In terms of all the audiophile checklist items, I would say yes, especially in terms of soundstaging. In terms of being able to enjoy your music collection, IMHO it's more of a sideways move, as the Ref 3As are extraordinarily musical (as are the Avalons). I think that the Avalons will handle large scale ensembles better than the 3As, though, based on my brief listening to both. The Avalons might require different amplification, though, and their transparency might unmask weaknesses in your source components (we don't know the rest of your system, so this is just a caution), so keep that in mind if you want to upgrade.