Avalon Acoustics vs Wilson Audio

IMO, I have to agree with the above poster.Ive listened to Wilson and Avalon alot.I could easily live with the Sasha or Sophia3(both excellent speakers)but if I was dropping cash, Avalon would go home with me.

Although at times Wilson can be a fun speaker to me the Avalon makes them sound musically disjointed. The Avalons do an amazing job at blending their drivers and the speaker sounds as coherent as can be. For me this is critical in recreating the illusion of the sound of real music. That being said there are obviously many who find Wilson's sound musically rewarding.

Avalon and Wilson have different objectives in mind when it comes to reproducing sound and you have to decide which of two comes closest to the virtues you desire.

best,
Tom

I've owned Ascent IIs, Monitors, and still own Eidolons.

After listening to WP7s, Sophia 2s, and WP8, my vote goes to Wilson. WP7 and Eidolon used prices are roughly the same.
The Eidolon's accuton and possible the crossover makes it borderline grainy and very intolerent of anything that doesnt have a syrupy-smooth high-end. Not so with the WP7s and above. With Avalons you buy woodwork, with Wilson you buy auto body shop craftsmanship.

And I assume Eidolon Diamonds are similar in $$ with Sashas?

My vote goes to the Avalon Eidolon Diamonds. A good friend has had both WP8 and now owns the Avalon Eidolon Diamonds and the difference are close between the two speakers as far as quality of sound and build quality goes. That being said when, I go over to his house I want to keep listening. Just one more song just one more record. That never happened with the WP8s.

Thanks for the response guys. I appreciate your comments very much. I know I have to audition these. I will not spend money on anything until I hear it. Other responses did clear up some other questions I had. I had a feeling the avr600 wouldn't cut it. Thats why I was thinking of going with a dedicated music setup.

I feel I'm willing to go as far as the Avalon eidolon diamond, or the current sasha w/p. I feel the sophia 3 wasn't as fast in response as the w/p.

I have a local Avalon dealer. The only problem is that he works out of his house. So auditions are done by appointment only. He had a set of Avalon Ascendents in the room, but they were not hooked up. I did however listen to the Magico V3's with a Jeff Rowland Preamp, VAC phi 300.1 tube amp, and MSB cd IV transport. It was a pretty good setup I have to admit. The Magico's just didn't do anything for me. For such a large speaker I was unimpressed with the lack luster base. Transparency and sound stage was very good though. Just overall it didn't win my heart or anything. That speaker goes for $27k+

"Avguy" I will have to agree with you about the analytical sound. I noticed that it can sound a bit metalic in some situations. It doesn't necessarily sound bad, but rather a prefered taste. I don't mind a bit of a forward sounding speaker. I noticed the wilsons are like that at times, as well my paradigm's actually. I noticed they can sound just a little bright at times, and I do mean little. It isn't ever to the point of being intolerable though. Just natural characteristic of the speaker. Its hard finding a speaker that is very natural sounding with superb imaging without getting a little bright.

If I were to predict which I would like better, I think I would probably like the Avalons a little more on the music side. If I were to upgrade my 5ch though, the Wilson's might be the way to go. Wilson's also have center channels which is a plus, and the speakers are really efficient so my avr600 will have no troubles. If I go seperates for my dedicated music setup, I'll look into Jeff Rowland, Simaudio, or Ayre. I love Boulder, but its too rich for my blood. As for cables, I'm currently using a bi-amp pair of Analysis-plus oval 12 for my 60's. Another company I've been wanting to try is xlo electric. If xlo is good enough I would use that for a dedicated 2ch setup. I really don't believe in cables that overall tune the way a system sounds. I really do prefer a cable that has no sonic signature at all. The two companies xlo, and analysis are known for that. I do not like nordost, mit, or transparent audio. They have a sonic characteristic that is unatural to the source in my opinion. Thanks guys keep it up!