To Jeff Fritz,
I have changed my Boulder 2010/2060 [preamplifier and amplifier] to the Gryphon Pandora/Mephisto. I'm still using the pair of Avalon Times I bought two years ago. The musicality has definitely excelled to another level. However, I am still not satisfied with the richness of the sound. Some say Rockport is a perfect match and some say why not go for the full set of Gryphon components.
I would like to seek your opinion based on my room size in selecting the following speakers that I have shortlisted:
Rockport Altair
Rockport Avior
Gryphon Trident
My room is 12.5' x 22' x 9'. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Eric
Your room is fairly narrow, and this will pose some issues with the larger speakers you've listed, due to the prodigious bass capabilities that the Rockport and Gryphon speakers are capable of. Still, there is no question in my mind that Rockport and Gryphon make speakers that are easily superior to your Avalons. So in that sense, any of the models you have shortlisted will be an improvement over what you have now.
The Gryphon speakers have the advantage of active bass. This would certainly give you some flexibility to dial in the exact amount of bass that your room can handle. There is also some obvious synergy with staying within the same brand for all of your components, especially when the company is Gryphon -- they don’t make anything that is less than excellent, in my experience.
On the other hand, I have always been partial to Rockport speakers. I've owned and loved them in the past and I hope to take delivery of a set of Atrias within the next few weeks that I will be writing about. Any Rockport model will provide a very rich sound, and will be vastly more transparent and neutral than your Avalons.
Ultimately, you are in that envious position that we all know as a "can't lose" situation. Whichever way you go I am sure you'll be thrilled. Oh, and be on the lookout for a Gryphon Mephisto review that is scheduled to be published on September 1. . . . Jeff Fritz
