Barrysandy, sorry I have been offline for quite a while.  Congrats on your new TW table - you will love it.  I considered HRS, but it was just so expensive.  Jeff Catalano from Highwater Sound uses TW with SRA with great results.  So I went with SRA and have not regretted it.  My dustcover was made custom by Gingko Audio.  Very reasonable prices and quick turnaround time.  Give them a try!

philb7777 April 27, 2018 17:04

Thanks Zephyr,

philb7777 July 12, 2016 19:00

Altair 2's - I would love to hear a pair. knghifi you have a lucky neighbor!

philb7777 October 14, 2015 19:52

Thanks Arnie,
I am definitely enjoying the Rockports and learning more about them as I dial them in.

philb7777 October 13, 2015 01:11

After two weeks with the Rockport Cygnus loudspeakers in my room, I feel prepared to give an initial review on the newest Andy Payor creation. As a background, my room is 15.5 feet wide x 21 feet long x 9 feet high. My analog front end is a TW Acustics AC-1 table with TW 10.5 tonearm and Dynavector XV-1t cart. My electronics include a ARC Ref 2se Phono pre, ARC Ref 5se preamp, and ARC Ref 250 monoblocks. All are connected with Cardas Golden Reference cables. A Cardas power strip is connected to a 20 amp dedicated circuit and my Ref 250’s are plugged directly into the wall outlets which are dedicated 20 amp circuits.

The Rockport Cygnus weigh 285 lbs each. Although they are over 50 inches tall and have a depth of 27 inches, the footprint and visual appearance of these loudspeakers is not at all that large. The fit and finish of the Cygnus are similar to other Andy Payor creations – incredibly inert, incredibly engineered and built with a perfect black lacquer finish. The feet are two four inch discs with a one inch diameter bolt screw attached that screws into the speaker around 2 inches. This makes for a very stable base and coupling with the floor. Furniture sliders have been used to move the speakers into various positions while searching for a final home. This allows the speakers to be moved easily despite their weight and size.

Set up: The Cygnus are moderately difficult to set up in my room. One can quickly determine side wall distance and toe-in degree, but placement from the front wall behind the speakers is tricky to dial in the perfect bass response. To close to the back wall and the bass is -0.5dB at 20-25 Hz but the soundstage somewhat collapses in its air around images and texture of images. Too far out into the room and the lower bass unsurprisingly gets a tad anemic but mid bass impact improves and the soundstage is saturated with detail, air and texture of images. I am still searching for just the right placement and I am close. Right now I have the Cygnus toe-in at around five feet or so intersecting behind the listening position, the side wall distance is around 40 inches, and the back wall distance right now is around 93 inches from the front of the woofer. Somewhere between 81 – 93 inches is the perfect position and my goal for the upcoming week. At least in my room, moving the Cygnus ¼ - ½ inch increments in sidewall or frontwall distance makes easily noticeable audible changes.

Sound:
The first thing I noticed when initial listening began was just how open the speaker sounds and how life-sized the images were. The Cygnus is an effortless speaker – at low or louder listening levels, the soundstage is always very open, with air around dense images. The images are very life-like – this speaker truly brings the performers into the room with you. Realism is very remarkable and suspends belief. Now a breakdown of some sonic categories:

Background – very black backgrounds and images ‘pop’ and emerge effortlessly.

Ambient Retrieval – air around images has its own acoustic space and things are very coherent. A sense of space in recordings is natural and very real at times.
Imaging – The Cygnus are imaging champs, images are very dense and discretely surrounded by their own natural space. What I found very noticeable was that even images in the far back of the soundstage had their own space as well and were ‘three-dimensional.’ This quality makes sonic realism even more appreciated.

Tonal Character – I have heard some say Rockports sounded bright at times. I have not had this, even in the early break in period. The treble is smooth and effortless and gives the Cygnus a very ‘rich’ sound without sacrificing detail. The midrange is special and this new driver from Andy’s design is likely where much of the Cygnus magic lies. The combination of the tweeter and midrange give the Cygnus the open effortless sound while giving a degree of soundstage illumination that allows the listener to not have to ‘strain’ to hear subtle imaging cues all the while having no brightness or edge at all. Male and female vocals bring the performer into your room. Dense with great body. Horns are particularly natural and smooth with great dynamics and detail and absolutely no edge.

Dynamics – Macro and micro dynamics are all here and more. Dynamic passages occur naturally within the soundstage, not call extra attention itself but always having a purpose. Microdynamics are the best I have ever heard with a loudspeaker, including horn –loaded ones.

Bass – bass is tight and tuneful. Extension is excellent. In my room, I can easily get the bass to 20-25 cycles. The only drawback being the difficulty in finding a final ‘best placement’ which is likely due more to my room than the loudspeaker.

Soundstage – As mentioned above, the Cygnus has life sized images within their own space. The soundstage is vast and open. Depth is incredible and images seem to appear from well behind the front wall. Layering of the soundstage is natural and realistic. Soundstage width is well beyond my sidewalls. Images are dense and easily discernable 3- 4 feet beyond each speaker laterally.

Transparency – The Cygnus, despite their size, disappear. One of the best disappearing acts a loudspeaker has done in my room.

Overall the Rockport Cygnus is a real winner. I am elated to own a pair. I cannot at this time even find something to criticize as I can find no real fault with any aspect of the Cygnus’ performance. As I finalize placement and get over 100 hours on the speakers, I will update everyone on any changes I have noticed.

philb7777 October 11, 2015 04:08

Thanks Knghifi and Jfrech.

The Cygnus sounded spectacular right out of the crates. I know I have some break-in time and experimentation with placement, but the sound I am getting right now has surprised me.

I would say I have around 6-8 hours on them now and probably have them 75% dialed in.

The first things I noticed when playing them were 'naturalness', 'spooky realism' and life-size images. They play open and effortlessly. I have noticed with the increased sensitivity of 90dB on these loudspeakers that my volume on my ARC preamp is now turned up to between 22-30 when before to get the same levels of sound I would have to have it placed between 33-38.

In the next week I will finish the dial-in and give everyone a more detailed report. But needless to say, I am ecstatic with their performance right now.

philb7777 October 04, 2015 04:33

Have the Cygnus set up and burning in. They are spectacular. I've tied to add pics and edit my system, but Audiogon is finicky tonight.

philb7777 October 01, 2015 02:00

The Rockport Cygnus have arrived. Unfortunately still in crates. The freight company would only deliver them downstairs and the ground level of my house. My listening room is upstairs so I have an antique furniture company coming out Wednesday Sept 30 to uncrate and move up the stairs into my listening room.

I will keep everyone posted when up and running.

philb7777 September 26, 2015 02:23

Hi Predeep.

The Cygnus have been slightly delayed to do a backlog at the cabinet manufacturer. Andy has told my local dealer that he expects the Cygnus to be ready no later than late August. So I'm hoping to have my pair in 4-6 weeks.

I will definitely keep you posted when they arrive and have plenty of pics of them and set up.

Hope you are doing well!

Phil

philb7777 July 25, 2015 14:36

Thanks for the congrats. I'm looking forward to their arrival - they should go into production in late Spring. Estimated arrival is late May/early June. I'll keep you posted on their arrival and how that match up with my ARC gear.

philb7777 March 08, 2015 04:02

Thank you Pradeep. I actually auditioned the Aviors twice in a one month period. They were outstanding. I actually purchased a pair of Aviors in late Dec. Then when I heard about the Cygnus, I actually spoke with Andy Payor (who spent a great deal of time with me on the phone and is a down to earth, wealth of info), and I decided to take the plunge and preorder the Cygnus and use my Avior payment as a downpayment for thr Cygnus.

My reasoning for the Cygnus is that even though both the Avior and Cygnus would work in my existing room, I'm a new empty-nester and if we contemplate moving, my new home will have a larger dedicated room.

The estimated arrival time for the Cygnus is sometime in late May - June.
I'll definitely keep you posted on when they arrive and how they sound.

And by the way - I have a new found respect for the Lyra Atlas! In my friends system he found out he had two faulty output tubes in his EAR amp. Once changed, the whole system transformed. The Atlas now does everything I expected it to do. It must have been weird timing on his tubes going bad at a similar time he recieved the Atlas. Well the Atlas is awesome!!!!!!

philb7777 February 25, 2015 13:09

By the way Saint, I heard the Sashas at RMAF too with big monster VTL monoblocks. So dynamic and so realistic the Sashas were, especially for their cabinet size! A great loudspeaker. Wilson is a great company too, that you know will be around forever. The Wilson 'house sound' is just not quite to my personal liking. But that's just my ears though as it is a fabulous speaker.

philb7777 November 15, 2014 19:37

Saint,

I just got back from RMAF and had a chance to listen to several loudspeakers. The ones that came out impressive in my mind were the following:

Lansche 5.1 - not sure if if was the upstream electronics (Ypsilon) or the large room but these were incredible. So much air, delicacy, dynamics, bass, resoloution. It was all there in spades. The only draw back was the plasma tweeter is usually replaced at around 5000 hours and I bet its not inexpensive!

Raidho D1's and X1's minimonitors - these were imaging and bass champions. I could not believe the bass response out of these small monitors. I knew a sub was hidden somewhere but it wasn't. Ironically, I have read the bass in the D2's and D3's can be difficult and anemic. I would defnitely want to actually hear the D2 and D3 models though.

Vandersteen M7's - incredible soundstaging and detail. Bass was a bit bloated, but probably the room and lack of dial in time for the bass/amp inside the speaker. I have read where these can be absolute bears to set up properly though.

Avalon Compas Diamonds - definitely would like to hear these but Avalons are so rare in the US market now you can really only hear them in the northeast.

Rockport Avior - I am actually going to the new Rockport dealer in Plano, Tx (a 3 hour drive) this coming Wednesday to audition.

I am perfectly happy with my Avalon Eidolon Diamonds. I have had them for 10 years and they are always up to the challenge when I purchase new equipment upstream. The speaker keeps getting better and better when its fed higher quality equipment, even after almost 10 years! But after 10 years, I am getting the curious itch we all get sometimes wondering if there is now something 'better' by our own ears that is in the similar price point. My search may lead me right back to the Avalon Eidolon Diamonds and wouldn't be surprised if it did.

philb7777 November 15, 2014 19:33

Thanks Tom. The Eidolon Diamonds are hard to beat. After having them for 10 years I am just curious what else is out there. Currently I have heard nothing that competes with the Eidolons at their price point. I have heard some things that are intriguing, but are at or well north of $50K.

I want to hear some Rockport Aviors. I hope to travel to Omaha for a listen in the next couple of months. I also want to hear some Avalon Time and Compas Diamonds. With so few Avalon dealers left in the US and Avalon not going to any US shows, it makes it extremely difficult to get opportunities to hear them. But I am definitely interested in hearing new products from Avalon.

Again, if I can find something I consider substantially better than the Avalon Diamonds at a similar price point to them, I may make the switch. However, I'm not sure what I'm looking for exists!

I hope you continue enjoying your Eidolon Diamonds. And you are definitely correct - over the last 10 years, the Eidolons just seem to continue to be up to the task as I change and improve upstream front ends and electronics.

philb7777 October 20, 2014 02:10

System edited: Just added a Dynavector XV-1T as a replacement for my XV-1s.

philb7777 August 30, 2014 13:20

Knghifi - congrats on the Ref 250's! Sounds like you are loving them and they will only keep getting better over the next 400-600 hours. Thanks for the info regarding the fuses. I agree on the stock power cord - it seems quite good to me too. Keep me posted on your tube rolling experiences and congrats again! Happy listening!

philb7777 August 12, 2014 14:12

Siddh, you are definitely correct - anything I have ever upgraded upstream of the Eidolon Diamonds, the Eidolons have always kept up and improved by always playing what it's fed. They are a maxing speakers and obviously a classic. I love mine. I have had them for almost 10 years (bought new) and after 10 years I'm curious to hear new designs. I'm not sure; however, that I can ever find a loudspeaker that is significantly superior in the under $50K price range. And it would take something significantly superior in that price range to get me to ever make the change.

philb7777 July 28, 2014 15:51

Even though I don't believe everything I read from JV to be the gospel, he is correct regarding the new generation ARC Ref series. I did exactly as you did and checked them out after the JV reviews. He's spot-on with his assessment.

Keep us posted when yours arrive and you get some listening in. Congrats again!

philb7777 July 28, 2014 00:39

Pradeep, that makes sense for classical music. I listen to more small combo jazz and rock/pop but do like classical as well. I need to go ahead and take the plunge on a second G1. When going to RMAF this year, I plan to look at power conditioners, power cables, and Rockports. I may very well be a VP, Secretary or Treasurer inthe Avior Admiration Society by year's end!

philb7777 July 27, 2014 07:52

Knghifi - congrats on the Ref 250 purchase! You will enjoy these amps. They run pretty warm, but not as hot as the usual large tube amps. They come with a built in fan with two speeds - both which are very quiet from the listening position. I haven't tried anything yet but the stock power cords as well. Mine have around 600 hours on them now so they are well broken in and its definitely time to start looking a fuses and power cables. I'm all ears for the first few that try the KT-150's too. Excited about the opportunity there.

Congrats again!

philb7777 July 27, 2014 07:49

Thanks Pradeep - I have always admired your system. It seems we have similar tastes too! I'm still contemplating another sub for dual G1's but my room volume is pretty small and it might be too much for the room. I have my REL crossover set at 28 Hz and the volume only between 10-12 now - just to fill in the very bottom octaves.

I'm going to RMAF this year - to listen to several loudspeakers. I am extremely happy with the Eidolon Diamonds, but as you know, we are always looking for something different or improved to our own ears. The Rockport Aviors intrigue me. I sure hope someone is using them at RMAF so I can get an in-person look and listen.

Happy listening Pradeep - I'm so glad you are on this forum as you always have thoughtful and experienced input to offer, etc.

philb7777 July 26, 2014 21:31

Thanks and no I haven't tried upgrading fuses yet. I'm certainly open to it though - have any recommendations?

philb7777 July 25, 2014 01:59

Zephyr,

Great news on the Bybee Stealth! It sounds like exactly what a great conditioner should do: lower noise floor and increase musicality. It's the one thing I haven't done yet for my system and one I will definitely consider in the future. I will definitely read the 6moons article. With the dynamics and detail your Aeris and amps provide, I bet the Bybee is the icing on the cake!

Will definitely take you up on the offer when I'm in SC, I live in Tulsa, OK, so if you are ever close by, you are definitely invided to a lunch/dinner on me and some listening!

philb7777 July 21, 2014 18:04

Your components and cables are a perfect match for the Aeris. Congrats on teh Bybee on the way! Send me a message/email anytime!

philb7777 July 01, 2014 23:45

Zephyr, I talked with a lot of people I respect for their knowledge, and also read and called Rives and others. Once I compliled the info the basic premise was to maximize absorption behind and on the sides of loudspeakers and maiximize diffusion on the ceiling and behind the listener. For my room this has worked out well for me. I have two large corner bass traps in the area/nook around my turntable. The two traps stacked on top of each other between the speakers are ASC tube traps for midrange / treble - absorption.

I'm betting you are loving your Legacy's. They are great loudspeakers!

philb7777 July 01, 2014 20:56

System edited: Added Auralex Q diffusers to my room to balance absorption and diffusion characteristics. It has added more air and depth to my soundstage. Don't neglect room acoustics! It can make a big improvement in sound for little money compared to gear and components!

philb7777 June 30, 2014 21:10

System edited: Just added my final ARC piece to the system, a REF 5se preamp. Very pleased - even more improved detail, ambience, body and texture, with good dynamics. A powerhouse preamp with finesse.

philb7777 March 06, 2014 17:24

Pradeep,

I think you can daisy chain two REL's together with an extra cable. Theory is, everything in the 20-40Hz range is monaural to our ears anyway.

I did try on my ARC monos to connect the REL at the speaker terminals (high level) but kept getting a slight ground loop, no matter how I tried grounding. I just went ahead and connected the REL at the preamp main outs and have not looked back. I know that REL says high level speaker terminal connections at the amp are preferred (and I can understand that theoretically too), but to my ears I cannot hear any difference.

I can certainly see myself with Aviors and another REL G1 in a year or so. It is striking how similar our systems are!

philb7777 September 08, 2013 21:40

Pradeep, thanks. I'm hoping to go with synergism and an all ARC set up. Although I would love a Ref 10 pre, my finances can only stretch to a Ref 5se. I'm hoping to add it before the end of this year.

My journey from solid state into tubes has been a fun one. I still hold Rowland gear in a highest regard though.

How are you liking the Aviors? They are wonderful speakers and one I would strongly consider if I ever move on from the Avalons.

By the way, do you have your REL subs daisy-chained together or do you have them isolated to left and right channels?

philb7777 September 08, 2013 05:40

System edited: System Edited: Just added Audio Research Ref 250 mono blocks and Audio Research Ref Phono 2SE. I can't say enough about the new Audio Research gear. First the phono is phenomenal. So much acoustical retrieval of space and detail. Great bloom and soundstage width, and incredibly no tube noise at all. Black backgrounds. The Ref 250 amps are uncanny in that they sound fast and impactful in the bass department yet give you that tube magic elsewhere. And again, no noise and super black backgrounds. Sadly, I sold my Wadia 270/27ix as I am playing virtually all analog now. I did replace with with a Marantz CD/SACD player which has a great DAC which allows me to stream wirelessly from my hard drive with an Apple TV. Not the sound of the Wadia, but very good at a fraction of the coast more flexible and works great.

philb7777 January 20, 2013 01:27

Pradeep,

I'm just using a single REL right now. I've thought about a second one, as they can easily be chained together, but the single G1 pressurizes my room easily. I get no sense of locating the sub audibly while listening. My Avalon's in my room go down almost linearly to 28 Hz. I just need the REL for those last few. I demoed one in my room first, being very skepitcal that it would have a seamless blend with the Avalons. I was quite surprised when it did.

I run battery power with my Rowland BPS-1. That probably helps my noisefloor too. Adding the SRA really made the silence 'more silent' when playing vinyl.

Your system is fantatsic! I'm envious of that Black Knight motor!

philb7777 July 01, 2012 12:23

Pradeep, its early and only one night of listening, but even though I thought my image solidity and noise floor could;t get any audibly better, the SRA did significantly improve my sound in those areas. Dumbfounded!

philb7777 June 30, 2012 02:59

System edited: Just added TW Acustic Raven AC -1 and TW 10.5 tonearm. And an SRA Ohio XL Isobase. I love the sound I am getting from my analog front end! This is the final frontier for me on the analog side of things!

philb7777 June 30, 2012 02:57

Pradeep, funny you ask that. I just had the custom SRA Ohio platform arrive yesterday. I'm hoping to set it up this weekend. After getting it out of its shipping crate, its build quality is outstanding.

I'm loving the TA AC-1 and TW 10.5 tonearm. They are fabulous. I have an HRS center weight and love it. I bet your HRS wall mount platform is really nice too.

After I get the SRA set up, I will repost results and some pics of my new analog front end.

philb7777 June 29, 2012 03:43

Lapierre, sorry for the delayed response - been off Audiogon for a couple of weeks. I just made a major change to my system. Just purchased a TW Acustics Raven AC-1 and TW 10.5 tonearm. I haven't really dialed in the turntable yet, but initial results are impressive. I've learned the Aries 3 is no slouch abs the Raven is phenomenal. In a few more weeks I'll get the table painstakingly dialed in and get my system page updated with new pics.

I'm contemplating getting an SRA isolation base for the Raven AC soon.

philb7777 March 13, 2012 04:23

I didn't pass on the SDS! I purchased it with the table originally and still have it. PRAT and image decay are exceptional with it and probably biggest upgrade. I still have it and wouldn't have a VPI without it!

philb7777 December 21, 2011 05:03

I would have to say the peripheral ring made the most improvement. It lowered noise floor without diminishing dynamics. Made more air around images and blackened background more.

The flywheel also improved things, much more in rhythm and pace and solidity of images. But I would say ring > flywheel in my set up.

philb7777 December 15, 2011 13:08

That's an interesting point. I've never experimented with power cords on the Wadia. At this point though I'm listening to about 90% vinyl and 10% digital. You are correct too, I got the Cardas from my local dealer. It might be time to start experimenting with other cables.

By the way, I've admired your system for several months on Audiogon. I would love to have a pair of Isis. Heck I would live to have a pair of Time's!

philb7777 October 15, 2011 22:25

It was a great trip and a unique opportunity. I live around 600 miles from Boulder and my local dealer had just become an Avalon dealer. They wanted to tour the factory and invited me along. It was a really fun trip and Avalon Acoustics is a top notch company.

I actually got to watch part of the manufacturing process of what eventually became my own speakers.

philb7777 October 15, 2011 00:21

Thanks for the comments Glen and Dan.

Lapierre - I tried a few amps before I settled on the Rowland matching with the Avalons well. Classe' CA-400, Levinson 336, and BAT VK-150's. I liked the Classe' but it was just not refined enough and felt I wasn't getting everything I could out of the Avalons. The Levinson 336 did all the audiophile things right but was just too sterile and analytical for my taste mating with the Avalons.

Then after selling some Eidolons and going up to the Avalon factory to hear some Eidolon Diamonds in their voicing room, it was all over. I realize their voicing room was 'tricked out', but the mating of Rowland gear and Avalon is something truly special. I think its like getting the best of solid state and the best of tubes without compromising much in either direction.

philb7777 October 10, 2011 19:01

System edited: Just added a REL G1 Gibrltor sub to my system. My room is upstairs and to get the 20-28Hz that I wanted a sub was needed. Adding the REL was a great choice. Attached via Hi-Level Neutrik connection to my amp, it mates seamlessly. Frankly I was surprised, as fast as the drivers in the Eidolons are, but the sub disappears. The remote on the G1 allows for quick changes in dB levels and crossover adjustments. A worthwhile investment for anyone with large floorstsnding speakers in a room that just won't allow for the lowest octaves.

philb7777 September 22, 2011 19:32

As far as the Cadence goes, I think it is one of the quietest phono stages made.
I am very pleased with it. I also have a BPS battery supply with it. It does
make some difference in liquidity and blacker background, but all in all, not
sure worth the investment. I have two setting I use on the Cadence with the
XV-1s. I will go over sonic benefits of each:

Lo-Gain/Hi-Load: setting 1 in the manual (pdf available on jeffrowland.com):
This setting gives me the blackest background, lowest noise floor and the most
musical sound. If your ear leans towards tubes, this is the setting; my volume
setting on the Synergy IIi runs between 40-48 depending on the recording

Hi-Gain/Hi-Load setting 3 in the manual: This setting gives me the most
dynamics and precision imaging, faster bass and more extended highs, sounds more
like solid state to me and less musical. Volume setting on the Synergy IIi runs
between 32-40 depending upon the recording.

I personally don't like the other two settings on the Cadence but your 'mileage
may vary.' I tend to use setting 1 about 80% of the time and setting 3 about
20% of the time.

As far as my XV-1s goes here is how I have it set up:

tracking force: 2.174 grams
Used for overhang: Mint protractor
VTA - set with magnifying glass to make sure stylus is perpendicular to a 180
gram record. Since the cartridge body is quite large, I have VTA a little
higher in the back than used too
Anti-skate - I use a little more than I am used to using with this cart
Azimuth - adjusted by eye, but the new Fozgometer I read about in Stereophile is
intriguing.

How do you have your XV-1s set up? I love the XV-1s, it is a fantastic cart.
Congrats on your system. Let me know your thoughts.

philb7777 April 19, 2010 03:16

System edited: System edited: Just added VPI single motor flywheel to the Aries 3. Nice improvement in air, lower noise floor, more rock solid imaging that was already great.

philb7777 January 24, 2010 17:42

System edited: Just added a Rowland BPS-1 AC and battery power supply for the Synergy IIi and Cadence. Interestingly, using the AC mode is a significant improvement over the standard AC power supply of the Synergy IIi. Makes blackground more silent, improved microdynamics. In battery mode, even more improvement with more detail, ambient information, and blacker background. I highly recommend all Synergy IIi and Cadence owners to consider finding a BPS-1 on the Audiogon market. It's worth the investment.

philb7777 December 02, 2009 14:44

System edited: Just added a VPI peripheral ring and center weight and changed out my cart to a Dynavector XV-1s. First of all the ring and center weight are great. I noticed a lowered noisefloor and it really takes warps out of problem LP's without a hitch. The Dynavector XV-1s is quite an upgrade. It is the best cart I have ever heard (I'm sure their are other phenomenal carts I haven't heard!). This cart does everything well without any weaknesses. First it has the blackest background of any cart I've heard. Excellent air and detail without sacrificing any lushness of an analog midrange. Bass is deep and extended yet tuneful.

philb7777 September 08, 2009 12:14

From my experience listening to components on various Avalon models, I would suspect that the Krell/Audioquest combo on Eidolons would give you faster response with more rhythm and pace, slightly tigher bass too. The Rowland/Cardas combo would give you more smooth mids and highs with more air around instruments. Midrange liquidity increased. If you listen to mostly rock, I would stick with the Krell/Audioquest, if you listen to mostly jazz, classical, female vocals then the Rowland/Cardas combo might be worth investigating....

philb7777 April 20, 2009 16:41

It all started when I toured the Avalon facilities in Boulder. In their voicing room (this is back in 2002) they were using Rowland electronics. I also wanted something maintenance free, like solid state, but with a liquid midrange as close to tubes as I could get. Rowland electronics with the Eidolons did that for me. I find them to be very synergistic, with all types of music.

As far as Cardas, my local dealer recommended it due to Rowland using Cardas for internal wiring. I was concerned that the Cardas (even Golden Ref) would make the sound too 'dark' with the combination of Avalon and Rowland; however, I have not found this to be the case. I am becoming more interested in trying out the new Cardas Clear and even some Nordost stuff too - just for comparison.

The Eidolons are great loudspeakers, aren't they? I think the Eidolon design is a classic, and we both will keep these speakers for a very very long time.

philb7777 April 14, 2009 14:32