TRIO

Vivid memories?

You probably have vivid memories of very important events. If you're old enough, you may remember where you were when Sputnik was launched, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, or when the first man walked on the moon. Although your first TRIO experience may not change the history of mankind, how can you be sure? One thing you can be sure of is that you'll never forget it. If an event can be that memorable, shouldn't you be arranging a demo? What if it could be an everyday event because you own a pair?

The TRIO will make demands on your life. It needs room. It needs to be seen. It won't let you play much in the way of background music. It's so alive, so dynamic that it demands your attention (imagine Miles Davis playing his trumpet in your living room while you try to read). You might need a space to dance. Are you ready?

But don't take our word for it. Here's what the experts say:

"They are easily the fastest and most realistically dynamic loudspeakers I've heard. Their greatness lies not only in their huge dynamic capabilities, but in the natural lifelike speed with which they recreate dynamic gradations. They can shade dynamics as Sinatra can shade a lyric, eliciting the most subtle emotional nuances from music. I can think of no higher praise."

A. Kay, Fi, USA

"A percussion solo or the powerful cue of a large orchestra quickly teaches us that absolutely perfect sound reproduction is possible, realized to an extent that turns even high-quality standard speakers into tired, worn-out background figures. Concurrently, just as a side effect, a nearly imperceptible network of details comes to the surface which due to its transparency and neat structure of details offers another, so far unknown quality."

R. Kraft, Image Hi-Fi

"They are unquestionably the finest loudspeakers I have heard in my home and, without any doubt, one of the best loudspeaker systems in the whole blooming world...and from an engineering standpoint the most remarkable. The TRIO's reproduce the continuum of musical dynamics, from 4-p to 4-f and every step in between, with a seamless coherence that I have never heard, save in life. There is no sense of stepping up or stepping down to the next dynamic level with the Avantgardes no hard-ceilinged upper limit, no lost-in-the-murk lower limit, no mechanical ratcheting in between. No diminuendo. No megaphonic collapse of the soundstage on fortes. No dropouts below the noise floor on pianissimos. Well-recorded music breathes forth with the naturalness of the real thing."

J. Valin, Fi, USA

"No doubt, application of the usual high-end criteria tells me the Wilson X-1 Series II is best. Yet, at least one speaker, the Avantgarde horn TRIO, in the range from 100 Hz up [SUB225 CTRL PRO not available at time of review], is even faster and more dynamic and more musically natural, warmer, fuller, more beautiful and emotionally engaging than the X-1."

L. Kay, Fi, USA

TRIO Description

The TRIO includes a three-way Hornspeaker satellite, which is provided with a pair of integrated active SUB225 CTRL PRO sub-woofers per channel, operating from 18-100Hz (making it a 4-way system).

The specially optimized midrange driver L3 is characterized by its extremely high efficiency of 107 dB (1W/1m) and utmost power handling capabilities. Due to our CDC system, the L3 is just the same as our other hornspeaker systems, it works exclusively within its optimal frequency range and automatically rolls-off at the crossover frequencies (100-600Hz).

Connected to the midrange horn SH9504, the L3 offers a very neutral sound reproduction across the entire mid-bass range. Vocals, instruments and complex signals are reproduced with so much speed and ease, you'll forget that you are listening to a recording.

M3, our midrange driver system, is the core of the TRIO and was especially designed for our spherical horn SH5702. The 2-inch driver system, covering a frequency range between 600-4,000 Hz, will amaze you with its high sensitivity, very low distortion and an excellent linear response. The M3 system features a very large magnet structure that offers high power handling and long linear excursion of the diaphragm.

In contrast to the typical compression driver, the M3 uses a special dispersion characteristic with a very low compression ratio. The energy which is needed for the lower frequency range is provided by a strong and linear movement of the voice coil and not by a high compression ratio. It is this special design that makes a major contribution to the crystal clear transparency of the midrange frequencies even at extremely high power levels.

Instead of a 2-way system with an additional super-tweeter, the TRIO actually is a real 3-way-satellite-system. The L3 midrange-bass driver works exclusively up to 600 Hz; thereby eliminating the critical "break-up" of the cone as well as distortions that are typical of the upper frequency range of a cone driver. The tweeter H3 starts working at 4 kHz, thus avoiding the problems of excessive membrane movement. Therefore, the H3 is optimized for the high frequencies, instead of being misused for the midrange. The result is a harmonically accurate system with 3 drivers working exclusively in their own well defined frequency range.

H3 is our statement for the TRIO high frequency range. The H3 features a voice coil former made of Kapton with a minimized air gap. A special geometrical shape of the voice coil and an ultralight diaphragm makes this special driver really outstanding. Its high magnetic flux density helps to produce enormous power and authority on the movement of the voice coil. The H3 convinces by its lively ability to reproduce the shimmering musical detail and tremendous dynamics of any kind of music.

Functional Design

All three spherical horns are mounted into circular housing tubes. A three pillar steel-tube frame is used to support the horns on lateral fixtures with the standard version of the TRIO. The horn alignment is a functional straight line and demonstrates visual integrity without any frills. Due to this compact design the satellite has a width of only 37 inches.

The TRIO CLASSICO version incorporates a circular support. Contrary to static constructions the rounded shape of the CLASSICO perfectly reflects the dynamics of the spherical horns. But "form follows function" even here, as the angle of the support is adjustable thus allowing easy adjustment of the mid-high frequency section to the preferred listening position.

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