Avalon Eidolon Diamond vs Revel Salon 2

Just to be clear... My comments are only in response to Bo1972's characterization of the Avalon sonics. (I simply do not hear in my own system what he ascribes to them.) My comments are not intended as a comparison to the Revel speakers. A friend has Revel Studio Ultimas in his system and I find his system completely captivating -- I get sucked in every time I visit. I haven't been similarly captivated by the Salons but I've not heard them in well set up, either.

I've heard the Avalons in very limited audition only and in less than ideal setup in a very small and cramped room.

For sure, I can say they are a unique breed of sound with some unique charms. Lots of mid-range energy and a sound that was more lean than bloated was what I recall. I left with a favorable impression, though I would have to do more time listening to them under better circumstances in order to get a better feel. These were heard at JS audio in Bethesda, MD a few years back.

Avalons do have their charms, the airy imaging, clarity, and a similar character top to bottom.

But they absolutely have a sound, which is one of being leaner and colder than the Revels, and the OP wanted a comparison.

This "sound" can be tiring to many, though plenty of warm tubes in front of them can help.

This "sound" (as opposed to some speakers having very little of their own "sound") is likely a reason, or the reason, they don't make it to mastering studios, which the Revels have. This is also why I prefer the Salons. My experience has been that most folks who don't like Avalons don't like them for this exact same reason, the lean colder sound. However, my posts are not intended to be Avalon "slams". They are more refined and more seamless than the vast majority of speakers including those 2 big currently very popular brands that are so hot on the market right now.

There are many different flavours and that's a very positive thing. And yess you can choose your own stuff to make it even more your own personal sound. Every speaker will Always have there own sound and how the image is projected. There is one thing very common and that is many people stick to the same brands for a long time. Hearing other brands is sometimes what they try to avoid. Narrow thinking is what many do in this business. Wenn you open your perspective you will hear that there are more brands. And sometimes it is even better than what you own now.

Agreed, more than 50 sets of top tier speakers in my career. 10 sets of transducers right now. Can't make the mistake of narrowing down to one set of colorations when you are in the business. One is used to check another, to check that, and so forth.