What does one purchase after owning horns?

Renmeister, when you owned your Unos did you ever consult with Jim Smith regarding the woofer integration? As the former but longest running importer for Avantgarde in the US, he likely knows more about them and their proper set up for optimal performance than anyone.

Most anyone who has considered any model of Avantgarde knows their reputation for importance of set up. I certainly have not heard a large number of horn speaker designs but I will say the AGs I heard set up by Mr, Smith sounded more like live music than about anything I experienced, and without the typical horn colorations.

Duke, I realize you are not saying that horns "beam" when you mention "radiation pattern control", but that and other comments here seem to imply that a very limited sweet spot is produced by horn systems.

Admitting my own experience with horn systems is limited, I question this condition. I own a pair of rear loaded horns (C&C BEN) which may not qualify but a good friend first had AG Unos and now AG Duos. I believe his room is 20' wide with the Duos spaced by 10-11' with moderate toe-in. I can sit directly in front of one speaker and still hear a defined stereo image spread. This is not to suggest there is not a more precise soundstage presentation when seated in the middle sweet spot but in his room/set up I find his horns to present at least as wide of a good listening area as any box system I've heard in that room. Perhaps this is aided by the 4-5' separation from the side walls (a point which seems contrary to some other comments on horn systems).

If you would comment further it would be appreciated.

So, based on Ralph's comment, "if you already have an Avantgarde and you are trying to use tubes with it, now you know why its been so hard to find something that makes the drivers/woofers blend properly", if Renmeister had used something like one of Nelson Pass's First Watt amps while he still owned his Unos, perhaps this entire post would never have existed. ;-)

PS, I note that Avantgarde has now introduced their own SS amp to match with their speakers.

I think Atmasphere makes an important point. For me, loudness can mean many things, not just the ability to produce sound that measures 120 dB!

From my perspective, in addition to absolute level, it includes rise time and the ability to produce a given level cleanly and without stress. I've never heard live acoustic music sound distorted or harsh. Yes it may become too loud to be comfortable but that is a function of sound pressure levels. Reproduced music on the other hand can become uncomfortable for me to listen to long before it becomes so loud I need to turn it down or leave the room.

So back to the OP question, I suppose it becomes an issue of finding speaker/amp combinations with sufficient headroom and low distortion. After that the specific choice is a matter of personal taste -- a point emphasized by many of the replies here.