DUO

The DUO combines all of Avantgarde's technological and creative potential, resulting in a highly advanced horn speaker. With its larger and more efficient midrange horn, this system offers unrivaled performance across the sound spectrum. and is already a "classic" among horn systems. This is due to its efficiency of 103 dB, and the homogenous sound quality of this system. Those who have heard the fortissimo of an orchestral recording, the sound of a human voice, or the natural faithfulness of a solo instrument played on this system, will know what we mean. This is confirmed by the praise of the experts:

"These speakers are simply the best I have ever heard in my domestic system. Nothing else has come so close to re-creating the power and finesse of a full organ, or bringing a full orchestra into the living room, and of conveying the emotion of a solo performance. Electrostatics have a serious contender in the transparency stakes. These horn systems are so revealing of the sources and recording environments that it's hard to imagine using anything else. My favourite reference speaker is now ousted in favour of these music making devices.

"C. Beeching, Audio Quarterly, UK

"The Duo breaks down the barriers between performance and reproduction in a way no conventional box loudspeaker can match. And such was the awesome tension and hair-curling realism of that mid-band. The exceptional involvement found me trawling through old favourites with new enthusiasm."

Paul Messenger, Hifi Choice, UK

"The DUO offered excellent micro-dynamics. I was made aware of a tactile quality more closely associated with live musical instruments than with heavy speaker diaphragms. Second, the DUO had a breathtaking dynamic range, second in my experience only to that of the Wilson X-1 Grand Slamm, and then only in the bass. [The new SUB225 CTRL PRO Sub-woofer was not yet available].

In fact, the DUO probably out-reached the Slamm in the mid and treble. The DUO's trump card is its mid-range, that single horn covering 170 Hz to 2 kHz in a single pass. So much goes on in this region, and the DUO rewards its owner with excellent linearity, clarity, detail, separation of instrumental lines, immediacy, and natural attack. Here the DUO reached beyond its peers. There's true sonic value in that majestically broad, dynamic midrange, in the obvious microdynamic delicacy and accuracy, the near-zero distortion, the potential for very high sound levels, the easy amplifier loading and this speaker's compatibility with low-powered purist triode amplifiers."

Martin Colloms, Stereophile, USA

DUO Description

The DUO includes a two-way Hornspeaker satellite, provided with the integrated active sub-woofer SUB225 CTRL PRO (making it a 3-way system).

The M2 midrange driver was specially designed for the DUO. The huge magnetic structure of the 7-inch cone provides an efficiency of 103 dB (1W/1m) as well as offering very high power handling. The resonance characteristic of its 4-inch dome is optimized by a special coating at the backside of the dome. The design of the dome ensures the sound-waves entering the midrange horn SH 6704 are in phase and cover the required bandwidth. The CDC system features a controlled roll-off at 2,000 Hz and allows the use of a phase-correct passive frequency crossover. Typically for Avantgarde, the M2 operates into the low frequencies without any degrading components in the signal path.

The H2 tweeter is a reduced sensitivity version of our reference TRIO tweeter H3. The exceptional driver H2 combines the smoothness of an electrostatic driver and the power of a strong 1-inch horn driver. The mere force of the 6.5 lb. magnet on the voice coil guarantees 100% detail and precision even at low volume levels, and provides the DUO with compression-free sound reproduction even at extreme sound pressure levels.

The H2, with its spherical horn, offers an ultra wide bandwidth down to 900 Hz. With the passive crossover point a full octave higher at 2,000 Hz, you get a wonderful smooth sound with incredible musical headroom.

Subwoofer SUB225 CTRL PRO

We are pleased to announce that an entirely new subwoofer, SUB225 CTRL PRO, has been developed and is now standard for models DUO and TRIO (optional for UNO). This new and exciting development consists of an actively "real-time" controlled sub-woofer equipped with two powerful 10-inch drivers.

With this new SUB225 CTRL PRO, it was our goal to design a subwoofer that reached the absolute limits of today's technology. This unique combination compact rigid enclosure, newly available driver systems, active frequency crossover, custom power amplifier, and active real-time control circuitry has resulted in a new generation of subwoofers.

Having met virtually all of our design goals, the all new SUB225 CTRL PRO marks another landmark achievement for Avantgarde's Spherical Hornspeaker Systems. (For a detailed examination of the new Avantgarde Acoustic SUB225 CTRL PRO, please see the accompanying white paper, "The Technology.")

In general, the DUO follows the mechanical concept of its smaller brother, the UNO. The standard version of DUO comes with polished white horns and rear covers.

Optionally, the system can be ordered in any of six automotive metallic lacquer finishes.

For 3-D images of the DUO, click here.