Avantgarde Uno Loudspeakers: Comments?


Hi, Has anyone here tried the above speakers ? any comments someone can make? is it really that good compared to other ordinary box speakers? Thanks,
johnysy17be
hi cornfedboy, the only honking i associate w/avantgarde acoustics speakers is *your comments*. they are *very* musical, not all those folks who love 'em are deaf. no arguments w/their appearance, tho. i *do* respect that ewe don't like their sound, i guess that's why there's many different speaker brands & designs... regards, doug
I have Duo with Wavelength Triton amp. Best ever, so natural, not great for symphony, but great for jazz, piano, strings, and voice.
With all the fuss over the Avantegardes I arranged an audition from a dealer of the Duo 2.0s. They are very good speakers and certainly well positioned for their price point. However, they possess an upper midrange coloration that can only be described as "cupping" to my ears. I listened with SET and push-pull tube amplifiers and found the coloration with both. I also found the subwoofer to be somewhat incongruent with the horns. People who like upper midrange emphasis via coloration (like electrostatic hybrids) should like these speakers. Strangely, I found these speakers make most female vocalists sound like Barbra Streisand, and make Barbra sound like Ethel Merman with a cold. On Sudafed. With a megaphone.
Khry, you are someone else who hears the same sound from these speakers as I do. I have heard these at three CES shows, and although the show is no place to make a final decision, I did not hear enough of what I wanted to pursue it further. I do plan on listening again this next week, the show begins on Saturday. I would like to note, that I came from a background of horns, having been the technical rep. for JBL commercial. I began my career with Klipshorns and Electro Voice, when horn systems were required, due to the lack of high quality, high powered amps. The original horn speakers, like JBL, are true compression drivers, that is, the driver is a small phase plug configuration, driving into a horn load, designed for that frequency. The Avantegarde is actually a CONE speaker, with a horn set in front of it. The horn adds a distinct direction, and intensity (efficiency), but this is not a "true" horn speaker. And, before anyone gets mad, speakers are all about the sound you like, and the space you listen in. If they work for you, it does not matter what others think. Best to you!