TRIO REVIEW |
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| TEST REVIEW: Avantgarde Acoustic TRIO with amplification by Balanced Audio Technology Reviewer: Deon Schoeman Audio Video Magazine, Issue Spring 2000/South Africa Larger than life Intro There's nothing subtle about the horn loudspeakers from German manufacturer Avantgarde. Imposingly large, and aesthetically unusual, they look, well, surrealistic. But matched to Balanced Audio Technology source components and amplification, the results are exceptional - and truly musical. Peaks In automotive parlance, a petrolhead is somebody who lives, sleeps, eats and drinks motoring - a person with oil instead of blood pumping through his veins. I'm not sure just how you'd describe an equally fanatical hi-fi and music enthusiast, nor whether such a person would have AC or DC current coursing through his capillaries. But Andy Stuart is a truly dedicated hi-fi nut - a man who's not only passionate about audio equipment to the extent of designing and building his own, but who loves it mainly for the way it allows access to the music itself. It's a fascination that had him seek out two high-end marques not available in South Africa, but which appeared to have attracted international accolades, and boasted a level of technological pedigree impressive enough to warrant further investigation. To cut a long story short, Stuart is now the official importer of the Balanced Audio Technology range of pre-amps, power amps and CD source components, as well as Avantgarde loudspeakers. The former has been around since 1995, and although best known for its valve-based designs, also produces solid state components. Pre-amps and power amps are joined by an integrated CD player and range of phono Pre-amps. Common to the BAT designs are high current delivery, elegant circuit design, custom valves on tube units, and fully differential construction. The German speaker maker Avantgarde Acoustic is based in Lautertal, Germany, and specialises in horn loudspeakers - a technology which the company claims produces a sonic signature so open and seamless that it comes closer to the actual live music experience than most. Another major benefit of the horn design is its exceptional sensitivity - the Avantgarde models vary between 100 dB and an astounding 107 dB in this department, allowing them to be driven by so-called modest amplification, at least in valve terms. Aesthetically, they're certainly different from anything I've seen before, with tweeter and midrange consisting of massive horns, accompanied by a separately mounted, active subwoofer. Avantgarde produces three speaker models - simply dubbed the Uno, Duo and Trio. Finish is exceptional, with high-gloss lacquered ABS plastic for the horns, steel frames and rigid subwoofer enclosures. The effect of walking into Stuart's living room, where two huge Avantgarde Trios, accompanied by twin subwoofers each, are housed in a fairly spacious (but not huge) environment is initially both overwhelming and irresistibly fascinating. There's an element of pop art to the design, but overridden by the clear functionality of the aesthetics. Because they look so totally unconventional, I had no idea what to expect from them on a sonic level - although I had already decided that, on visual presence alone, they would have to be pretty damn awful for me not to like them. If anything, their sheer physical presence suggested a potential over-the-top delivery that, I thought, would probably be initially impressive, but eventually artificial and even fatiguing. However, let's take a closer look at what the Avantgardes actually consist of. The units employed by Andy are Trio Classico units, which consist (as the name suggests) of a combination of three drivers. The largest of these is a so-called low midrange unit, and has a horn with a 950 mm aperture, while measuring 650 mm long. The midrange unit is suspended above and to one side of the lower midrange via an arced steel stand. It has an aperture diameter of 570 mm, and is 430 mm long. Finally, the tweeter is suspended from the same frame, and hangs higher than the midrange, more or less with the centre of the lower midrange unit. Its 180 mm aperture diameter and 85 mm length easily makes it the smallest of the three. The total assembly stands 1,500 m tall, occupies a width of 1,340 mm and is 830 mm deep - a lot more compact than their dominating visual presence would suggest. And, just to cap it all, each Trio Classico weighs a back-breaking 71 kg - without the subs! That's mainly due to the massive magnet assemblies employed on each horn. To allow sufficient low frequency response and ample bass pressure in what is a lively, airy room of fairly generous size, Stuart opted for two active subwoofers per channel. They are free-standing units in this case, and can be located with a certain level of freedom, although actual room acoustics will probably dictate just where they are positioned relative to the main Trio assembly. The four subwoofers (two per side) are so-called SUB225 CTRL PRO units, each equipped with its own amplifier delivering up to 200 room size and acoustic properties. The Trio Classico system has a rated sensitivity of 107 dB (1 watt / 1 metre), can cope with up to 200 watts of input power per channel, and has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. All of which points to the exceptional efficiency referred to earlier. Crossover points are at 100 Hz, 600 Hz and 4,000 Hz respectively. Okay, so you may be able to run the Avantgardes with only 5 watts per side (as the specifications suggest), but every sound buff will tell you that the more muscle you have on tap, the more momentum, energy and impetus the music has - as long as you have the discipline not to blow the drivers right out of their frames. However, the efficiency of the speakers makes them a perfect match for valve amplification, which (on paper, at least) doesn't always have the level of grunt and sheer muscle that solid state designs typically offer. Andy has linked the Trio Classicos to a Balanced Audio Technology VK-5OSE valve pre-amplifier and VK-60 stereo valve power amplifier. The latter has a conservatively calculated output rating of 60 watts per channel into 8 ohms - not a great deal at face value, I suppose, but 12 times the minimum amplification rating, nonetheless. The VK-60 offers three sets of binding posts, allowing closer matching of the amplifier with low, medium and high impedance loudspeakers. At its heart are four 6C33C-B and no less than eight 6SN7 valves, all of Soviet origin but of premium quality. The VK-6O can be configured as a monoblock unit, which doubles output power, albeit into a single channel. The pre-amp is a true work of art. Based on the already highly rated VK-50, the SE derivative uses eight special 6H30 Supertube valves, a high-current / low impedance unit said to eclipse the performance of the reference-standard 6922. This 'Supertube' is exclusive to BAT. Other improvements are uprated energy storage capacity (double that of the normal VK-50), upgraded power transformers designed to match the high power demands of the valves, optimised circuitry and component selection, and a high-resolution electronic volume control. The circuit architecture follows a zero-feedback approach, while the control system is programmable. Both pre-amp and power amp are fully balanced, and run in balanced mode here, although single-ended connectivity is also catered for. Feeding the pre/power combo is a BAT VK-D5SE integrated CD player, based as the name suggests on the VK-D5 CD player, but featuring six 6H30 supertube valves, an uprated power supply, Vishay metal film resistors and other circuit and circuit component enhancements, compared to the standard unit. Again, signal feed is in fully balanced mode. Finally, the time came to sit down for what - in terms of specification and appearance - promised to be a memorable listening experience. However, nothing could have prepared me for the two hours or so of sheer musical pleasure that was to follow. Music employed for the listening session included a varied assortment spanning various genres: classics such as Janis Ian's Hunger, the Tori Amos Boys for Pele CD, Clifford Jordan's Live at Ethell's and a classic live recording of jazz legend Thelonius Monk, Live at the It Club. Also included was a Schneiderhan / Jochum / Berlin Philharmonic recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto on DGG, the Willie Nelson Spirit CD, Carlos Santana's blockbuster Supernatural Grammy-winning disc - and, finally, the rousing German acid rock of Rammstein featured on the 'The Matrix' soundtrack. Where do I start to describe a system that is beguiling in every respect? Well, perhaps the sheer transparency and seamless staging provided from those imposing horns is worthy of the first mention. Positioned quite far apart relative to the listening position, the focus and resolution of the sonic image was absolutely pin-sharp and dimensionally perfect. The speakers simply ceased to exist as audible point sources, painting a sound picture in bold and confident strokes, but never at the expense of detail and tonal subtleties. Tonal integration was simply awesome, despite the separated appearance of the horns suspended from their frames, extending from a very low but taut and muscular bass through a luscious, lavish midrange to the kind of trebles that most of us only dream of: clear enough to bring tiny bits of musical info to the fore, but still sweet and approachable to seduce even the most critical listener. The music was presented with emphatic authority, and on faster-paced rock, there was certainly no shortage of pace or slam, making nonsense of the criticism from those solid state fans who still believe that all valve amplification sounds flaccid and lacking in dynamics. In fact, I found it difficult to believe that we were listening to a tube-pushed system - and especially one that had so much on reserve. The BAT VK-60 was never really extended to any significant measure, except for a rousing couple of minutes listening to the Rammstein outfit on 'The Matrix' soundtrack. At half volume, I was hoping that the house foundations would be able to take the punishment, while I suspect that the neighbours would have experienced a mild earthquake. And yet, the system remained perfectly poised and in control, with no sign of any apparent strain. Almost certainly, the high efficiency of the Avantgarde Trio speakers play a role in this, allowing the valve amplifier to provide a level of shove and punch that simply doesn't usually feature in a tube-based system. But don't underestimate the class of the BAT amplifiers: they must rate as among the best, fastest and most dynamic tube units I've ever heard. In the context of a system review such as this, it is virtually impossible to determine the individual qualities of each component separately - that will have to wait for a series of component reviews that we hope to publish in future issues. But in system terms, the BAT/Avantgarde combination is exhilarating. I could have spent days in that listening room, simply to savour the immediacy and involvement that this set-up is capable of. However, most importantly, this is a system that remains true to the spirit and the execution of the music, and which never performs for effect only. Thus, it seems as if Andy Stuart has finally found a combination of components that delivers to his high expectations. The good news is that he is now importing both brands in limited quantities for those who, having heard the system, feel an irrepressible need to experience the same at home. The bad news is that equipment at this level doesn't come cheap. But while the capital outlay may be high, the return on investment, especially in terms of overall musicality, is so irrevocably attractive that this system deserves blue chip status... Verdict |
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