Avalon Eidolon or Parsifal Encore

Be aware that it could take weeks to months to position your speakers. You are starting at a big advantage in having used speakers, and not needing to break-in a new pair. If they have been in storage, they still may benefit from some hours of warming-up.

Avalons are very finicky about set-up. You will need to experiment to 'lock' onto that holographic image. Width, depth, and toe-in provide infinite possibilities. There will be times when you think you are close, but it does not quite come together.

I would suggest to just get them in a reasonable position for the first number of days, so you can learn what they do. Then, you can take some time to fine-tune. It may be useful to take notes, take measurements, and mark prior positions in tape so you can return to these quickly. Having a 2nd person would help.

So, all I am saying is that any magic may take some time.

First impressions right out of the box - Positioned in the same place as my Verities.

Damn these things are BIG in comparison with the Verities! But absolutely gorgeous. I could live wiht these as a piece of furniture.

Sonics positive:
The Eidolons throw a larger and more holographic image
The timbre of instrumens appears more natural on the Eidolons
There is more "note decay" and air around instruments on the Eidolons
The Eidolons sound more dynamic

Sonics negative:
These speakers are far more unforgiving than the Parsifals. Distortions on some old favorite 70s live recording are ruthlessly exposed, and sound more harsh than on the Parsifals. So do some high notes on brass instruments that are not played perfectly.

I can see these speakers are very sensitive to anxillary equipment. Note that I am playing them with Bel Canto Ref1000m. My Class A monoblocks have been in the shop for months. I got tired of waiting, so I bought the Bel Canto's as a temporary replacement. Very interested to hear what these speakers do with the class A's. I can also imagine these work very well with tubes.

Unexpected bonus points:
I played a multi channel DVD-A (another stoney evening - Crosby & Nash) and found the Eidolons integrate far better with my Kef 204c Center channel. This is a big plus since I have 100+ Multi Channel SACD's that I listen to quite a bit.

I also think I will prefer to play these speakers without my two JL 113s subs - which can then be relegated to LFE channel only duties. I may even sell one. Need a bit more experimenting to decide on that.

Botton line: very unlikely more listening will change initial impression. The Eidolons are keepers - look for Parsifals on Audiogon for sale shortly.

Keep the posts coming

Try convergent audio , they make ceramics sound more forgiving while maintaining the high resolution

Thanks for the initial impressions!

“I can also imagine these work very well with tubes.”

I think you might be right. My Accuton based Salks were magical when I added a tube Aesthetix Calypso preamp.

Bob

Thanks for your summary, Edorr. Your thought that Eidolons would sound good with tubes is right on target. Great tube amps bring out the best in these speakers in my experience. The challenge is that they do like a fair amount of power. The good news is their impedance curve is fairly easy for many tube amps to handle (minimum at 3.6ohms).

And, you are absolutely correct in your surmise that ancillary equipment is critical. The Eidolons will not gloss over any deficiencies in your source material or other gear upstream.
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