Avalon Opus vs. Verity Parsifal Encore


Anyone care to comment on the relative merits of these fine speakers. They are similarly sized and priced. Drive characteristics (load, sensitivity) are somewhat similar.
linkster
I have not heard the Verity, but I have a pair of Opus - about 2 months old. I love these speakers. I have never heard a combination of resolution, and musicality. They are extremely natural sounding, with an incredible amount of detail. They say that it doesn't have the bass extension of the Eidelon, but I think it's there, although I am in a small room.
I auditioned both of these speakers one right after the other with the same music, the same electronics and the same room. My opinion is the Opus sound better in all respects. The low frequency was more extended and detailed, the soundstage was deeper and a little bit wider, the sound was more coherent across the range of frequencies.

I definitely did like the Parsifal Encore. My opinion according to my ears and tastes is that it is priced too high and cannot compete directly with the Opus.
The Parsifal is really all finesse and class, AND offers the option or front-firing or rear-firing woofers, to tailor the low-bass response to taste and room condition. What amazes me with this speaker is that despite it's small footprint, it goes down L O W to about 25Hz - truely incredible. No wonder it's the reference for so many well-known reviewers (and other's who will not admit to kiss-assing big name manufacturers)the Avalon opus is also a fine speaker, but I preferred the Parsifal in every way, having purchased the Opus, kept it for 1 month and trading it for - guess what? You got it. If ever the Parsifal sounds less than excellent to you, look elsewhere for the trouble...these gloriously-made speakers will be my pride and joy for the rest of this lifetime anyways. And no, they are NOT FOR SALE! Happy listening, hope this helps.
Hello Linkster, I don't know if this is going to help. Four years ago I had my dealer bring both the orginal Parsifal and the Radian HC to my house. The Parsifal had the advantage of being the easier of the 2 speakers to drive. My amp at that time was an ARCvt130. We set up the Parsifal first and spent a long time tweaking it to make it sound it's best. After about 2 and a half hours we plopped down the HC Radian and without even any dialing in of speaker placement it was a night and day difference. The Radian did everything quite a bit better! Image placement, soundstage transparency, speed of dynamic shifts, timbre of tone, you name it the list could go on and on. I have not heard the Encore version of the Parsifal and I've never heard the Opus. I've since upgraded from the Radian HC to the Eidolon. No two people hear it the same so please try to make the comparison for yourself and trust your own ears. To most people this is a lot of money we are talking about and you need to be happy with what speaker you choose to buy. All the best, Tom