Opinion of Avalon Speakers or Alternataives

My experience with Avalons, albeit short, was at an audio show. They were connected to some very high quality equipment, however, they sounded quite dry and boring. Your mileage may vary.

The old Avalon Ascents were among my favorite speakers, very musical and a holographic soundstage. My only complaints about them were they needed more power than my JA80s could give them and, at their then-list price, I would expect deeper bass response than they could give. Haven't heard their latest generation of speakers, but would expect, with the right electronics, they should be at or near the top tier of speakers. If you're looking at Alon, give a listen to their Lotus SE speakers, maybe not in the same sonic league with the others you're talking about but one of the best speakers I've heard from them and very easy to drive.

Have only heard them in audio stores, connected, as expected, with the very best upstream gear, but I felt that the Avalon Eidolon was about the best speaker I ever heard. It gave the music life in a way that no other did.

Which models are you considering?

Hard to make an informed opinion at the shows. Avalon loudspeakers require an extended break-in, upwards of 700 hrs IMO. I would not expect any show to exhibit an Avalon product that is fully broken-in. Also consider the vagaries of the source components (e.g. are they broken-in) and the whole affair can be a real puzzle. Avalons have a sound like no-other and I would suggest that you read Martin Colloms review of the Eidolons in Feb's HFNRR.