I appreciate the above title thread will role a few eyes on the forum, but I’m (perhaps blindly) hoping this thread will actually serve to provide some half useful insight.
Both the AVIs and the LS50s have received wide scale acclaim almost to the point where they are recommended on almost all ‘what shall I get next’ threads.
I have been considering upgrading my system (below) for some time and given my music is now streamed digitally via the internet, through my airport express, or from my NAS drive, my CD player has been made redundant. This means I now just have my trust Sony amp powering my speakers, which perhaps are my weakest link. The sound is not bad, by any stretch, but I feel there could be a bit more clarity and control over some of the music that I play.
This has obviously led me to these two contenders, and I’ve viewed many threads about both but there does not seem to be any comparison between the two. Obviously the AVIs offer more than just a speaker and could, potentially, solve all my issues (amp/dac/speakers) in one. However, if the LS50s sound more to my taste, with the potential to sound better given a better amp, then over time I will invest in achieving that.
With this in mind, I will be testing both speakers over the weekend at some ‘local’ hifi shops. The first will be the LS50s, which will be pitted against my amp to start with to see how it copes. I will also be comparing the sound against some more ‘accomplished’ and newer equipment in the guise of the Marantz MCR610 and then against the Naim UnitiQute/Lite boxes. I’m hoping it will enable me to hear the range of ability the speakers have and what throwing more money at our wonderful hobby provides!
Next up will be a trip to listen to the AVIs. I will be listening to an older version (9.1s) which I can purchase second hand for £650 and the newer RSs. I’m hoping this will give me further insight against what I could get by upgrading the ‘traditional’ way against going for the convenience of a one box solution.
It should provide some interesting thoughts and I am hoping to be able to qualify the difference between all the various combinations. If I don’t – I’ll either keep what I’ve got – or go for the 2nd hand pair of 9.1s!
I’ve started this thread to purely help provide others with my own viewpoint on what I think may be a pretty common question for people in my position – one that hasn’t been answered due to various reasons. Given where I live, I’m in a position to compare both (albeit with a short drive in between). I don’t want this to descend into the usual active vs passive/AVI vs the world argument. Just some insight that will hopefully help others.
I will say I’m not going to be able to provide the most informative review – I’m not WHF standard! My ears are my own, and I like listening to music. I have no pre-conceptions of what will be better and no agenda to beat here – so it should be unbiased.
I hope it will help others.
PJ
Both the AVIs and the LS50s have received wide scale acclaim almost to the point where they are recommended on almost all ‘what shall I get next’ threads.
I have been considering upgrading my system (below) for some time and given my music is now streamed digitally via the internet, through my airport express, or from my NAS drive, my CD player has been made redundant. This means I now just have my trust Sony amp powering my speakers, which perhaps are my weakest link. The sound is not bad, by any stretch, but I feel there could be a bit more clarity and control over some of the music that I play.
This has obviously led me to these two contenders, and I’ve viewed many threads about both but there does not seem to be any comparison between the two. Obviously the AVIs offer more than just a speaker and could, potentially, solve all my issues (amp/dac/speakers) in one. However, if the LS50s sound more to my taste, with the potential to sound better given a better amp, then over time I will invest in achieving that.
With this in mind, I will be testing both speakers over the weekend at some ‘local’ hifi shops. The first will be the LS50s, which will be pitted against my amp to start with to see how it copes. I will also be comparing the sound against some more ‘accomplished’ and newer equipment in the guise of the Marantz MCR610 and then against the Naim UnitiQute/Lite boxes. I’m hoping it will enable me to hear the range of ability the speakers have and what throwing more money at our wonderful hobby provides!
Next up will be a trip to listen to the AVIs. I will be listening to an older version (9.1s) which I can purchase second hand for £650 and the newer RSs. I’m hoping this will give me further insight against what I could get by upgrading the ‘traditional’ way against going for the convenience of a one box solution.
It should provide some interesting thoughts and I am hoping to be able to qualify the difference between all the various combinations. If I don’t – I’ll either keep what I’ve got – or go for the 2nd hand pair of 9.1s!
I’ve started this thread to purely help provide others with my own viewpoint on what I think may be a pretty common question for people in my position – one that hasn’t been answered due to various reasons. Given where I live, I’m in a position to compare both (albeit with a short drive in between). I don’t want this to descend into the usual active vs passive/AVI vs the world argument. Just some insight that will hopefully help others.
I will say I’m not going to be able to provide the most informative review – I’m not WHF standard! My ears are my own, and I like listening to music. I have no pre-conceptions of what will be better and no agenda to beat here – so it should be unbiased.
I hope it will help others.
PJ