Living Voice Avatar or Avatar IBX ?

Anyone had the chance to compare these two ? I heard a Lavardin IT with some Avatars a couple of years ago which really impressed me so I'm trying to put something similar together.

I'm wondering if the extra £ (or $ for me) for the IBX is really worth it ?

The rest of the system is a Technodec/modded 250/Benz Ace and a Lavardin IS Reference.

Thanks in advance for any info/advice.

 

Hi JCL

I had some Avatars for a few years.

In retrospect of a product past, I have a few lasting impressions.

generally along the lines of...

' they need a big room, and to be well away from anything else, and any clutter'
' bit bloody expensive for some scanspeak drive units and an MDF box'
' needs the right gear and more importantly ROOM to sound it's best. average if you get these things wrong'

As for IBX vs Avatar, I can't really help.

I can tell you that it's worth getting them from Kevin directly at Definitive Audio.

 

Hey Bottleneck,

I'd love to get them from Kevin but I'm living in Vancouver now so I'll probably have to get them from the Canadian importer who's in Toronto I think. Not exactly local !

 

I bought the OBX after demoing the Avatars first. It was a no brainer as to the extra money.

Not wishing to start a fight but I have found that they work well in small rooms if setup well. They are affected by placement much more than other speakers I have tried but it is very obvious when it's right, becasue it is so right.

I think they are value for money compared to speakers costing much more.

 

I had the basic Auditoriums, and then upgraded to the IBX. Much more transparent in the treble, and FAR better controlled bass, making them sound initially a little bass light, but ultimately just lacking wooliness!

The IBX are truly spectacular speakers. Bottleneck could be right however in that I do have a large room, and they do need sace around them. If you can offer this, they just sound right, with a great sens of ease and coherence across all frequencies.

 

As you're in Canada, what about Totem?

My experience with LV's, which admittedly is at a couple of shows and in dealer dem is that they can sound superb but really do need to be set up very carefully and be driven by synergistic amps.

 

I never got mine sounding satisfactory at home - but I have a crappy sounding room.

They sound great with the volume whicked up in a large open space, and a valve amp.

The big horn speakers Kevin makes sound a lot better in the same room (IMO), but these take up a lot of visual real estate, and are hard to live with for many.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Mark, I've got some Totem Model One Sigs at the moment. Great little speakers but pretty hard to drive which would be fine if I wanted a big pre-power set-up like I had in the UK but I really want a simple set-up. I love the Lavardin amp too.

 

Don't know the Lavardin but I'm running mine with Cairn solid state mono blocks at the moment and it's stunning.

 

Owned Avatars and Auditoriums and never had them sounding as good as the OBX's I first heard at Definitive - which were stunning. Even my Avatars, which I demoed at Definitve with the same front end weren't in the same league - Kevin blamed the industrial laundry next door! Assuming the IBX is on a par with the OBX then it should be worth the extra in the long run - but as Chris says they do have very specific requirements with regard to room and partnering gear to work their magic.

 

why seeking for an expensive UK import with so many nice north american speakers around?

 

Good point.

However, I guess LV are trying to make some headway into the US market as they're about the same price as in the UK.

I also know they work well with the little 35wpc Lavardin. If I wasn't trying to build a system around that amp I'd get a Moon I-7 and keep the Totems.

 

There seems to be a lot of talk about the need for careful set-up with the LV range. To be honest, I think that so long as you can give them a bit of space, they are pretty tolerant. Whilst they sound great with valve amps ( Canary and Kondo being Kevin's amps of choice) I find them excellent with my Proceed (Levinson) solid state amp.
Toe-ing in can improve the imaging, but it's pretty damn good straight ahead.
And the sound is more natural than pretty much any speaker i've heard. I also like the Totems, but find the LV IBX has extra delicacy to the treble, and a seamless midband

 

FWIW, I have been told by Sugdens that their South African distributor has discovered a match made in heaven between their A21Se and the Vandersteens. Assuming the Lavardin could be similar power-wise and also vaguely similarly voiced to the Sugden - they must be worth a punt at US prices. Who knows - you might be lucky.

 

OK so I think I'm getting the feeling that the IBX's are worth the extra.

 

Have you considered Audio Note
The Es are fantastic and can be plonked in corners
Cost wise
http://www.audionotekits.com/ are based in Canada and reckon you can have them up and running in an hour if you get their pre built cabinets

 

They look a little Heath Robinson don't you think ? Interesting though.

 

I have almost the same system and I am a Living Voice dealer in The Netherlands.

There are definitely differences between the models. The Auditorium is most forgiving. It will find a good place in your room more quickly and will not highlight problems in the system. These sound great with a small simple tube amp like a PrimaLuna Dialogue One.

The Avatar is a step up and give you improved bass and more refinement in the upper registers. This model is the most difficult to get really right.

The IBX is a real step up, giving a more neutral sound (less mid-bass bloom) and more transparency in the complete spectrum.

Going from the IBX to OBX however, is again a BIG step, giving you a more 'seamless' sound with better bass slam and more liveliness.

If you can live with the crossovers, definitely go for the OBX, else opt for the IBX instead of the Avatar.

Your amp is the perfect match for these speakers. Also, your source is well suited, as I have almost the same (Gyro SE+Tecnoarm+Benz Ace+Lehmann Black Cube SE).

 

Very nice system Garmt.

It was an IT that I orignally heard with Avatars about 5 years ago which oddly, even though I've heard countless systems since, stands out. It does seem like a popular combination however. Have you seen http://www.soundscapehifi.com/customer-rooms.htm ?. Lots of Lavardin/LV systems there.

I'm not keen on the complexity of the OBX's so I'm leaning towards the IBX's. Interesting that you say the Avatars are the most difficult to get right ?

 

Avatars are the most difficult to place I meant, they are a bit less revealing than the OBX/IBX electronics-wise.