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Avantgarde..... Still a contender???

I am thinking seriously about a drastic change in my system.... I am becoming very intrigued with the idea of high efficiency horn speakers and low-powered tube amps. If you look at "My system" you can see that this is a big change from my current set-up. The trouble is I haven't heard many horn designs (but so far really like what I have heard) and wonder if the Avantgardes are still thought of to be state of the art. Can I do better (for less money)? Any input from you SET guy's is very much appreciated. There just aren't very many (any) dealers doing horns in my area so I need some help on this one.

Other issues are:
1. Is my room large enough (21x15x11)?
2. What would be a good amp to start with (without
breaking the bank)?
3. Is there a good low-powered amp that is balanced? Or,
is single ended REALLY the way to go? (the rest of my system is balanced, and I'd love to keep it this way)

OK enough for now.

Thanks

Chris
cmo
peter_s
1,335 posts
 
I also think that Avantgarde has too much horn shout (for my tastes). Of all the horns I've heard, I've liket those made by Classic Audio Reproductions (Michigan) and also the Edgarhorns. There was one other horn made of wood (not the Zingali) that I though was good. Also, I've heard that the horns made by Exemplar Audio are fabulous. The ones I've heard are all characterized by a natural and warm sound, yet still fast. Good luck with yous search.
bryanhod
211 posts
 
I just auditioned some Avalon Eidolon Diamonds, I know this item was not mentioned but I can not think of a better speaker that I have heard in the $20K used price range. They would work well in your space too.
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 
I owned Duo 2.2 nice loudspeaker but it suffered from poor driver integration and the bass wasent up to snuff.I went with Oris horn to me much much better.But as always YMMV
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Iv've never had the A/G's in my system but have heard them sound mediocre (at a NoCal dealer) and I've heard them sound tremendous (SoCal dealer). Ultimately, I bought Zingali as they were much less expensive and a "first step" into horns.

One thing I have discovered, these speakers do not need a large room. Horns have limited dispersion and seem to (to an extent) take the room out of the equation. My guess is that the A/G's will be fine in your space provided you can get the subs happy.
213cobra
885 posts
 
Actually, the lack of driver integration is part and parcel of the AG Duos and the rest of the line. It's just that not everyone is equally sensitive to this phenomenon. Fine tuned to the nth degree, with perfectly matched associated gear, the characteristic remains and in fact, to me, the more finely tuned an AG system is, the more obvious the lack of driver integration. It is least noticeable when other things are wrong. However, I know not everyone hears this or if they do, they don't care about it. It is an intrinsic quality of the AG series however that makes them unlistenable to me.

Phil
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