Www acoustica com rc3/15/2023 ![]() ![]() They are supposed to be incredible, but they cost around $ 27,000 a pair. They also make a powered, horn subwoofer called the "Basshorn". (On the other hand, a 3-way horn is inherently less cohesive than a 2-way horn.) The Duo (and the Trio) has its own built-in bass amp and crossover, so that avenue can't be changed for the better. 100 Hz) deeper into the bass, which should seriously reduce this problem. The Trio's lower horn goes 70 Hz (170 Hz Vs. This could be a serious (disqualifying) problem for some listeners. ![]() It wasn't really "bad", but it was still noticeably UN-seamless. Neither of us was even close to being happy with the bass integration, which is the major weak point in the design. It's obvious that setup is critical and there was only one listening seat that was optimum in both rooms.Ģ. The sound that impressed us so much came from the manufacturer's room, and not the distributor, which had various problems. The retail price is in the $ 17,000 range, which is expensive, but it obliterated most of the speakers that cost more.ġ. My associate agreed with my assessment, and, if anything, he was even more enthusiastic. I've only heard one other speaker in my life sound so good with so many obstacles to overcome. Despite all this, it provided the best sound at the show. If that wasn't enough, the listening room was mediocre. Most impressively, it did this with digital sources, transistor amplification and ($1/ft) generic interconnect and speaker cable. It passed a number of tough tests: massed violins, various voices, piano, woodwinds. We tried to find its "fatal flaw", but we failed. It's sense of immediacy and transparency are amazing. The dynamic gradations are state of the art, just like other well executed horns, but that's not a surprise. It also disappears as well as any horn speaker in my experience. The Duo is the first horn loudspeaker I've heard that doesn't have obvious horn colorations. Sadly, the Trio wasn't at the 2004 CES, so we'll have something to look forward to another year. Their best model, according to the manufacturer and distributor, is the Trio. Amazingly, it isn't even their top-of-the-line model. This is simply the finest horn loudspeaker we have ever heard, and we've heard plenty of them over the years. TopĪVANTGARDE DUO (MIDRANGE AND HIGH FREQUENCIES ONLY-ABOVE 170HZ) In reality, these products are actually designed for people looking for "prestige", rather than the accurate reproduction of music. ![]() This is very difficult to achieve with multiple drivers, crossover points etc. If all that wasn't enough, they also have a serious problem with retaining the desirable sonic quality of "cohesiveness", which one reader described as the characteristic of the entire frequency range "being cut from the same cloth". The only "beneficiaries" of this "strategy" are those who build, market and sell these expensive and usually (grossly) overpriced components. Playing these speakers unnaturally loud, with the use of (usually very expensive ) high-power amplifiers, which usually have the same sonic problems, is a "solution" that actually compounds the problems. Almost every speaker I have ever heard that has low sensitivity, and a difficult impedance, has the same problems they sound "dry, mechanical and compressed". These models are either downgraded or not References at all. There are a growing number of loudspeakers, usually large and extremely expensive, that require the use of large, costly, complex and inferior amplifiers to help overcome their problems of design. However, speakers have much more serious problems than the other components, which means you can't even assume that their basic timbre and phasing are natural and accurate.Īccordingly, for many audiophiles, getting the timbres correct (accuracy) will be their first priority within this category, while "completeness" will be secondary, though still very important. That's the reason for my choice of priorities. They have other problems like losing information, dynamic compression etc. I feel this component category requires a further distinction and an exception, because of its unique nature.Īll components, except speakers and cartridges, are generally accurate at least when focusing on timbres and phasing etc. I also used the word "accurate" before that expression. Important Distinction: In my "Priorities and Distinctions" section within the main Reference file, I emphasized the primary importance of musical "low-level information", which must be reproduced if a component is to be included in this list. ![]()
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