System goals: dynamic speed without being hard or thin, detail without being cold or etched, musical (sounds like real instruments/voices nothing added or taken away, revealing but not at the expense of musicality, a believable soundstage. Overall, a full, rounded, balanced sound.
Music preferences: female vocals, classic pop/rock, jazz, opera
Thanks. I have owned the Avantgarde speakers since 2004 (I guess they would be rather cheap used). I do like their dynamic speed and ability to present detail in a way that is not harsh or etched. Over the last year I put a lot of effort into “upgrading” these speakers. I gave myself a budget of $25,000. I looked at so many different speaker brands. Some did this or that better but in sum total no speaker I looked at outperformed. I did find speakers at double my budget that were much better but nothing inside the budget that was a clear win. Perhaps over the years I have become brainwashed to the sound of the Avantgarde. I am not willing to double my speaker budget so I will stay (happy) where I am. In recognition of this savings, I plan to buy two more REL 812/s.
The room really has very little echo. This has to do with the construction, furnishings and acoustic treatment … the ceiling is teak wood (with parallel beams supporting the floor above), two walls are teak wood, the floors (tile on cement) have ample carpeting, there are two sofas plus other stuff along the walls, bass traps in corners and diffuser/absorber between the speakers (corners and between speakers was the main problem area in the room). The drapes help a bit but they are too sheer to make much of a difference.
