I heard the Pearls in San Francisco a couple of years ago, where I believe they won best in show, and I would agree with that. Since I had trade passes, we could go into demos without a lot of waiting and get good seating. So I was able to compare liberally with the other speakers I was interested in - Avantgarde Trios. The rooms and equipment were very different, but they were both very suitable for their respective speakers.
They were both truly spectacular speakers in their own ways and I found the Trios to be very exciting, but I decided ultimately that if I had to actually LIVE with one, I'd choose the Pearls. I felt they'd be a little less "engaging" but on the other hand utterly non-fatiguing. The Trios seemed like they might get irritating for more than moderate duration, totally dedicated, eyes-closed listening.
So yes, I'd say they are wonderful - and like the Trios, they really ARE a technically innovative design that justifies the price, not a few off-the-shelf drivers with 4th order X-overs, screwed into a pretty box like some of the other contenders.
They were both truly spectacular speakers in their own ways and I found the Trios to be very exciting, but I decided ultimately that if I had to actually LIVE with one, I'd choose the Pearls. I felt they'd be a little less "engaging" but on the other hand utterly non-fatiguing. The Trios seemed like they might get irritating for more than moderate duration, totally dedicated, eyes-closed listening.
So yes, I'd say they are wonderful - and like the Trios, they really ARE a technically innovative design that justifies the price, not a few off-the-shelf drivers with 4th order X-overs, screwed into a pretty box like some of the other contenders.