I wrote these comments when I bought my Avantgarde DUOs in 2004. I still feel the same way.

Thank You for building these speakers. As you can probably guess from my previous correspondence, I was not at all sure spending so much on a pair of speakers was the right thing for me to do. All I can tell you is that I feel like a kid.

It's been years since I spent every night listening in joy to music and only finally stumbling off to bed hours and hours past when I should have been asleep, if I don't fall asleep listening. I've been going through my music collection and everything I listen to sounds richer, more vibrant, more alive. I feel like I'm hearing musicians, not just reproduced musical sounds.

I feel like I'm hearing the music I've always heard and loved, but I'm also hearing and understanding more fully what the musicians were thinking and feeling while they were playing it. It's like being at a wonderful live concert in a small club. For example, my friends and I followed every one of Miles Davis's tours for the last 10-15 years of his life; I miss him terribly. Now suddenly, I feel like I can hear a Miles concert every night. He's right there in my listening room.

And the other day I had a startling experience. I was listening to something, I'm not even sure what, and I went over to make an adjustment on the electronics and suddenly the music shifted and there was a solo coming out of the speaker I was standing next to. I looked over and had the oddest experience. It sounded like there was a musician standing right next to me. But the musician didn't look human; he looked like an Advantgarde Duo!

I moved to Vermont 18 months ago after spending almost 3 years looking for the right house. Then, I spent the last 18 months transforming the basement of the house including building a listening room. And then, after 4 years of thinking about it, I bought the Duos. Now, night after night, I sit and listen to music and I think this has been the best investment of time and effort and money I've ever made. Life is good.

 dCS & Thor Audio on the DUO.