Audio Physic Virgo II vs Avanti III

Greg,

In the June issue of Stereophile there was a review of A.P. Scorpio. In it, Michael Fremer stated: "The Avanti III, which I reviewed in the August 2001 issue, was far more capable in everyway than the Virgo II, it was my reference for a few years, and it's still a great speaker--but to my ears, the Virgo II's magic balance of strength eluded it."

I have not owned the Avanti III, had nothing against it, actually, I was thinking about getting it at one time, so I looked closely into it, and still pay attention to the whole A.P. line.

Contrary to Wendell's opinion, I was quite impressed by the new Sonics speakers. But I agree too with him, that it is very hard to tell the true nature of any equipment from a show room. I would love to hear from someone who has first hand experience on those Sonics speakers.

As an alternative, the Scorpio received a very good review from Michael Fremer. Maybe something to consider too. And I heard that there will be a new Virgo in the next CES.

Robert

Robert,
You made me understand why I started this thread. I'm looking for people with my same preference to musical reproduction.
I understand the Avanti III is a different beast. But should I replace my Virgos?. What are all the Virgo lovers upgrading too? I'm also pretty locked into at least a year with my Pass Labs X-350 amp, it's that good.... I read how much better the new X-350.5 is...and what Preamp works best with my Amp, my Speakers, my Wife, my budget... If I spend 20k will I be happy?.... I know I'll be single, but that, death and taxes are all I'll be able to count on...
So what are ex-Virgoers making the jump too?
The Scorpio seems like a re-make of the Virgo. I do respect the opionion of Michael Fremer. He is the reason I gave the Virgo a listen in the first place.But I need a more dramatic improvment in presence and sonic abilities with reasurance from my listening brothers and sisters!

Greg,

I do feel we share similar preference, even I have not owned any Audio Physics. I have been looking into a floor stander to replace my Dynaudio C1 monitor. The Virgo III and the Avanti III were among my top choices. I like the clean line and compact size of the Virgo III especially, and the fact that it is fairly efficient, supposedly much easier to drive than my C1. However, I am also afraid that the Virgo III may not be enough of an upgrade.

The Sonics speakers did not appeal to me on paper, or in pictures. But after seeing the Allegria speakers in person at the HE show, I was really attracted by their compact size and sleek quality look---kind of similar to Audio Physics, and I really thought they sounded fine. Did you see the show report? Link: http://blog.stereophile.com/he2006/060106louis/

They are my dream speakers for now. However, I am not ready to spend anywhere near $15,000 on a new set of speakers. On the other hand, the used Avanti IIIs at 6 grands seems a lot more reasonable. Please let me know your thought if you do get a set of them!

FWIW, one of the best systems I ever heard was a set up which had Avanti IIIs powered by Herron electronics (pre & amps). It was terrific in every way on classical AND rock - just killer. You didn't listen to the system - you just listened to natural "alive" music, whatever the genre.

If you like AP and have the space, I think the IIIs are still terrific speakers, I don't care what Mikey says. The price/performance ratio at their used price is a no brainer to me, provided you can give them the room they need. These speakers are worth mating to synergistic electronics - check out the Herron gear with them - it was a great combo.

Anybody have an idea why Gerhard abandoned the side-firing woofers? It's a great configuration and is really nice aesthetically too.
I think the Allegra is unattractive (the shape, not the finish shown in the photos), while the Allegretto looks nice but is a 2-way with only 1 mid/woof, a configuration that I usually find is lacking in clarity and dynamics compared with 2 mid/woofs.
I have the Virgo IIs and am anxious to hear this new line as well - one of the limitations of the Virgos is that they are not the last word in detail - maybe more modern drivers will address that shortcoming?