Avalon's "Symbol": Good As "Other" $3500 Spks??

I heard these the other day at a local dealer's recommendation. I had gone in asking about higher end Avalon speakers, something like the Arcus. The Symbol did not give me the sound I was expecting to hear. I had heard that Avalons are extremely good speakers, the kind you keep for the rest of your life. The only other Avalons the dealer had for demo were something like $34,000 so what's the point. The Symbol was good with spot-on imaging, but lacked the bottom end and wasn't terribly resolving. I'm looking for two channel and they weren't my cup of tea. However, for home theater or possibly surround sound they might be killer.

The Symbols take quite some time to break in. Before they are broken in, they do not sound too pleasing and certainly not involving. And yes, they do not have a lot of bass. I have heard them with several different amps and CDPs. These make a big difference, properly matched the Symbols are excellent for their size and, to some degree, price. They make excellent HT speakers, though. I heard the Symbols used as front and rear channels augmented with the Avalon sub and center. Spooky. Very realistic. I personally would probably not buy them because I like more bass but if looks and small amount of space required matter more than the bottom-most octave, I'd go for it. I own a pair of Avalons Eidolons and I have every intention of keeping them for very long time.

I have the Revel F30's but, I've moved to a smaller room so, I'm selling them. I have an ad for them here. My room is only 11x12'. The Revel's are too big for the room. However, when they were in a larger room, they provided great detail, transparency, and impact. These speakers are very convincing on most music. The only thing I think it misses on is acoustic guitar. It's not bad but, not as convincing as it recreates piano and all other instruments. That's my biggest nit-picking.

The bass on the Revel's is much more than just another octave... it's a detailed layer of bass that is seamlessly integrated with the rest of the sound. The bass, mids and highs are very detailed.

The Avalon's I heard which were about 7,k on sale at a dealer sounded more mellow, relaxed, etc. The Revel's are more forward and have greater impact but, do not image quite as well.

So, that's what I know.

I owned a pair for a short time. I felt they were way over priced. (bought demos) Avalon's other more expensive speakers are great and maybe worth the money but the symbols are not built to the same quality and the drivers they use in the symbols would never be considered in their other models. After about a month in my system I could not stand their thin & bright sound. I replaced with Tyler Acoustics Lynbrook Signatures and my system came alive. Alot of people believe that Avalon's are all over priced but their other models do sound outstanding. With the symbols you are paying more for their name and I would look at other brand in the $3500 range.