Avalon Eidolon Diamond Are they really great?

I own Eidolons, but I can't comment on the Diamonds. What I will add, though, is an echo of Linkster's comments about associated electronics. I've heard Eidolons with Spectral, Rowland and Atma-Sphere amplifiers. I bought them based on hearing them with Rowland amplifiers. I love them in my listening room partnered with Atma-Sphere MA-2 tube amps.

For speaker cables with the Eidolons, I've used Goertz AG-3 cables and I currently use Omega Mikro Planar IV cables. The speakers definitely do not *require* MIT cabling, and the MIT would not be my personal first choice for this speaker.

The point here is that the Eidolons can be matched to a range of electronics and cabling - not just Spectral/MIT. As pointed out by Sbank, these speakers are extremely revealing -- you will hear everything in your system ahead of the speakers, for good or bad. But, they are not of the ruthlessly analytical ilk with unnaturally emphasized hyper-detail. With the excellent source material and associated equipment, the Eidolons will reward you with some of the most musically natural, nuanced and detailed sound reproduction you may wish to hear. And, the speakers will continue to further reward you for every improvement you make in tweaking or upgrading your system.

As to room requirements, the Eidolons will greatly benefit from being placed well away from front and side walls. That being said, I lived with them reasonably well in an 13'x17' room (placed 6' from the front wall and 3 1/2' from the side walls), but they sound even better in my new 18'x27' room.

I heard them at CES in the Ayre room & can only comment on them in regards to being powered by the V-5x, as I too have this amp. I'm glad to know this (my) amp can sound so good.

Like anything audio, it depends on what you like. You're just going to have to audition with your gear to make a decision. From there you can decide if you want to keep what you have or go in search of different components, be it electronics or other spkrs.

I would think the best course of action would be take your gear to the spkrs. for a test drive & that way you should be able to get a pretty good idea what the synergy is like.

It goes w/o saying the same gear will sound different in your room but worth mentioning this should give you some approximation. Good luck!

Linkster: Cannot the Avalon Eidolons have more than one sibling? It is smaller and younger. Maybe the Ascendents are a younger sister instead. Quite demure but a pretty little thing.

I have owned both Eidolons and now own Eidolon Diamonds. Both are fantastic speakers and in my opinion, a benchmark in design and application. Diamonds surpass the Eidolons in bass extension and impact and detail and air in the top end. When I owned the Eidolons, I did not think this was possible, until I heard the Diamonds. For your listening tastes, you simply cannot go wrong.

I think Rushton is right on the money with his comment on natural transparency, without the unnatutral hyper detail as I think Kharma's (and many others) are prone. Not sure about bass extension on the Diamonds, I think both are outstanding but the Diamond is more controlled and accurate. I thought Martin Collom's review of the Eidolon made many points that can be ascribed to Avalon's in general.