Audio Physics ...Bright or forward?

There is no rule that says you are obligated to buy since he worked hard on the sale. If you had them in your home twice and still aren't sure they are right for you, they probably aren't. Doesn't your dealer carry other brands? Try something w/ a soft dome, they tend to be smoother and less fatiguing.

The new Tempos have a soft dome tweeter! The only other speakers these guys carry are Aerial(metal dome), Triangle( man do I hate those speakers), Wilson audio...I wish and AP's. They are more of a SS house, they only carry VTL for tubes neither of which is my cupo tea. But absolutely great people to do biz with. The Sound Environment!
Thanks
Mike

Dude,
I would kill for a dealer like you have. I have the Avanti 3 speakers which are brand new, so I am still in the process of evaluating them. I bought them without hearing them after extensive research via internet, etc... I have a good dealer, but he does not stock any hi-end gear. My speaker evolution: JBL S-38I, Harbeth C7-ES2, JM LAB Micro Utopia BE, to AP Avanti 3. To date, the Avanti's are the best speakers I have had, but at 12,500 list, they should be. I do not consider the Avanti to be bright at all, and I have never been fatigued at any time while listening to them. I might like to one day try out a pair of Sonus Faber Amatti's, but for now, I believe I have jumped off the speaker-merry-go-round. My only slight caveat is that I might like a little deeper bass. The Avanti's have good tight bass, but I would like to have that deep bass without losing the high frequency range of the Avanti's. It sounds like you may not like the HF range of speakers like JM Lab or Audio Physics, so you may want to go with a speaker like Harbeth, Spendor, or Proac.

Why don't you buy a pair of entry model from him and negotiate a 100% trade toward upgrade within a year. if you do not like them, your loss is minimised. If you do, you are in business. Cable-wise, try DH Lab Q10, a steal and the right sweetness yet revealing. Or Audioquest if you can afford it, used Gibraltar for example.

I'm quite familiar with the Virgos, have heard the Calderas, and I've owned AP Avanti Centuries for the past few years and do not find them fatiguing in the least. When AP speakers are set up properly the sound field is laid out wholly behind the speakers which simply disappear. Follow the guidelines in the AP positioning guide to get started - proper setup will pay big dividends - presumably your dealer can help with this. Like any other speaker, the APs will sound better with certain cables over others. I'm inclined to agree with Narrod - look elsewhere in the reproduction chain for a cause of 'forwardness'. Do you hear the same characteristics in the dealer's setup as you do at home? Of course my comments are relative to my system - YMMV.

It might help if you could describe the rest of your system.

Good luck!
Tim