Help! Best amp for Rockport Aviors?

Jason,

Proper placement is very dependent on the speaker and your room so there isn't one best place.

Another suggestion that I have is for you to contact the dealer that you purchased them from and based on you saying that they are authorized Rockport dealer - contract with them to travel to your home and do the setup for you. It would be well worth it to have it done correctly. 

Agree with having the dealer come earn his profit and help with setup assuming they are a Rockport dealer and know what they're doing.  If I were you I'd call Andy Payor and get his take on it.  I've spoken with him and he's a really nice guy, and I'd bet he'd narrow down your problem pretty quickly and accurately.  I've heard several Rockport models in many different settings with lots of different equipment, and I've never heard them sound the least bit bright.  Nor have I ever seen a review categorize them that way.  I'd highly suspect your amp and pre, for whatever reason, are just not a synergistic fit for the speakers and/or your tastes.  Maybe you can borrow a different amp and pre from your dealer to see if it addresses your problem.  BTW, I've heard Gryphon is working on getting US distribution again but not sure where that's at.  I heard the Altairs with a Boulder Class A amp and pre and it sounded quite good.  As Gryphon amps are also Class A that might be an avenue to try if possible, so makes like Pass, Clayton Audio, and Plinius among others might be worth exploring.  But again, I'd start with Andy to cut down your options.  Last thought, I suppose it's possible the speakers have been damaged but probably not likely.  Best of luck and let us know how it goes.  Great speakers BTW. 

Thanks soix!

Your thinking aligns with my theory - I really appreciate your advice and I will reach out to Andy today.

Stay tuned.

J

I have heard the Aviors a few times at a local dealer with Aesthetix Saturn Eclipse electronics (Romulus CD/DAC, Calypso preamp, Atlas amplifier) and Transparent cables. They did not sound hot or fatiguing at all. I agree with soix that you should contact Rockport, and you should also have your local dealer help you with the setup.

If your C2’s are ’shouty’, this indicates something is amiss in your system - not the speaker(s). Since the Aviors are hi-rez, the issue will be even more pronounced with them. Once again, Al’s detective work is right on target. Set-up is probably a contributing factor.