Avalon Eidolon Diamond-Worth it?

I am an Avalon lover,and owner.Yet,once Avalon switched their philosophy from "sealed" enclosures to a ported design,I became very suspicious!

Yes,I know it was under new ownership,but c'mon,the attitudes,especially those expressed in the "superlative" owners manual(which is a superb "read") about the significant advantages of a sealed enclosure,really got me thinking(something I don't like to do-:).

So,I gave the original Eidolon a good audition,and stayed with my "way underrated" Ascent Mk-II.I'm really glad I did,because(though some might feel otherwise....I certainly don't)the Eidolon was simply a sidegrade,to me....At best!!

I felt it definitely had more WAF,but the Ascent is an absolute textbook design,and "way overbuilt",not unlike the stuff Magico is doing today!

Six inch thick front,sealed design,external crossover,88 db sensitivity,easy 6 ohm load,and "the" sophisticated damping circuit in crossover,allowing each driver to basically see their own amp,from just "one"!....Not to mention it still has an amazing level of inner detail and air!...I've been really open minded about replacing it,but I no longer am susceptible to industry hype....As long as my ears tell me otherwise.Btw,they are simply gorgeous too!!

Charles Hansen(I think we know his credentials,by now)really went for it,in this speaker...so...

What I did was to employ a REL Stentor sub,to reinforce the "lowest" octave,as in my room I have the speaker out about seven feet.They replaced a big four tower Infinity design,so the "absolute bottom octave" does benefit here.

I admit I've been fascinated with the "labeling" of the Eidolon "Diamond",and I am sure it IS superb,but I have not heard it,and am not going to drive fifty miles for an audition.I can't believe(I do hope I am wrong)it is SO much better than the very good Eidolon!

Just my two cents...and personal taste!Nothing more!!

Best.

Please don't misinterpret my comments(just opinion).If you feel the "Diamond" is what you "want/like" then I am sure you will be very happy!

Good luck

My system consistes of "modded" Avalon Ascent Mk II's,Rel Stentor sub....HIGHLY MODDED Audio Research SP-15(Great Northern Sound now has it again for a second time,for V-Teflon cap additions)....Three very low noise Siemens CCa 6922's in phonostage of pre....A "custom" Jeff Rowland two chassis 8t amp(Jeff was nice enough to give me a his latest thoughts on how the latest technology aids this amp,in the new seperate power supply chassis).

A Sota Cosmos series IV table/Graham Phantom arm/Transfiguration Orpheus cartridge....Cd player is a Levinson 390s....Most importantly(surprisingly)an Exact Power EP-15a line regenerator,with an additional Exact Power Ultrapure connected for "balanced" regenerated power....All in a dedicated purpose built room,and a nice LP/cd collection....Thirty five years worth of collecting music seriously....but too much angst lately,as the system has gotten quite complex,and I am getting tired of "voicing" it,to the latest gizmo....It's nice to just play music!



Cables from Transparent,Cardas tri wired speaker cables,Electraglide.

Power cords from PS Audio(for power conditioners)and Harmonic Technology. VPI record cleaner/DIY LP flattener/Furitech CD demag unit.

All in all I am very pleased with how it sounds to "me",and it is NOT the best system around,but I like it alot....Oh yeah,I've been having gremlins for a few months,but the fix is on the way.

Sorry to seem a bit ego here,but someone did ask about the set up,something I don't mention alot....I have friends with better stuff...particularly the amazing set up of Sid Marks,who defies science/physics with his sound,it is SO good!!AND half of his system is NOT the latest stuff,but absolutely DOES MUSIC!!

Best

"Mo bass,mo problems"(btw,my friend had the very fine Eclipse)...Well,from my experience with the REL Stentor/Avalon Ascent MK-II......Your assumption has merit!!....The Ascent is a rediculously sensitive speaker(a good thing in the long run).I have had it sounding about twenty different ways!!Literally!!....

I'm willing to bet(a penny-:)that those who sold it,"never" heard what it could do!...Especially with today's better componentry!!

Each time I thought the speaker was doing something,it turned out that it was some other parameter.....This has happened,like a zillion times!

Finally,I must conclude that this design is absolutely an electron micrscope on "whatever" is before it.So,when the speaker was originally introduced,some felt(including me)that it lacked the lowest freq(even though it got rave press)......It DID,but as time has told me,ONLY a TINY amount of low freq is absent....Time and technology allowed for some interesting sub bass systems to be considered.

I felt the speaker was underperforming(even though it sounded great) because as the other components got "that" much better,surprisingly, the speaker knew it too!!...Always!!...Time and time again!...An amazing design(460 lbs with crossovers...whew!).Serious!!-:)

Ok,but since I wanted to take advantage of the amazing stage proportions this design had(it smoked my big Infinity's...both the RS-1,and the Infinity Beta.... four tower designs),I moved it 7.5 feet out into the room,and boy this speaker "liked" that!!But,you are going to lose a bit of impact,especially with a sealed design in this scenario.

I waited a long time to "do" a sub,not wanting to screw things up.Very easy with any sub,because "everyone" gets hooked on "lots of bass" at first!!But I got it to blend seamlessly,after lots of careful consideration,and am thrilled!!

So,to answer the Eclipse question,....you can get deeper bass,with more weight/impact...But basically it depends on how you have the Eclipse set up.What you want in bass.I like just a hint of added weight/depth.I only use about 1 click stop of volume,on my sub.That's only 10 % of the gain available,but since the basic Ascent has proven itself after almost "any" change in set up variables(it's that sensitive,even at incredibly low volume levels in resolution),I realize the sub question means getting the sub set in an almost "exact ideal" room position,or else doom!...Tread carefully,but it can be done!

Btw,sorry to go on so much,though we are all basically talking "Avalon" products.

I would LOVE to hear the "Diamond" someday,and think it most likely a magnificent product,especially when one sees so much very expensive foreign competition.Not likely to better the "Diamonds" by much.Just an opinion.

Best