Article: AXPONA 2019 Best of Show

[miguelito]

Can you point me to the tracks you listened to on the Avantgarde system? Thx.

[miguelito]

7 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Here is the Coltrane:

Qobuz version - https://open.qobuz.com/track/31034477

I have a CD rip of the Analog Productions version that is even better - https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/82058/John_Coltrane-Standard_Coltrane-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD

CD rip? Or SACD rip? I love Coltrane... Ordered the Analogue Productions SACD you pointed to (which is not out yet) - their Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue" SACD remaster from 2015 is absolutely stunning. Plus it was done five blocks away from my home in NYC!

[miguelito]

Just now, The Computer Audiophile said:

CD Rip.

I believe it's the same version released years ago from Analogue Productions.

When I get the SACD (no release date yet apparently) I'll post a review. I have a PS3 which I solely dedicate to the task of ripping SACDs.

[miguelito]

23 minutes ago, Madra said:

That said, I feel it is going to be too big for your listening room. An Uno XD will be visually and sonically (probably) more appropriate. Maybe more experienced Avantgarde listners can chime in.

The Duo Mezzo (which I have) is a large speaker that works great in a large space. See: https://goo.gl/66fjxw

 

Would it work well in a smaller space? It is a fairly directional speaker (because of the horns) so room reflections are generally less critical in the mids and highs than with a regular design. Given the basshorn is pretty adjustable, it is possible it would work fine in a smaller room. 

 

One more thing: In my previous apartment the speakers had to be set up in one end of a large room, firing in the short direction. You can get this to work well with careful setup. But these speakers project sound forward with a lot of power, and when you set them up firing in the long direction of the room they really rock.

 

What I would recommend is talking to the Avantgarde guys - they are super nice.

[miguelito]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I love the flexibility one gets, with respect to amplifiers, when using horns. 

Yeah. Had a friend come in with a ZOTL amp - flea watt sort of thing - and it drove the AG's without issues. Not the same as Ongaku, but still fun...

[miguelito]

14 hours ago, miguelito said:

Would it work well in a smaller space? It is a fairly directional speaker (because of the horns) so room reflections are generally less critical in the mids and highs than with a regular design. Given the basshorn is pretty adjustable, it is possible it would work fine in a smaller room. 

One more point: This is certainly not a near-field speaker. You need at least around 10ft distance for the various drivers to blend. The Uno Fino is much more of a near-field speaker.

[miguelito]

33 minutes ago, Madra said:

I actually auditioned the Duo Mezzo in a reltively small space and it worked rather well. I was seated 3m from the speakers but felt that a couple of additional meters, and more space around the speakers would yield even better results.

My reservations about the Duos in Chris’s room are equall sound and aesthetic. Having a pitched low ceiling on the sides, I do not find them a good visual match, and I know Chris is sensitive about visuals.

Honestly I think those horns look amazing in any room. Just need to be careful about choosing an appropriate finish.

 

My friend in Princeton with the Duo's had them in metallic blue. He's actually a psychiatrist. When I was debating about the color, I liked the striking look of the metallic blue, or the Ferrari red. However, he made the point that you're looking at it continuously, and that if I chose blue, they would sound bright to me, red would always feel hot-rodded... So I chose metallic rose gold, which I love. If I were to order for Chris's room, it would be a dark finish on the basshorn (black or similar) with a matte white horn.

[miguelito]

My Duo Messo’s sit on these Symposium Super Plus bases (custom because of the size). I got these bases at a previous apartment hoping to reduce floor transmission. They didn’t reduce transmission (maybe increased it!) but really improved the tonality of the piano. 

 

 

[miguelito]

On 4/18/2019 at 6:11 PM, fas42 said:

What horns do to the equation is make the job for the electronics far easier - the amplifiers are operating much, much further down in their working range; and the power supplies are actually functioning as they're supposed to. Currents being drawn from the mains are much lower, and are far less spikey; interference anomalies are greatly reduced.

 

All the designer has to do do is make sure the design of the horn drivers, etc, doesn't add too much distortion, which happens if they are not made well enough in the physical sense.

Not just that... The driver diaphragms in horns need to move a lot less to produce the same amount of sound compared to a dynamic speaker. So they are always far from their maximum excursion, and in a transient there is a lot more dynamic range to be had before you reach the point of distortion.