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Avalon, Vandersteen... which to move to?

Hello-

I am considering a speaker upgrade, and am considering either Vandersteens (2CE w/2Wq sub, or alternately the 3Asig) or Avalon Ascendants... or I could keep my ProAc R2.5s. I won't be able to audition these together for a long time (and auditions at different dealers w/different equipment are hard to compare), so I'd appreciate any comments you may have, particularly:

- Are these Vandersteens competitive sound-wise w/the Avalons?
- Would the 2CEs be enough better than the ProAcs to make the shift worth it?
- 3Asig vs 2CE w/sub?
- Other advice (about these brands)?

Many thanks!

PS: I currently have a Chord DAC64 - Rowland Synergy IIi - Rowland Model 10 - ProAc R2.5, and the speakers would be the final change in the system for years. Listen at moderate/loud-ish levels in rooms of various sizes (move a fair amount) and to Grateful Dead/Bela Fleck type stuff.
nas
javamexx
2 posts
 
Nas,

Interestingly, I also have R2.5 which after 3 years, I'm considering 'upgrading' . Actually, more like buying a second set,as I luv the R2.5 so much for its soundstage, vocal quality especailly female ones.

I've onsidered Avalon but 1. it's more expensive 2 I also heard it's very picky about placement and probbaly need a much larger room (back and sides especially) then my current corner.

JM
sbank's avatar
sbank
2,038 posts
 
Linkster,
Have no idea why you think I'm generalizing based on older Avalons. I've heard the Ascendant, and am talking about what I heard from demoing them at one of the top Avalon dealers in the country.
I agree with you that it's better than the Proac, but that doesn't ensure that Nas will prefer it to a Vandersteen. To your point about price, its only fair to compare to a 3A or perhaps their new model, Quatro. All I'm saying is that the balance of the Vandys is different enough from the Avalons, that it would tough for him to dismiss them without hearing some. It could be "his cup of tea". As a former owner of Avalon Radian HCs($14k), I can tell you that at least one former Avalon owner happily decided to go in a different direction. Cheers, Spencer
sc53
689 posts
 
I love the ProAc sound; if you like it too, why don't you audition one of the new D-20 or D38 (or whatever they are called) models?
9rw's avatar
9rw
278 posts
 
The Avalons require megawatts of power -- and they are way overpriced compared to other speakers that are just flat out better. The Avalons also don't have the best dynamics. I think a lot of people buy them for their cabinet work and their looks in general.

If you're after cost-effective performance, the Vandersteens are hard to beat. And while they may be forgiving, they're also highly capable of revealing differences in upstream components. Also, the Vandersteens are phase- and time-coherent. The Avalons (and ProAcs) are not. This may not be a big deal to some people, but it's been my experience that phase- and time-coherent speakers do a better job of imaging and recreating the illusion of a live event. They just sound more natural.

But, hey, there are lots of great speakers out there. Listen to as many as you can. IMHO.
scb6
8 posts
 
Having owned both original model 3 and 2C I can safely say the 3A Sigs are far better than the 2C. I can't imagine a subwoofer making that big of a difference as the 3A is simply better at everything. Vandersteens have their own sound, very mellow compared to many other speakers. I recently changed to Aerial after listening to Vandersteens, Coincident (a close second), Sonus Faber, ProAc and a few others (but not Avalon). All were in the $3500-$5000 range. What do you like and dislike about your ProAcs?
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