Avalon Compass - recently launched at Hong Kong

flez007

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Aug 31, 2010
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hk_avalon_rowland.jpg
Avalon was one of the US companies to debut an important new product in Hong Kong. The Compás ($35,000 US per pair) is a large three-way floorstander that looks set to replace the Eidolon Vision in the company’s range. Taller and slimmer than the Eidolon, it uses a revised faceting arrangement around the tweeter to further improve dispersion, while a longer grille adds to its svelte frontal appearance. As with all Avalons, you should use the Compás with the grille in place, but take a peek behind it and you’ll see an all-new driver lineup and a distinctly different appearance. The latest-generation Accuton ceramic units now have black diaphragms, the models used here being a 1” concave tweeter, a 4” concave midrange and a pair of 9” ceramic honeycomb woofers loaded with Avalon’s familiar downward-firing port arrangement. The specs indicate 91dB sensitivity, 4-ohm load and a -3dB point at 27 Hz, making this a potentially potent performer for the relatively compact cabinet dimensions (45”H x 11”W x 17”D).

Also new, seen (lurking behind the left-hand speaker) and heard driving the Compás, were the 925 twin-chassis monoblocks from the Jeff Rowland Design Group. These were early examples with some details remaining to be fixed, but expect a power output of 600 watts into 8 ohms and a price tag in the region of $30,000 US -- each! The system was fed from an NBS two-box CD player and two-box line stage, in each case the extra chassis housing an external power supply, and also incorporated an NBS equalizer in the style of the Cello Palette. At $25,000 US a section (source, line stage and EQ) that makes for a pretty pricy front-end. Cables were Cardas Clear throughout.

The system delivered a crisp, clean and musically explicit sound, with plenty of detail, separation and dynamics. This could be the Avalon speaker for all those listeners who have found the company’s previous models a little too polite or cerebral for their liking, although with unfamiliar front-end components, amplifiers that are yet to be finalized and speakers that have barely had time to breathe, it’s way too early to be drawing too many conclusions. Only time will tell, but the slender looks and distinctive presentation promise to make the Compás yet another fascinating study from Avalon.
 

flez007

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Aug 31, 2010
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I understand that Overture at NYC will (or is) receiving a pair for demo purposes.
 

MylesBAstor

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Apr 20, 2010
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I understand that Overture at NYC will (or is) receiving a pair for demo purposes.

Think you mean Overture in Delaware?
 

mmatuva

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Oct 26, 2012
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Think you mean Overture in Delaware?

Overture in Wilmington, Delaware definitely has a pair as I spent the last two days listening to them....very impressive speaker. Many thanks to Terry @Overture and his staff for their time and hospitality.
 

flez007

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Aug 31, 2010
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Overture in Wilmington, Delaware definitely has a pair as I spent the last two days listening to them....very impressive speaker. Many thanks to Terry @Overture and his staff for their time and hospitality.

You were right mmatuva, thanks for the clarification, what did you like the most out of the Compas and what other gear was involved in the demonstration?
 

mmatuva

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Oct 26, 2012
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My main purpose was actually to demo the electronics...it was an all-Spectral/MIT setup (DMC 30ss Series 2 reference preamp, DMA-360 series 2 monoblocks, although I also heard the DMA-260 stero amp as well, and Spectral's SDR 4000SL reference CD player), which were spectacular. But, I currently own Eidolons, so I have more than a passing interest interest in the Compas as well.

First impression was visual--as always, the Avalon speakers, at least those in the middle of their line up, simply look beautiful in any room (these were in the standard maple finish). The Compas has a distinctly more narrow profile, reinforced by the longer grill covers, but also objectively narrower, which further helps them disappear. They have the gorgeous midrange and holographic imaging that you would expect out of Avalon's. They also struck me as exceptionally clean, fast, rhythmic on the music I listened to (acoustic guitar, piano, and a mix of female and male voices, along with a range of other material). Timbre seemed spot on to me and the "air" from the percussion sounded like you were there. No real criticisms that I would point out. They may not be the last word in bass "slam," but that is far down the list of my sonic priorities. To my ears, the bass sounded "right" and it had all of the bass I'd want or need...very tight, clean and controlled. I had no problem following bass guitar lines embedded in complex passages and the bass sounded much cleaner that what I hear in my (very imperfect) room. Of course, it's impossible to know how much to attribute to the Compas vs. the $50K+ worth of electronics in a fantastic room...obviusly, it was the synergy of all of them. If I were in the market for speakers right now, they would be at the top of my demo list. Thanks again to the fine folks at Overture for the demo, information, and service.
 

flez007

Member Sponsor
Aug 31, 2010
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Mexico City
I heard the Compas speakers at the Avalon factory, they were powered by a Rowland 301 amp and dCS digital, to my ears the Compas is a tad more transparent and fast than the Eidolons. but I find the later more complete in rendering the last octave registers (I have not heard the Eidolons in that same room at Avalon so differences could be subtle between the two of them).
I could happily live with any of them with such a nice electronics at Spectrsl. Thanks for sharing your impressions at Overture.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
Overture in Wilmington, Delaware definitely has a pair as I spent the last two days listening to them....very impressive speaker. Many thanks to Terry @Overture and his staff for their time and hospitality.

Think Terry has been an Avalon dealer since Day 1 ;)
 

mmatuva

New Member
Oct 26, 2012
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Think Terry has been an Avalon dealer since Day 1 ;)

Yep--what a great shop! To go with my earlier comments about the slightly more streamlined appearance of the Compas, I thought I'd post a picture of them in Overture's listening room. The pictures of the Compas on Avalon's site are not the best (to me at least), so maybe this helps give a view for what they look like in use. Great setup and a great place to listen to music of all types...very attractive speaker sonically and aesthetically.

Compas and Spectral Room (med).JPG
 

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