AVI neutrons v PROAC tablette 8 signatures

[kusum65]

Hi , on my last post i was recommended avi neutrons as a good speaker for my small listening room and so i of i went to my local dealer who so happens to be an avi agent. The sales person told me they are now made in china and are not as good as they used to be andf started playing me spendor sa1 s. Now i was very impressed but they are way out of my budget and i headed of home a bit let down by the whole afair. So, i think that brings me back to my original quest into the realms of 2nd hand hi fi and i would like to know what is the difference in sound between the avi neutron 1v and the proacs.

They are both meant to be great speakers but i would like to know the difference in presentation. I like to listen for extended periods of time and just sit back and enjoy the music, wether its vocal jazz classical or rock. Any response would be appreciated

 

[Anonymous]

In my experience the Proacs are a little bit toppy in balance. They're very nice but I think need careful matching with source, amp and room.

What's your budget? What sort of presentation do you like?

 

[JoelSim]

kusum65:
Hi , on my last postÿ i was recommended avi neutrons as a good speaker for my small listening room and so i of i went to my local dealer who so happens to be an avi agent. The sales person told me they are now made in china and are not as good as they used to be andf started playing me spendor sa1 s. Now i was very impressed but they are way out of my budget and i headed of home a bit let down by the whole afair. So, i think that brings me back to my original quest into the realms of 2nd hand hi fi and i would like to know what is the difference in sound between the avi neutron 1vÿÿ and the proacs.ÿ

They are both meant to be great speakers but i would like to know the difference in presentation. I like to listen for extended periods of time and just sit back and enjoy the music, wether its vocal jazz classical or rock. Any response would be appreciated

First question is do you biwire or biamp as the Neutrons only have one set of terminals.

The Neutrons are wonderful speakers for the price, I listened to the IVs about a year and a half ago and was very impressed with the detail, the involvement and the smooth hi end. I also have the ProAcs and these are very fine speakers too. Both speakers are non-fatiguing and can be listened to for extended periods, but both speakers are small and if you want a very meaty, weighty sound then look elsewhere at bigger speakers. ÿI would say on balance that the ProAcs are slightly more neutral, but they are very foot-tapping and never fail to please.

ÿ

ÿ

 

[kusum65]

Ive definetely made up my mind i wnt small speakers because my present small room makes my 601s sound a bit coloured boomy and sometimes harsh. Its hard to tell if its the recording that is at fault because good jazz recordings like ECM sound great.

So in summary i want a neutral friendly sound but with good rythmic timming. Interestingly, the sales guy played me pcm db1s and then spendor bbc speakers. I much prefered the spendors even with the sparser base but they wrer so relaxed they allmort sent me to sleep. The SA1s wre much more exciting and the sustain on the cymbals was amazing.

 

[kusum65]

Oh yeah , sorry JoelSim, i do bi- wire and i use the same cd player as you and a rotel 1062 amp which i think has a fairly neutral tone

 

[JoelSim]

Well the AVIs are a non starter then.

You will like the ProAcs, they are very musical on decent stands. I too have a listening room of about 3m x 4m and my Dalis are not boomy at all, and they are in the corners too. I've had them for over a year now and absolutely love them. They are big, but slim and were just about the only floorstanders I could fit into the space I had available and quite simply were a superb choice. They are weakest with Rock as they are very revealing, but that's not a problem for me

ÿ

 

[kusum65]

Thanks, i needed to know if i should take out the AVI s from the equation. I can get them for £350 and need to go up to £750 for ex demo Proacs at my local dealer. Interesting wht you say about your DALIs . I went to the show last year and visited the cyrus and Naim demo rooms and was a bit bored by it all. Then i wandered into the DALI room and heard a stereo pair of floorstanders played through a Denon av system. They were playing Tom Waits and i was completely mesmerised

 

[JoelSim]

Give Richard a call at audiologica.co.uk, he sourced my ex demo Dali's for £650, and the new ProAcs at £595 (rosewood - not a production model)

ÿ

 

[kusum65]

Thanks for all your help. I will give it a go

 

[Anonymous]

You can consider adding a rhythmic/fast sub together with AVI Neutrons. I think MJ Pro 50 would fit the AVIs nicely. Mine (as u see onmy sig) is Tannoy sealed sub which is good enough for me. As most people here suggested the Neutrons, IMO they are superb speakers with a very nice and detailed midrange and sweet top end.

 

[the record spot]

Try and audition Quadral Picos too if you get the chance; another superb small speaker that were highly rated recently.

 

[Anonymous]

Which dealer? Did he let you listen to the Neutrons in the end or just force Spendor on you?

 

[Anonymous]

kusum65:
Hi , on my last post i was recommended avi neutrons as a good speaker for my small listening room and so i of i went to my local dealer who so happens to be an avi agent. The sales person told me they are now made in china and are not as good as they used to be andf started playing me spendor sa1 s. Now i was very impressed but they are way out of my budget and i headed of home a bit let down by the whole afair. So, i think that brings me back to my original quest into the realms of 2nd hand hi fi and i would like to know what is the difference in sound between the avi neutron 1v and the proacs.

They are both meant to be great speakers but i would like to know the difference in presentation. I like to listen for extended periods of time and just sit back and enjoy the music, wether its vocal jazz classical or rock. Any response would be appreciated

AVI Neutron 5s are not made in China they are made entirely to our design in Indonesia by Sinar Bajar who employ a number of ex Scanspeak, Vifa and Peerless personal and who also supply Bentley Motors for the Naim Amp/speaker set up. We met them because our friends and subcontractors www.ls-design.co.uk designed and make a radio head for the Bentley Arnage that is called a Naim. As an ex Military avionics engineer and Radio Amateur my business partner Martin Grindrod was able to provide some guidance on this.

Vifa, Scanspeak and Peerless, from whom we used to purchase drive units were taken over by an American company called Tymphany who have shifted much of their production to China. This may explain the confusion. The reality is that most of what we all buy in the UK is made somewhere in Pacific Rim countries, sadly often to a higher standard than can be achieved in the UK and for a fraction of the price. Recently we had to switch from a Brit company to a Korean one for the PCBs used in our ADM9.1s because of quality issues. The Korean ones are 100% reliable, beautifully made and 1/3rd of the price landed!

Not surprisingly some of us British manufacturers feel demoralised and defeated as the 3 million of us struggle to pay for 6 million in the public sector and their enormous pension schemes.

As you'd expect Neutron 5s are better in every respect than the previous models and the dealer was talking rubbish. I expect he was too lazy to order a pair and wanted you to have something that was in the shop. We also give dealers a far smaller margin than other speaker manufacturers. So many people prefer to buy direct these days because it saves them money and unless and until they are able to give more help with computers I suspect that this will continue. They are miles behind the general public in this respect.

Please remember that the internet puts us all in direct contact. If you have worries or questions all you have to do is email and ask. I guarantee you an honest and helpful answer with science to support any facts I might quote. I'll also buy you lunch and let you try them here if a visit is practical.

regards

Ashley

 

[John Duncan]

I can recommend the V, they do it for me more than the Spendors did - that's not to say the AVIs are better, but for 400 quid compared to 1100 for the Spendor, there's no contest really.

I do love the Tablette signature, and would have them over both, but the Neutrons offer fabulous value for money (and are gorgeous in piano black - my wife wants them to take over from my PMCs).

 

[Anonymous]

You could probably check with Spendor to see if theirs come from the Far East too.

Ash

 

[drummerman]

Ashley James:

...I'll also buy you lunch and let you try them here if a visit is practical.

regards

Ashley

He never buys anyone any lunch. You may get a cup of tea though. Regards

 

[Anonymous]

That's 'cos you turned up at tea time!

Ash

 

[Ade0407]

The rumours about lunch are true! I spent a few enjoyable hours with Ashley who despite being portrayed as the devil incarnate by some on the forum is a really nice bloke. Funny thing is if you take the time to visit AVI, Ashley is more than happy to chat and listen to your point of view and ideas. We listened to a big variety of great music (both his and mine) at his house and had a great lunch.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

I have owned both these speakers and spend a fair bit of time with both.

The AVI I had were the neutrons IIIs.

The neutrons are good speakers and I suppose could be called real HiFi speakers, However the proac signatures are outstanding in comparison, through my equipment anyway.

Both are quite polite sounding, but the AVI cant get anywhere near the proacs dynamics, detail and also the power that they have with very little distortion even at high levels, it really is astounding considering their size.

I read somewhere in a review that the proacs sound like a veil has been lifted between you and the music, and I think this is a very accurate description, they sound uncanny at times. They also create a sense of atmosphere that I have not heard with other speakers.

I have had loads of speakers including a few other proacs but the reference 8 signatures are very special.

The construction is a little bit of a concern though, as I have owned three sets of proac speakers that have had a problem with the glue/paint that attaches the speaker to the surround, which I think is totally unacceptable for a speaker of this price.

They do cost a lot of money but after living with them for a while you do start to realise why.
Absolutely no contest Proac are a far better speaker, nothing wrong with the AVI but after living with them for a while Proac reference 8 signatures are magical. I on my third set now after quality issues-swaping-upgrading-downgrading, but there is no dought the sound of these speakers is superb.