avantgarde loudspeakers


Hi all, are Avantgarde loudspeakers (horn design) the best in the world? They are very efficiënt, have excellent microdynamics and terrifying macrodynamics, beautiful instrumental and vocal timbre, truly you-are-there presentation of music, so what else do you want? I've always believe horn designs are outdated because they sound quite coloured and are not capable of giving a believable soundstage. But I could be wrong.
dazzdax
Dazzdax,
In addition to be incredibly musical, and wonderful loudspeakers, I've actually had WOMEN, that nixxed other large speakers being in my main living area, go WOAH!!! ....those are BEAUTIFUL! Tis TRUE! Never had ANYone that saw them "in person" have a negative thing to say about the way they looked. (I've got RED Duos)
And the SOUND!!!!

Just thought I'd share my own actual personal experience.

Happy Listening!

Ed, you raise a rather controversial if not intriguing idea, that someone building their own horn system can actually build a higher quality horn. If I recall the approximate cost of Ava tgarde trios was around 60k. Can you tell me where I could find parts/plans for a desing that could improve upons them for a fraction of their cost?

Thanks
AGoon -

Depends on the Fraction. ;-)

For me, the path has led to parts from Bruce Edgar, vintage drivers (RCA, JBL) and modern ones (TAD, fostex tweeters), along with vintage woofers (Altec, EVM) though modern TAD's may work there too (1601C I think...?). I suggest active Xover and multi-amping as the way to go though many also like passive Xover and that is fine too.

The next step up is horns from Sierra-Brooks and maybe more exotic drivers, Field Coils (speakers and drivers), though I have not gotten that far yet, budget or time wise (to find the parts). Many have, however.

Beyond that there is no limit. ALE and Goto spring to mind as the ultimate driver, though you can pay up to $40-60k for one of their bass drivers w/o horn, so that eclipses the AG stuff by a lot, as far as price. but, everything above other than that level (ALE, etc.) is less than the AG's and better sounding to me (and many serious horn afficionados.) Check out some of the wild stuff the Japanese have done in this regard (for many years)... DIY horn systems with Basshorns built into the house, with whole walls of a room being the mouth of the horn...

-Ed
Myraj - But how long did you keep them around - the women that is. I've got to believe that if they became more permanent fixtures, the Red Duos would have been history.
Wstritt,
No....the Avantgarde were the KEEPERS! And the women....well, kept them all at least as friends, and that is as excellent thing, in addition to the good sounds of the Duos!
Happy Listening!