Article: AXPONA 2019 Best of Show

[fas42]

Always pleasing to finally come across a system that's been coaxed into delivering competent sound ... the Avantgarde is as good a demo as any of what playback should always be like, and how miserable many setups are at getting it right, in comparison. This is a rig that's "getting out of the way", and you actually hearing the content of the recording ...

[fas42]

Speaking of Dynaudio Confidence speakers, it was the top of line units a few years ago at an audio show, driven by Bryston monoblocks, that delivered the most capable sound I have yet heard, from a system not my own - especially impressive was the effortless SPL capability; better than anything I have achieved.

[fas42]

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.

[fas42]

2 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

horns act as acoustic amplifiers - I have one that works with no electricity at all

 

(...just like all the other record players of that vintage)

 

The local audio friend once mentioned an incident where he was in an office building, where many people had radios and such provding some background music, of normal standard. Then, down a corridor he heard some classical music being played at a good volume; rich, full, engaging - ahh, at least one person in the building has the interest in good sound to set a decent playback rig, he thought. Went down the corridor, and the quality only improved as he did so, and stood outside the door to the office from whence the sound came; really intrigued, he was emboldened to knock - the door opened, and he was taken aback to see a glorious, ancient windup unit - with huge horn - in full flight. The chap gave him a solid wink, and said, he gave the unit - a premium quality effort from those days - a good workout every now and again, just because ...

 

The SQ on many levels was so superior to much of the casually paraded stuff; it was a lesson to him, my friend, about what mattered ...