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

FYI.. just another update... the VR1's are out... they do have a natural timbre but, not as accurate in the details as I'd like. Also, in my small room, they were a little glaring. I'm working very hard to treat the room...

I've recently bought Green Mountain Europa's.. so far, these are the best speakers I've heard for my tastes. They're neutral and full of detail... inner detail is stunning. I can hear the body of the guitar and the highs are not the least bit harsh... but, rich in detail.

They need a sub, which I have...

The Criterion's are still on their way... this will be the final 'shootout' to determine which speaker I'll keep.

-C

I auditioned them recently against some Quad 12L's and I felt the Quad's were much better in terms of midrange fluidity and overall musicality. The Quads gave up just a little in terms of soundstaging and imaging, but were far better at 1/3 the price.

Ended up with Green Mountain Europas. They sound most like actual music to me. (in an 11x12x9' room with hardwoods and a good bit of room treatments). They do need a small sub, though.

The highs aren't ultra-extended and the lower bass isn't perfect but, for 90% of what I can hear, they sound most like what actual voices and instruments sound like. That was my goal.... Goal realized...

-C

A long ignored thread but figured I should weigh in. I was a Symbol owner for a number of years, and they were absolutely perfect in my tiny apartment at the time. Saw the complaint about the treble but that may be the amp used, or related to break-in - I used an integrated Cayin A-88T tube amp with the stock KT-88s and NOS Tung Sol 6SN7s and it sounded fantastic. I've seen two different tweeter types used by Avalon on this speaker, and I had the gray toned version (not the shiny black ones), which were similar in design to those produced by Focal. As for bass, they are designed as a satellite speaker, and they are literally meant to be used with a sub in the original Avalon configuration/offering, so be sure to include one. I had a REL which sounded perfect. They are also meant to be broken in with approx. 150 hours of playing time, per the manual. All that said, when properly dialed in, this speaker/sub combination sounded incredible. Had no urge to upgrade for seven years thereafter. I'd buy them again.