Audio Physics ...Bright or forward?

Dude,
I would kill for a dealer like you have. I have the Avanti 3 speakers which are brand new, so I am still in the process of evaluating them. I bought them without hearing them after extensive research via internet, etc... I have a good dealer, but he does not stock any hi-end gear. My speaker evolution: JBL S-38I, Harbeth C7-ES2, JM LAB Micro Utopia BE, to AP Avanti 3. To date, the Avanti's are the best speakers I have had, but at 12,500 list, they should be. I do not consider the Avanti to be bright at all, and I have never been fatigued at any time while listening to them. I might like to one day try out a pair of Sonus Faber Amatti's, but for now, I believe I have jumped off the speaker-merry-go-round. My only slight caveat is that I might like a little deeper bass. The Avanti's have good tight bass, but I would like to have that deep bass without losing the high frequency range of the Avanti's. It sounds like you may not like the HF range of speakers like JM Lab or Audio Physics, so you may want to go with a speaker like Harbeth, Spendor, or Proac.

Why don't you buy a pair of entry model from him and negotiate a 100% trade toward upgrade within a year. if you do not like them, your loss is minimised. If you do, you are in business. Cable-wise, try DH Lab Q10, a steal and the right sweetness yet revealing. Or Audioquest if you can afford it, used Gibraltar for example.

I'm quite familiar with the Virgos, have heard the Calderas, and I've owned AP Avanti Centuries for the past few years and do not find them fatiguing in the least. When AP speakers are set up properly the sound field is laid out wholly behind the speakers which simply disappear. Follow the guidelines in the AP positioning guide to get started - proper setup will pay big dividends - presumably your dealer can help with this. Like any other speaker, the APs will sound better with certain cables over others. I'm inclined to agree with Narrod - look elsewhere in the reproduction chain for a cause of 'forwardness'. Do you hear the same characteristics in the dealer's setup as you do at home? Of course my comments are relative to my system - YMMV.

It might help if you could describe the rest of your system.

Good luck!
Tim

For me, a speaker needs to be love at first listen. That is how it was with my AP Spark IIIs. I wouldn't necessarily call them bright, but they are indeed detailed speakers. I listen to a lot of rock and heavy metal and these speakers really are up to the task. With a Nait 5 they are fabulous with drums and do a great job of producing the energy of electric guitars.

I auditioned the Spark III against the Tempo III and preferred the Spark...give them a listen before choosing the more expensive Tempo.

Vaughn3d said:
"I auditioned the Spark III against the Tempo III and preferred the Spark...give them a listen before choosing the more expensive Tempo."

EXCELLENT point, IMO. The best sounding speakers within a line are NOT necessarily the most expensive, or even the more expensive between two models. My experience in listening to other brands tends to support his point. Usually, the more expensive speakers within a product line sound incrementally better, but NOT always.