The Reference 3A works very well with a wide range of amps. The Avalon not. When you go for them, the amps will give you some thinking. High powered amps AND good sound are not cheap. And the set up is much more demanding compared to the Ref 3A.
"Think long and hard" +1 There's hifi considerations and then there's musicality considerations (as Rcprince noted). Syntax makes a very valid point. It's an advantage to have a speaker that can be driven by high quality low-moderate power amplifiers. These types of amps can often provide superb sond quality.
I have heard Avalons demoed using Boulder amps only. The resulting sound was quite unique in terms of tonal balance and detail. Lots of detail and energy through the midrange I would say. It was also a fairly brief demo. I cam eout thinking there was something unique there that some would consider worth pursuing but also that I would be most careful about overall synergy and performance in order to avoid potential fatigue factors. Lots of potential...but the jury is still out for me.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.