Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Avalon Acoustics Arcus Speakers by Bayside Bomber

Model:	Arcus
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$8000 plus
Description:	2-way bottom-vented floorstanduing loudspeaker
Manufacturer URL:	Avalon Acoustics
Manufacturer URL:	Avalon Acoustics

Review by Bayside Bomber on August 13, 2001 at 17:36:35
IP Address: 24.4.255.48

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Even though I have only owned these speakers for two weeks and they are not fully broken in, I can no longer resist singing their praises. The Arcus has changed the way that I think about home audio. I used to think that there were two kinds of sounds â€“ home audio and real world. An audio enthusiast upgraded components to achieve the best possible home audio sound, but this could never approach real world sound. I do not think that way anymore. No longer do I ask how much better my system sounds. Instead, I ask how close to the real thing it sounds.
Let me provide some perspective. My wife and I are long time subscribers to the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera. We know what a real orchestra sounds like and how a real vocalist should sound. No matter how often we upgraded our home audio system, it never sounded like the real thing. This was not the fault of my old Hales speakers â€“ they were terrific for their price. But the Arcus are in another league. When we play a Mozart concerto (or REM or Miles Davis, for that matter), we can close our eyes and we are transported to the live event. Singers are in the room with us (and choirs are filling the room from wall to wall!) The timbral accuracy of the instruments is astounding. Horns blare like horns, oboes have reeds, a violin section is a section, not a single loud metallic instrument, pianos really are percussion instruments, and timpani notes are distinct, rather than some guttural thunder. (These modest size speakers deliver bass down to 30 hz, with some bass energy down to 24 hz, thanks to support from the room).
The speakers are also very easy to live with. I have them just three feet from the front wall, with minimal room treatments (all household items). They are relatively small for speakers of this quality, so they fit right into our family room, rather than overwhelm the room. The speakers also sound good virtually anywhere in the room. (and their cherry cabinet looks beautiful too.) No matter where we sit, the soundstage is three dimensional and fills the room (just as the other reviewers promised!)
But the best thing I can say about the Arcus is that my wife the musician is finally listening to music at home. She loves the way they sound. Enough said.
Associated equipment:
Arcam FMJ23 CD player
Nakamichi CA1 preamp
Muse 160 power amp
Audioquest interconnects

Product Weakness: none so far
Product Strengths: timbral accuracy soundstage easy to live with

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Muse 160
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Nakamichi ca1
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Arcam FMJ23
Speakers:	avalon arcus
Cables/Interconnects:	Audioquest
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical, Rock, Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH):	26 x 16 x 7.5
Time Period/Length of Audition:	two weeks
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	none so far
Product Strengths:	timbral accuracy soundstage easy to live with