AVI Neutron V with Rega system - potential ?

[sthomas048]

I have the chance of buying some AVI Neutron Vs and was wondering what you folks think of these in combo with a Rega Apollo/Mira 3 ? Ive had my eye on these speakers for a long time and now i have found them at an excellent price. Any input on the Neutrons would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[John Duncan]

They are lovely and gorgeous and my rellies were marvelling at their bass output tonight

 

[John Duncan]

How much btw?

 

[sthomas048]

£349 for a brand new pair. Not bad. I was going to try a second hand pair but ive decided against it with speakers.

 

[John Duncan]

Good value. I paid the full £400, and use them instead of my PMC DB1s which have now gone to my stereo foster home (though this was driven by my wife's liking of the aesthetics more than outright sound quality - the PMCs go a little deeper, but further up they're at least on a par with each other). They're exceptional value - the finish alone is worth the entry price.

You're aware that they're single-wire only, I take it?

 

[John Duncan]

Have you heard them?

 

[sthomas048]

Yes i too was considering the DB1s, but im content the Neutron 5s will provide enough depth and bass for my tastes in my size of room. Yes i have had to order some single-wire speaker cable to connect them to my Mira 3. Quite a few of the speakers i had on my shortlist were single-wire boxes. Im quite excited now and should be receiving them Monday or Tuesday. I have had my current speakers for over ten years so although they are great i will be glad (and my system too) to connect the Neutron 5s.

 

[sthomas048]

No ive been naughty and not heard them !

A big gamble i guess but in the worse case scenario and i can sell them on Ebay, there would be no shortage of buyers i guess.

 

[John Duncan]

Well neither did I actually - I loved the IVs, saw the price come down a hundred quid and the fantastic finish and bought them for the kitchen - they've ended up in my main system...

 

[sthomas048]

But wait - ive been even naughtier ! I found an old Musical Fidelity B200 amp for sale in good condition and at a great price and it should be here today.

 

[bay24]

Ill second the AVIs, John recomended them to me and I am very happy with them! I heard them against quite a few others at the same price (and a bit more) and loved the clean detailed sound. They need good solid stands though and carefull placement ie near to a back wall but not too close.

 

[sthomas048]

Its the exact sound i was looking for really, i guess with a speaker with those characteristics you can really get involved and enjoy the music fully. The stands are my next upgrade, currently i have an old pair of Linn stands. What stands do you use ? The fact that they need to be close to a back wall is perfect in my situation as i have a relatively small listening room. Im looking forward to getting my Neutrons hopefully Monday.

 

[sthomas048]

Well my Neutrons arrived early this morning and i wasted no time setting them up in my system. Of course i need to give them a few days run in to hear them at their peak, but straight away i noticed a massive improvement in the openess, soundstage and depth of sound. No lack of bass either. My previous speakers were B&W DM601s. I have both the Rega Mira 3 and Musical Fidelity B200 amplifiers to use with them. They are very different sounding amps. So here we go, i will let you all know how things progress with the Neutrons soon.

 

[sthomas048]

My final update on my setup with my new Neutrons. They are wonderful. The amount of detail they uncover is amazing, the depth of soundstage is surprising for a little speaker. Bass is there and just right for my small listening room. Next thing i need is decent stands and i know things will improve further. Ive only owned these speakers for three days and i imagine the Neutrons are going to sound better and better the more play they get. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a neat little speaker for a small room, only one thing is personally i wouldnt partner them with bright sounding systems though.

Thanks to everyone on this forum who brought the AVI brand to my attention, i wouldnt have thought of trying them otherwise. It baffles me why What Hifi Sound and Vision havent reviewed them yet !

 

[John Duncan]

Ah that's easy - a) the manufacturer hasn't supplied a pair for review and b) nobody's asked to borrow mine

 

[Cypher]

How's the treble of the Avi Neutron V ? I read somewhere that they can sound a bit bright.

 

[John Duncan]

Bloomin' marvellous.

 

[sthomas048]

In my system the treble is very sweet indeed and i have quite varied tastes in music from pop to indie to rock to dance and none of the cds ive played through the Neutrons sound bright and the treble is never harsh. My Rega Apollo is quite neutral and natural sounding so this helps i suppose. Stating the obvious, but a lot will depend on the character of your amp and cd player. I dont know enough about other brands to suggest combinations to avoid with AVI speakers.

 

[bay24]

sthomas048:Its the exact sound i was looking for really, i guess with a speaker with those characteristics you can really get involved and enjoy the music fully. The stands are my next upgrade, currently i have an old pair of Linn stands. What stands do you use ? The fact that they need to be close to a back wall is perfect in my situation as i have a relatively small listening room. Im looking forward to getting my Neutrons hopefully Monday.

sorry I know that this thread was a while ago but have only just seen it. I use Partington super dreadnaughts which may be a little overkill but I got them for a good price on fleabay and they improved the sound no end from the coffee tables I had the AVIs plonked on! I was also recomended the Appllo Z series stands when I was looking, I seem to remember somone saying these are the stands AVI recomend for them. Hope this helps!

 

[sthomas048]

Thanks friend. That is very helpful. I will sell one of my old amplifiers to fund some stands. I will take a look at the Apollo Z stands today. Got an eye on the dreadnaughts already !

 

[kusum65]

The dreadnaughts are a good idea, i got them for my AVIs and made a big difference tightning the bass. If you ever do find the listen a bit fatigueing i found changing my speaker silver wires to Atlas hyper made a big difference although i suspect the main man at AVI would think this nonsense!

 

[sthomas048]

Hmm. What you say about silver speaker wire - does this sort of cable normally push the sound towards brighter or harder sounding playback ? I have my speaker cable listed below. The Atlas is copper-based cable then ? Would i be right in saying this equals warmer sound and fuller bass ? Thanks.

 

[kusum65]

Im no expert on the subject but i can tell you my experience with the AVIs if its of any help.

I got the speakers last november to replace my B&W 601s. The change was jaw dropping , more detail and precise timing (i did lose an octave of base but in exchange for tighter sound with no bloat)

My problem was harsh piercing vocal presentation which was very hard to live with. The manufacturer recommended a higher wattage amp and, not wishing to give up the speakers , i bought a Kandy to replace my much loved Rotel 1062. Much smoother sound but things were not quiet right.

Looking for help i sent an sos out to the web and recieved several responses telling me to try Atlas cables. I owned the highly regarded Chord Oddesey and was sceptical but on replacing them with the Hyper i have much smoother highs without losing the verve of the music , a more extended base and the a deeper sound stage (which i didnt expect).

Now i dont have golden ears and ive payed good money for things that left me feeling very foolish ( russ andrews manis filter!) but i find i can listen to music for longer and without fear of female vocal comming across like a banshee!

 

[sthomas048]

My Neutrons were replacing my B&W 601s too ! What a coincidence !

I however havent experienced any trouble with vocals, but then i think my old Musical Fidelity amp is quite a smooth warm sounding amp, when switching to my Rega Mira 3 amp i did notice more prominence on vocals and everything was a lot clearer and precise. I think i have been quite lucky really in finding a amp that blends so well with my cd player and speakers. Im glad you have found peace in your music system finally !