There is something undeniable about Avantgarde Acoustics horn loudspeakers. Something I find irresistible. They can be shoehorned into the most improbable spaces, and yet, I don’t care. I don’t see “cramped.” I don’t see “uncomfortable.” I don’t see “impractical.” I see HORNS and my goodness, they’re BEAUTIFUL.
Angie Lisi of American Sound marched me into the room to show off the new Avantgarde Trios that were here at AXPONA. And they are new — these were powered, following (perhaps?) the success they’ve had with their Uno product line. For the die-hards, yes, the passive configuration is still available.
Here, the Avantgarde Active Trio G3 (Generation 3) had not only the fully-active supporting electronics, they had the new horn-bass treatment. Total price for the speakers starts at around $129,000/pair (with active configuration) and the new dual-driver SpaceHorn (starting at $88,000).
Some details: the new “integrated”/active-configuration amps are current-mode (their tech they call “iTron”), which is cool, and they’re wicked-quiet. A network-enabled module, which will allow streaming directly from a variety of streaming providers, will be coming soon. An all in one Trio? You betcha. Note that the drivers in the horns are all-new, too, and most interestingly, the tweeter assemblies are also adjustable front-to-back (time alignment?). The whole assembly is very robust-looking. I do wonder if they’re going to introduce the old sweeping circular designs? I’m guessing not — the amps and network modules are all integrated into the stands.
Attending gear came in from dCS, including the new APEX version of the Vivaldi system, and the Master-series preamp from VAC. Transparent Cables were used throughout.
The sound here is utterly arresting. Like most of my colleagues, I can only imagine what these speakers would do in a “proper” room, but again, I’ll be honest, this room here at the top floor of the Schaumberg Marriott was breathtaking, just as it was.
Sign me up. I’m an Avantgarde fan. As soon as I can justify this sort of purchase, consider it made.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2022, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the show direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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