-finish-musicality combo. My dealer suggested that the Opus may be THE ultimate value winner (value for those who can afford $10-25k speakers...).
Finally, yes there are some giant killer $4,000 full range speakers out there (VR4 Jr, Gallo Ref3.1, Hyperion 938) but neither the VR nor the Ref approach IMHOOnly Avalon finish, look (would you like to have your Ref 3 or Hyperion in your living room? in 10yrs?), midrange, imaging and effortless musicality.
Obviously I am biased as I fell in love with the Avalon imaging and tonality. Yet, go audition some. With the right gear, you'll only need 1mn or 2 to love them hard or to just walk away.