Please talk me out of buying the Avalon Eclipse


I have found a good deal on these, never heard the Avalon speakers. Is the Eclipse  still a good speaker today? I say talk me out because I have to drive 12 hrs to get them!

celo

Showing 2 responses by rcprince

The Eclipses image superbly in the right room where you can bring them out a bit from the walls.  Probably a little bass shy, especially if you want the last octave of bass--they don't go much below 40Hz--but the bass they produced was very good.  They were beautifully built and finished, though I recall they only had a couple of finishes (I think one was olive wood, the other a Nextel finish).  They partnered well with Jeff Rowland amplifiers, and I think Stereophile liked them with ARC tubed amplifiers as well.  I really liked them and their bigger brother, the Ascent, but ultimately opted for the Duntech Princesses because of the better bass.  I think, though, that concerns about service and replacement drivers, plus the fact that you haven't heard them, would suggest that you pass on them (unless you like long drives).

$700 is really enticing.  If you have older Rowland or good tube gear it probably would be worth it--I would not drive them with Class D or a cheap amplifier.  The soundstaging of the Avalons is remarkable, and the original models were superbly built.