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Avantgarde Duos - right for me?

I just wanted some opinions on the Avantgarde Duos as an upgrade path for my system.

My system currently consists of Manley 300b monoblocks, Manley Shrimp preamp, Acoustic Zen speaker and interconnect cabling and Omega Superhemp single driver speakers.

Overall I have been pleased with this system and just love the strengths of an SET/single driver system. Very intimate, great speed and tone, fabulous midrange, etc.

What the system is unfortunately lacking still is big dynamics and deep bass. I have read good things about the Avantgarge Duos but I cant find a local place to audition these speakers first hand. At any rate, I would certainly be looking to buy these pricey speakers used on Agon.

Any opinions on how the Duos would sound with the Manley 300b monoblocks? How small is the "sweet spot" on the Duos? I ask this because I do a lot of entertaining and would ideally like a speaker that has a decent sized listening area. What sized room do the Duos need to sound right? My living room is 18x24. Are there any other high sensitivity speakers that would be better than the Duos?
latinsamba1
microstrip
180 posts
 
I have very little experience with horns. Some years ago I tried to listen to some Avantgarde, but as the dealer setup was poor I was not impressed and gave up the idea. However at the 2008 Lisbon Hifishow I heard a pair of Nano's driven by a small low power transistor amplifier developed by Avantgarde and it was really the best horns I ever heard - dynamic, sweet and musical. The system was really coherent!
Unhappily I do not remember the details of this amplifier.
jake18
10 posts
 
I currently have the Avantgarde Duo Omegas and I use them with a second pair of the 225 woofers. I find that while there is a sweet spot these speakers do an amazing job of making the music accessible to everyone in the room. I do have a fair sized room (20x25x9) which certainly helps. I've owned the Unos which are wonderful speakers, but there are significant positive differences as you move up the ladder to the Duos and then to the Duo Omegas. I've tried a number of amps with both the Unos and the Duos and I prefer a good tube amp and preamp.
jayarr
117 posts
 
I own a pair of duos. The bass integration issue is mute if you sit at least 12 feet from them. They need the space to integrate properly. I sit 14 feet from them and the sound is seamless. The do have a small "sweet spot" which usually is not a big issue. You also have to be concerned with the noise of the amplifier you use. Being so sensitive these speakers will magnify any background electronic noise in your amp so your amp needs to be very quiet when not playing music. I have no experience with Manley but they do have a good reputation. You can always call them to see if they recommend the amp with highly sensitive horn speakers. If dynamics and bass are what you are looking for I think you will be very happy with the Duos. Along with detail retrieval that is there forte. Another issue is their size. They do dominate a room so WAF can be a factor. Good luck.
microstrip
180 posts
 
Did anybody try the Dartzeel electronics with Avantgarde Speakers?
bvdiman
491 posts
 
Since you'll be doing some entertaining, I'd pay particular attention to their placement. Despite their glorious intimate musicality, they can sound rather honky at wrong height listening level ie.sitting too close or too high (or when standing). Integration of their horns to bass modules is the key issue, and can usually be resolved through finding correct /sufficient distance. Whereas, width dispersion (spread) out of the sweet spot imo is not as much of a concern and are more tolerable.
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