The Avalon Acoustics Ascent speaker

shakti

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2015
1,433
2,374
480
Cologne, Germany
During my research on the Avalon Acoustics Osiris loudspeaker

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/avalon-osiris-my-next-project.30908/

I came across the previous systems from Avalon, which were developed by Neil Patel together with Charles Hansen (later the founder of Ayre). The top model at that time was the

Avalon Acoustics Ascent

Released in 1986 (at that time Avalon belonged to Charles Hansen)

Avalon Acoustics Ascent MKII

Released in 1990 (during which time Avalon belonged to Jeff Rowland)

Frequency Response: 28Hz to 24kHz
Recommended amplifier: 50 to 300W
Impedance: 6?
Sensitivity: 88dB
Bass: 1 x 11 "cone
Midrange: 1 x 2 "dome
Tweeter: 1 x 1 "titanium dome
Dimensions: 1143 x 330 x 457mm


weight: speaker: 90 kg, crossover: 27.5 kg


The Avalon Ascent was replaced by the Avalon Osiris as a flagship model.
The actual successor in terms of size and concept was the

Avalon Acoustics Eidolon

Published in 1998 (at that time Avalon belonged to Neil Patel)

which was conceptually similar.


Specification Driver Complement
3 1/2 "Concave Ceramic Dome Midrange
11 "Nomex Kevlar Composite Cone Woofer

3/4 "concave ceramic tweeter
Sensitivity 87 dB
Impedance 4 ohms nominal
Frequency response 24Hz to 40kHz
Recommended amplifier power 50 to 500 watts
Wiring Methods Two position terminal block, designed to accept spade lugs for # 10 screws
Dimensions 43 ½ "(110 cm) high
12 "(30 cm) wide
17 "(43 cm) deep
Weight 150 pounds (68 kg each) each


The Avalon Ascent makes its claim as a top Avalon model clear,
that the crossover was housed in a heavy separate housing and the remaining Speaker module was 90kg even without crossover.

During this time Neil Patel and Charles Hansen developed the Avalon "Mantra", that a bass reproduction perceived as subjectively fast bass should have a Q in the range of 0.5,
which was also implemented in the Ascent and subsequent models.

It is part of the technical implementation that the housing is a closed one.

Ten years later, due to the requirements of the Asian market, the speakers at Avalon were also equipped with bass reflex openings, for example the successor Eidolon.
This should enable a subjectively perceived as "livelier" sound, but also make the speakers friendlier to tubes, since power amplifiers with a lower damping factor also lead to a good result.

The Ascent crossover has three inputs, so it can theoretically be connected in tri-wiring or tri-amping mode.

The Ascent was supplied with jumpers as standard, the connections themselves require spades.

The crossover is optically designed so that it is pushed onto the rear baffle. This is a tight fit so that the switch has rubber pads on the front wall, which you then press on the actual speakers.

The installation of the Ascent is typical of Avalon, ie the loudspeaker likes it when it is far away in the room with a large base distance, ideally only with a minimal angle of 0 - 3 degrees.

At a distance of 2.5 to 4 m (according to my experience), a typical Avalon sound pattern results.

Another typical Avalon spec is, that the speaker should play music with the front cover attached, as the cover has an anti reflection felt inside. Differently to the Avalon Eidolon this front cover is a two part assembly, so it is possibly to mount (adhesive tape) the antireflection felt without covering the drive units as such.

The Ascent makes it possible to look far into the room of the recording , the stage is built up behind the speakers and is not only deep but also well staggered. The tonal tuning corresponds to the earlier Avalon DNA, ie the frequency response decreases by about 3db to the high frequency range between 200hz and 20khz, which leads to a rather round and pleasant sound, which is different from many current very slim and "linear" playing concepts .


I have not yet been able to find out the tonal and conceptual differences between MKI and MKI. If anyone knows more at this point, I would be happy if the thread were supplemented accordingly.

My Avalon Osiris have already caused a friend of mine to want to play his records similar so he likes to early Avalon music reproduction in the future.
He currently has a pair of Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 6, the plan was to use one

Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 8 to replace and improve accordingly.

After the Avalon experience, I had a lot of choices for an Avalon Ascent, which we successfully installed yesterday.

Again, two things became very clear.

A Wilson Watt Puppy is able to keep its character and make satisfactory music even in sub optimal setup conditions.
An Avalon reacts to a compromised setup much more critically and does not create a sound image with which enables you to listen relaxed to music.

In this respect, we had to change the "setup" of my buddy a little so that the Ascent can now play freely and with a corresponding distance to the rear and side walls.

(Some more room tuning need to be done, the room in total is 90sqm)

If the Ascent stands like this, it shows that the Avalon DNA makes wonderful music experiences possible.
Of course, the Ascent is not an Osiris, but you get great performance at the current market price.

In a direct comparison of Wilson Audio and Avalon, one can say that the Wilson Audio sound image is "lively" and very "vibrant , the music is smashed in a positive sense to the listener.

The Avalon plays more reservedly and draws you deep into the music.
With the Avalon you quickly reach the point that you sink into the music in such a way that you are always frightened how quickly such a record page can be over.

The Ascent are currently operated with an Audiomat EL34 tube amplifier, a Jeff Rowland 501 will probably be the next expansion stage,
so that the bass range will be a little more controlled and the sound will become more sparkling.

But the matching symmetrical preamp is still missing. A MF Nuvista is used as the Phonopre, which already provides the needed XLR connections.

I am very curious to see how the loudspeakers will develop in the next few days, after a transport and a long break from playing, there will certainly be more to do :)

IMG_3579.jpg IMG_3575.jpg IMG_3580.jpg IMG_3578.jpg
 

Gregm

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2019
523
380
155
France
Interesting experience, especially driving the Ascents with an EL34 tube!

Some time ago, I auditioned these speakers and the Eidolons driven by big Spectral and Boulder power amps....
Anecdotally, I remember preferring the Spectrals on both speakers, and the Eidolon to the Ascents even though the Ascents impressed me as being more authoritative (i.e. more pronounced mid-bass frequencies?) as opposed to the EIdolons being more high-frequency tuned and subjectively, faster sounding...
Mind you, the listening room was average, ~35sq m, so maybe a bit on the short side for the Ascents

Beautiful products!
 
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Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,400
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Denmark
During my research on the Avalon Acoustics Osiris loudspeaker

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/avalon-osiris-my-next-project.30908/

I came across the previous systems from Avalon, which were developed by Neil Patel together with Charles Hansen (later the founder of Ayre). The top model at that time was the

Avalon Acoustics Ascent

Released in 1986 (at that time Avalon belonged to Charles Hansen)

Avalon Acoustics Ascent MKII

Released in 1990 (during which time Avalon belonged to Jeff Rowland)

Frequency Response: 28Hz to 24kHz
Recommended amplifier: 50 to 300W
Impedance: 6?
Sensitivity: 88dB
Bass: 1 x 11 "cone
Midrange: 1 x 2 "dome
Tweeter: 1 x 1 "titanium dome
Dimensions: 1143 x 330 x 457mm


weight: speaker: 90 kg, crossover: 27.5 kg


The Avalon Ascent was replaced by the Avalon Osiris as a flagship model.
The actual successor in terms of size and concept was the

Avalon Acoustics Eidolon

Published in 1998 (at that time Avalon belonged to Neil Patel)

which was conceptually similar.


Specification Driver Complement
3 1/2 "Concave Ceramic Dome Midrange
11 "Nomex Kevlar Composite Cone Woofer

3/4 "concave ceramic tweeter
Sensitivity 87 dB
Impedance 4 ohms nominal
Frequency response 24Hz to 40kHz
Recommended amplifier power 50 to 500 watts
Wiring Methods Two position terminal block, designed to accept spade lugs for # 10 screws
Dimensions 43 ½ "(110 cm) high
12 "(30 cm) wide
17 "(43 cm) deep
Weight 150 pounds (68 kg each) each


The Avalon Ascent makes its claim as a top Avalon model clear,
that the crossover was housed in a heavy separate housing and the remaining Speaker module was 90kg even without crossover.

During this time Neil Patel and Charles Hansen developed the Avalon "Mantra", that a bass reproduction perceived as subjectively fast bass should have a Q in the range of 0.5,
which was also implemented in the Ascent and subsequent models.

It is part of the technical implementation that the housing is a closed one.

Ten years later, due to the requirements of the Asian market, the speakers at Avalon were also equipped with bass reflex openings, for example the successor Eidolon.
This should enable a subjectively perceived as "livelier" sound, but also make the speakers friendlier to tubes, since power amplifiers with a lower damping factor also lead to a good result.

The Ascent crossover has three inputs, so it can theoretically be connected in tri-wiring or tri-amping mode.

The Ascent was supplied with jumpers as standard, the connections themselves require spades.

The crossover is optically designed so that it is pushed onto the rear baffle. This is a tight fit so that the switch has rubber pads on the front wall, which you then press on the actual speakers.

The installation of the Ascent is typical of Avalon, ie the loudspeaker likes it when it is far away in the room with a large base distance, ideally only with a minimal angle of 0 - 3 degrees.

At a distance of 2.5 to 4 m (according to my experience), a typical Avalon sound pattern results.

Another typical Avalon spec is, that the speaker should play music with the front cover attached, as the cover has an anti reflection felt inside. Differently to the Avalon Eidolon this front cover is a two part assembly, so it is possibly to mount (adhesive tape) the antireflection felt without covering the drive units as such.

The Ascent makes it possible to look far into the room of the recording , the stage is built up behind the speakers and is not only deep but also well staggered. The tonal tuning corresponds to the earlier Avalon DNA, ie the frequency response decreases by about 3db to the high frequency range between 200hz and 20khz, which leads to a rather round and pleasant sound, which is different from many current very slim and "linear" playing concepts .


I have not yet been able to find out the tonal and conceptual differences between MKI and MKI. If anyone knows more at this point, I would be happy if the thread were supplemented accordingly.

My Avalon Osiris have already caused a friend of mine to want to play his records similar so he likes to early Avalon music reproduction in the future.
He currently has a pair of Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 6, the plan was to use one

Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 8 to replace and improve accordingly.

After the Avalon experience, I had a lot of choices for an Avalon Ascent, which we successfully installed yesterday.

Again, two things became very clear.

A Wilson Watt Puppy is able to keep its character and make satisfactory music even in sub optimal setup conditions.
An Avalon reacts to a compromised setup much more critically and does not create a sound image with which enables you to listen relaxed to music.

In this respect, we had to change the "setup" of my buddy a little so that the Ascent can now play freely and with a corresponding distance to the rear and side walls.

(Some more room tuning need to be done, the room in total is 90sqm)

If the Ascent stands like this, it shows that the Avalon DNA makes wonderful music experiences possible.
Of course, the Ascent is not an Osiris, but you get great performance at the current market price.

In a direct comparison of Wilson Audio and Avalon, one can say that the Wilson Audio sound image is "lively" and very "vibrant , the music is smashed in a positive sense to the listener.

The Avalon plays more reservedly and draws you deep into the music.
With the Avalon you quickly reach the point that you sink into the music in such a way that you are always frightened how quickly such a record page can be over.

The Ascent are currently operated with an Audiomat EL34 tube amplifier, a Jeff Rowland 501 will probably be the next expansion stage,
so that the bass range will be a little more controlled and the sound will become more sparkling.

But the matching symmetrical preamp is still missing. A MF Nuvista is used as the Phonopre, which already provides the needed XLR connections.

I am very curious to see how the loudspeakers will develop in the next few days, after a transport and a long break from playing, there will certainly be more to do :)

View attachment 66968 View attachment 66969 View attachment 66970 View attachment 66971
Nice room, and gear ! Is that room really 90 square meter Jürgen ? 9x 10m, it looks a lot smaller.
 
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shakti

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2015
1,433
2,374
480
Cologne, Germany
Nice room, and gear ! Is that room really 90 square meter Jürgen ? 9x 10m, it looks a lot smaller.

The corner, where my friend decided to place his gear, is in the original living room concept the dining area,
supposed to have a table and some chairs placed.
Behind me, doing the pictures, the room opens up, but with a lot of windows and doors to the garden area, so no real wall to place the speakers (or the listening chair)
 
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shakti

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2015
1,433
2,374
480
Cologne, Germany
Interesting experience, especially driving the Ascents with an EL34 tube!

Some time ago, I auditioned these speakers and the Eidolons driven by big Spectral and Boulder power amps....
Anecdotally, I remember preferring the Spectrals on both speakers, and the Eidolon to the Ascents even though the Ascents impressed me as being more authoritative (i.e. more pronounced mid-bass frequencies?) as opposed to the EIdolons being more high-frequency tuned and subjectively, faster sounding...
Mind you, the listening room was average, ~35sq m, so maybe a bit on the short side for the Ascents

Beautiful products!


The Audiomat amp is an interim solution, normally they drive my buddies Wilson Audio Act 2 speakers in a second room.
.
I had good listening sessions to Avalon speakers (Eidolon) with the Spectral DMA 360 amps, but their residual value in Germany is still high. So the JRDG M501 are currently the amps of choice, as they can provide power and damping for a resonable price in the market. Their clean and sparkling sound will give a nice blend to the laid back sound of the Ascent.
(at least , this is the plan, we have to find out)
 
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Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
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The corner, where my friend decided to place his gear, is in the original living room concept the dining area,
supposed to have a table and some chairs placed.
Behind me, doing the pictures, the room opens up, but with a lot of windows and doors to the garden area, so no real wall to place the speakers (or the listening chair)
Yes those big sliding glass doors are nice for light, but terrible for bass waves. I ended up covering 2/3 of mine with 5 cm MDF o_O
 

shakti

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2015
1,433
2,374
480
Cologne, Germany
Yes those big sliding glass doors are nice for light, but terrible for bass waves. I ended up covering 2/3 of mine with 5 cm MDF o_O
I can understand the decision, but looking into the garden while listening to the music can be nice as well :)
 

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,400
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I can understand the decision, but looking into the garden while listening to the music can be nice as well :)
It’s all about priorities, and mine have always been messed up ! I have already closed up 2 windows with MDF shutters disguised as pictures, taken down one wall and turned my living and dining room into a musical bat cave ;) And i got myself a stripper pole in the process like you have Jürgen, just to make sure the rooms above me don’t come down on my head while i listen to music :eek:
 
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