To Phillip Beaudette,

I have enjoyed your informative reviews of Amphion loudspeakers. I am wondering about the differences between the Argon2 Anniversary and the Argon3L. I understand that the floorstander will have greater bass output and extension but I am wondering about overall loudness capability. 

Are both speakers similar (only differing in bass depth)? Or, will the floorstander play louder? Do the bookshelf versions tend to overload with percussion? Or, do they simply not play down as low?

I don't have the opportunity to listen to both in my room side by side. I love percussion, but also love smaller monitors. I have two rooms -- one is 14' x 20' while the other is 9' x 12'. I'm not sure which room I will end up using. I also have a nice sub but I would not use any high-pass crossover for the main speakers. Thanks in advance!

Sam 

I expect both the Amphion Argon2 Anniversary bookshelf speakers and the Argon3L floorstanders to have similar output capabilities (i.e., ultimate loudness) except in the bass, where, as you've already noted, the Argon3L will play deeper and slightly louder. Both of these speakers use the same driver configuration and have the same sensitivity (87dB), impedance (8 ohms), and maximum recommended input power (150Wpc), which is why they should have roughly the same output-level capability, especially above 80Hz. 

With regard to the bass performance of the Argon2 Anniversary bookshelves, you needn't worry about them overloading with percussion. When I reviewed the Argon3s I thought they offered the best-sounding bass I'd ever heard in a monitor speaker, and even today I haven't heard anything that surpasses them. Their cabinets are solidly constructed and the drivers are of very good quality, so you needn't worry about them being unable to handle your music collection. Furthermore, I'd have no reservation trying them out in either of the rooms in which you are thinking of using them. I'm pretty sure you'll find they fill your listening space quite easily. The main reason you might consider opting for the Argon3L is for the added bass. . . . Philip Beaudette