UNO REVIEW |
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| Avantgarde Acoustic UNO with SUB225 CTRL Subwoofer |
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| Audition report by Robert Schmitz-Niehaus Hörerlebnis, issue 33, 10/2000. Beyond Eden |
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His UNO -- subject of today's review -- is the smallest entry of the line, duly followed by DUO and TRIO which, though more advanced, also play in different financial leagues. The UNO not only open a new dimension for music listening but demands a comprehensive reevaluation of loudspeaker design in general. While specs and measurements of these twin spherical horns with integral active subwoofers will pale compared to its larger siblings, music lovers used to common standards will approach them with due respect. These transducer incarnate a very special quality, a distinct charisma. And I confess to being particulary charmed by their aesthetics - appealing, extravagant, pleasingly different. Despite stout dimensions of 145cm height, 57cm width and considerable depth at 71cm, the UNO was designed for smaller rooms. Under patriarchal blessings, a minimum of 16qm should be allocated before commencing any sort of intimate relationship with them. Don't withdraw when shortly after acquisition, the freight company delivers two monstrous containers taking up over half your garage. This first overwhelming impression shall remain. Already the highly secure shipping containers will induce generous oversight, about the inevitable mudslide inflicted upon the family account. Alas, before the sampling of the forbidden fruit, some hard physical labor is in order.While delivered in perfectly functional heavyweight condition, the UNO's horns are mounted in a space-saving configuration for damage-control during transit. Subsequent expansion contingent on listener distance determines horn heights on three possible positions along the frame rails, requiring attention to properly thread the connecting pins. The subwoofer attaches to the frame below the horns, making for excellent physical bass coupling with the floor. The passband of the H1 tweeter extends below 1kHz. Outfitted with an oversized 7lbs magnet and encased in a longitudinal chassis of impressive heft and solidity, the coupling to a small spherical horn achieves 100dB efficiency. The midrange driver's 65mm voice coil controls a 100mm diaphragm, its developers once again keen on extended bandwidth. It runs wide open and full-range, a feat possible only with Avantgarde's proprietrary CDC system. Low bass duties are handled by the sub's twin 10-inch 8-ohm woofers, with internal bracing rigidifying the cabinet to minimize detrimental chassis flex resonances. Small continuously variable pots enable independent output and crossover frequencies adjustments of the active network, allowing custom tuning under even set-up critical conditions. A rear-mounted three-pole subsonic filter selects between 20, 25 and 30Hz. Horns naturally function as soundpressure amplifiers which, when coupled to transducers, operate diametrically opposed to the human ear. That makes sense. Because our ear works the same, just in reverse, we perceive the slightest of pressure changes, admittedly to a lesser degree than certain animals. Good horns thus act like magnifying glasses when used in music reproduction, ruthlessly laying bare any weaknesses in preceding ancillaries or chosen software. This points at a chameleon-like character especially considering the Avantgarde's extreme speed. The latter is a critical ingredient. The more responsive the acceleration potential of a speaker, the more information it can convey. Hence Avantgarde's developers focused on their driver's rise time rather than decay potential. To minimize the time lapse between input signal and a given driver SPL equivalent is critically important since a speaker can only digest data that are slower than its intrinsic response time. All other low level detail falls by the wayside. Avantgarde specializes in spherical horns which, according to Holger Fromme, avoid the coming shortcomings of exponential horns which assume that sound disperses equally from the horn mouth. This overlooks that sound traveling along the central axis traverses less distance to the listener. The spherical geometry improves radiation velocity by avoiding surfaces perpendicular to the central axis. At 180 degrees, its flare falls off doubly as fast an an expotential horn, generating a more coherent radiation pattern across the covered spectrum. Avantgarde takes pride in being the first manufacturer to fashion spherical horns by exposing liquid ABS in precision-machined steel molds to 2500 tons of pressure. Tolerances of maximally 0.05mm realize previously impossible compliance to ideal geometry. To control the edges of their passbands, the Controlled Dispersion Characteristic CDC system intentionally and precisely limits each driver's operational bandwith. This is accomplished by a small air chamber between driver diaphragm and horn mouth. The driver no longer directly radiates into the horn but into this limited volume chamber instead whose airmass acts as quasi bandpass filter to steeply attenuate edge frequencies at the crossover points. Accordingly, the midrange driver can operate without any passive crossover components in the signal path., with a single capacitor on the tweeter. This minimized parts count in the signal path enhances audible fidelity. |
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Commentary While spending a few month with the UNO had me come to truly appreciate them, I won't deny that past Avantgarde Acoustic demonstrations were less than convicing. Hence my previous comment about needing to seriously prepare for such encounters. Those who follow such advice will at the least gain a unique perspective and quite possibly enjoy one of those peak experiences. The very attractive UNO weighs in at nearly 120 lbs, with ultimate size an unavoidable artifact of horn principles - longer wavelengths require larger supportive bells. Despite different listening approach preferences -- studio-typical near-field position versus greater farfield distance -- auditon suggested that due to the physically broad driver array, a minimum distance of 2.5 but preferably 3 meters was required. Distance between them should again be at least 2.5 meters but I spaced them as far apart as 4 meters at which point they truly disappeared. Rearwall breathing room required at least a half meter, while 70cm already introduced audibly greater freedom. These are all-around reasonable room interface dimensions. Even delegated into a corner and in close proximity to two walls, the UNO managed to convince and espouse its virtues. Fortunately, my personal listening room didn't impose any such compromises. Pronounced toe-in was pretty much a given since the dispersion pattern of horns caused steep off-axis attenuation. with 85% direct radiation and only 15% ambient reflections. Softer contours and greater lightness of textural fabric could be achieved by crossing the two central axes 50 to 60cm in front of the listener. |
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| As the entry-level model of Avantgarde's offering, the UNO's appearance more than mimics the DUO. Like it, the subwoofer appears below the tweeter, now with a straight and no longer concave angled baffle. |
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| The cylindrical , massive and very heavy tweeter enclosure successfully prevents standing waves while rear-mounted connectivity is via WBT 5-way binding posts. Jumpers are included. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This inflicted a concomintant but minor loss of palpable density while rewarding with an airier, billowier sound - a welcome trade since the UNO offered such a high degree of palbability to begin with that this minor reduction to win related gains proved quite painless. The next order of the day was bass adjustment. The recommended 11 o'clock starting position for the crossover and attenuator settings ran counter to personal tastes and room, causing excessive and bloated bass fundamentals .To determine the proper setting is easy even for the relative novice, taking me rougly 20 minutes. It must be said here that such flexibility is a true blessing since it compensates and corrects for room- and system-induced variables rather than to mandate speaker matching with new electronics. I settled on a relatively high crossover setting when Sammy Lay's voice [Rush Hour Blues, Telarc 83482] blossomed and administered proper bass output balance afterwards, an exercise that works best with simple vocals containing decent LF content. Backing off this control made for a slightly leaner voicing, emphasizing the voice and further separating it from the surroundings. The resultant reach-out three-dimensionality was eerily realistic, giving access to the smallest of details, subtle lip movements, the barely noticeable bursting of tiny spittle bubbles, the sideways motion of the head never once jagged but always fluidly following the melody. The vocalist remained unwaveringly focused without any lateral drift, a condition that is known to cause a veritable panic among audiophiles. |
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| Listeners accustomed to smaller speakers will have their eyes opened by the UNO's life-size projection. Robert Lockwood's guitar ["I believe I'll dust my broom", Delta Crossroads, Telarc 83509] radiated pure believability, making visible the very fingers rushing across the fretboard. This rather fascinated me and I repeated the track multiple times for good effect. Pineton Perkin's "Hi-Heel Sneakers" [Back on Top, Telarc 83489] raised this tension. The brief percussive piano attacks and immediately subsequent harmonica floated in the room unfettered by gravity, the boiling rhythm transmitted into my blood stream like a virus infection, causing my eyes to close involuntarily while the whole body commenced to move in unison on its own accord. |
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Everything was scaled so realistically while seeming so preternaturally close. Since Telarc recordings tend to err on the softer side of things, I required different samples to complete the adjustment process. After repeatedly admiring colleague MK's record, I recently ordered Kari Bremnes Norwegian Wood [ARS-Hamburg, Kirkelig Kultursverksted, fxcd 221] from Jörg Kessler. I tend to prefer her Norwegian over her English efforts. Singing in her native tongue emphasizes meaning and delivers more soul. Regardless, this is an unusually good recording and served my calibration purposes well. The explosive consonants on "To give you a song" seemed too strident. Further tweaking was required. The Enacoms( frowned upon by some while inarguably effective) shaved off a hair of treble sharpness but not enough. |
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| For this audition, I was fortunate enough to rely on a variey of loudspeaker cables I had previously evaluated with MK. In the end, I gravitated towards the SPK-5000 Ortofon silver cable, sounding marvellously silky and natural with the UNO while a mite fuller in the bass. MK fancied Nord-Ost's SPM Reference, which emphasized clearer separation and speed, a more brusque mien likely more in keeping with Avantgarde's philosophy. The Ortofon imbued the music with a warmer, more musically voluptuous character. Hail to differing tastes. It matters too where you connect such cable. On the bass module, it sounded weightiest. Feeding the midrange first subtly enhanced the vocal range, a variant I ultimately preferred. Subsequent interconnect selection once again alternated between Ortofon (5000-SI silver) and Nord-Ost (Quattrofil), with predictable personal preference between MK and me. For shallower pockets, I recommend either Flatline FL 212 or Dope-Sounds' silver Voodoo cable. Eventually a further concern surfaced: Would the subwoofers apreciate aftermarket power cords? Absolutely. With the stock cords substituted for Phonosophie, I gained in LF definiton, with more dynamic bass exploding from the cabinet - a small but worthwhile investment. |
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| High, mid and low modules connect via three poles that allow independent height adjustments for treble and midrange horns, optimizing orientation with the listening seat. Twin 10-inch woofers are acitvely driven and output and low-pass filter settings are readily trimmed with small pots. Adjustable furniture glide feet underneath the uprights can be replaced with spikes if desired. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I've never yet that intensely listened to cables. It began smacking of real work while the note pad fattened up significantly. Still, I had a blast since the differences were so easily ascertained. In my book, this speaks volumes about the UNO's fidelity, operating like an acoustical microscope which nothing escapes. That's a massive compliment! To enjoy music via the UNO without stress does require clearing certain hurdles, admittedly no child's play. But the results more than justify such efforts. I arrived at a final voicing far in excess of any Avantgardes I had previously encountered, under what presumably were less than ideal conditions, such as tradeshows. |
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| At this point, my intense preoccupation with this gorgeous diva turned into far more than a one-night stand. She'd let me know in no uncertain terms that she wanted to be conquered, a challenge I had accepted to finally arrive.Va bene. My musical metier is predominantly classical, with the occasional Blues thrown in for primarily nostalgic reasons. In its "Baroque Spirit" series, German Harmonia Mudni has dedicated one disc to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) whose chamber music is poetic and imaginative, a poignant watershed phenomenon in the emancipation of purely instrumental versus vocal music. At the onset of the illumined century, music sans lyrics had been scorned as sheer noise. Now we refer to it as tonal paintings. While working with more economical means than vocal music, it counts as the more complex of both artforms. Fine as with feathers, the UNOs did hommage to the happy playfulness of this Baroque programme. The flutes emerged from the greater context to lead the melody. Despite occasional expressive intensity, they retained clean yet warm timbre echoed in the lower registers by the French horns. The role of contrast, of opposition and cooperation as cultivated from the very beginning by Baroque sensibilities, befell on the violin. The ensuing dialogue was characterized by gaitiy and esprit and beautifully conveyed by the loudspeaker whose immediacy of translation made certain demands on the listener. No more disengaged background consumption - it required attention but rewarded in turn with greater insensity. A similar conclusion presented itself in the "Gitarrenmusik des Barock" [Julian Bream; BMG; VD 60620], an analogue master with early noise suppression. The digital remaster endeavored to further suppress spurious tape hiss while eschewing drastic measures to avoid curtailing the original's frequency response. This tape hiss didn't escape the UNO's notice which reproduced it at higher than customary levels without minimizing musical pleasure. Individual strings manifested in thin air, as did adroit fingering changes and clearly perceived initial attacks and subsequent decays. |
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Contrary tongues claim hornspeakers cannot reproduce spatial specificity. I cannot concur. Large orchestras were cleary delineated and accurately layered, albeit more pronounced and realistic than some may fancy. There's little room in an orchestral pit after all, each row of musicians tightly spaced. To be clear, I didn't miss any spatial expanse |
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