Meaning no disrespect,this business of "house sound" is a bit silly.The system is dependent on the Amp/speaker interface,the room personality,and the associated equipment being used.After that,it is up to the experience,and skills of the owner to take it to the max.
I own,and love,the Avalon Ascent-mk2.It is a superb timeless design,of true Heirloom quality.Easy load(a BIG deal),external crossover,sealed enclosure,that is massive.This surely would be far more costly,in today's market.
Upon Avalon's about face,on the subject of porting vs sealed enclosures,what I did,to stay abreast of their quest to satisfy the "bass obsessed",was to add a REL STENTOR,to the system.I did this at the criticism of my audio pals,yet it has worked out incredibly well.It has allowed me to keep the advantages of this stunning sealed design,while adding a real Wallop,and depth.However it took me a long time to correctly voice,with absolutely NO seam.
I am now looking into adding a superb super tweeter,to stay abreast of the new tweeter technologies,and keep my system competitive with the best the New Avalon CO has to offer.These add on designs do exist,if one does some homework,and some are better matches than others.I have heard almost all models of the newer Avalons(which are all fine,IMO)and am very confident in my decision to take this route.
What I have been able to do(thanks to a good,dedicated room)is save BIG TIME MONEY,as opposed to going through the "buy and sell" syndrome.Technology can be a real benefit,if one stays abreast of what's available to us.
As to the subject of some Avalons lacking the last degree of bass response:How come we have NOT seen so much attention payed to this subject,with the "industry darling" Kharma 3.2's???Fine speakers,but like the rest of the superb Avalon line,the overall strength of the speaker takes precedence over the lowest octave.True music lovers should know(do know)this!
Best!
