I believe that you will find the Ascent mk2 to be the speaker that does it all for you(based on your comments).This was Avalons premier product originally and they have not bettered it in any of their three way designs regardless of ad copy or industry hype.They were a sealed enclosure(more articulate bass and midbass).They were a very easy load on an amp(lowering how hard your amp has to work,meaning lower distortion).They came with a seperate external crossover(would you want a crossover in a potentially resonant enclosure or external?).They had significantly more mass in the enclosure and had unbelieveably high resolution in the vital upper mid to high freq.They were discintinued due to wife acceptance factor(4 cabinets,including crossovers)and the need for Avolon to distribute a more compact design.These speakers really have to be heard to be believed.They are occassionally available used at about 5-7k and are a steal.I have heard them on numerous occassions in various Manhattan loft set ups and always felt that this was Avalons towering achievement.Don't take my word for it ,try to hear a pair.Avalon once had indicated to me that they had received one pair back on trade in and "had forgotten just how good the sound".YOU can believe me or not,but I'm not making this up.
Avalon: are new models quite better than older ?
I'm curious if all Avalon's owners are completely satisfied with the new vented models respect the previous sealed: I know the factory point of view but I wonder if in this particular aspect -bass articulation, impact and speed- the discontinued Ascents or Radians (just to name a few) could be better than the new Eidolons or Opus... Any comment will be appreciated ! Thanks, Luca.