Avalon Eidolon Diamond vs Revel Salon 2

I listen to many many Avalon speakers. As well the Eidolons and the Diamonds. Yesss they need room, but that is not the problem. I have doubts about the sound, but I Always say: sound is a personal matter. Beside this; I like the shape and how it is build. I love the wide and deep stage as well. I never heard the extreme realistic small and direct touchable image of voices and instruments what I experienced at my friends house with classical music. I miss the intimacy. At audio shows I hear that most people who give a demo are not capable of what they are doing. They do not know the properties of al the parts they use in there demo set. This is the key to the absolute sound. Many use cables which are not capable of giving the right small dimensions of instruments and voices. Avalon has not a lot of extreme small and touchable image of instruments and voices. Often they use MIT cables with Avalon. I sold it and I owned it. MIT can make a wide and deep stage just like Avalon speakers. Both they are not able to give an extreme 3d touchable image like you have the feeling if they are in front of you like in real. So you need cables with other properties to get a more intimate sound. I think many people in this business are f.... blind and deaf. I heard the Sentinel a few times. One time I asked to play Nils Lofgren acoustic live. The guitar was much too big in proportion. This I really hate. Was the same wenn I listend for 1,5 hours with my own music to Wilson Audio Alexandria 2. This was even worse. Because Nils Lofgren had a very very big guitar. Wenn I played Jacintha light my fire the crossflute was in the same line as her voice was. In the recording it is about 3-4 meters behind her voice.

Maybe ex dealers / reps have gone deaf from too much listening??? Or have caught that terrible affliction, analyzitis--must be very painful; perhaps a good reason for a negative attitude?

Disagree with Rushton. I still have the ascents and they are side by side with the eidolons. The ascents by Hansen don't go high enough nor do they go deep. But they are more coherent and do not thin out as much as eidolon when driven with trl Samson (the only thing that has enough power for them). Image size and body are slightly superior.

If there's a problem with Avalon speakers its the need to have someone who actually knows what they should sound like properly locate them. I heard a pair of Eidolons set up correctly only once years ago at dB Audio's second location on Shattuck Ave, In Berkeley California.

I remember they were driven by an Ayre V-3 with Cardas cable but little else. Subsequent installations at shows and other stores never came close to the dB Audio setup.

Bo1972s accounts with Avalon are completely understandable. While Avalon provides fairly detailed setup instructions not knowing what should sound like is a huge handicap. I guess this could be said of any speaker.

From memory I thought I had mine dialed in until someone in the industry with this familiarity moved them about eight inches back and less than two inches wider apart which created a substantial improvement.