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Audio Physic exploits the same with the woofers. The mirrored lower units run four-layer voice coils, the two upper ones two layers. The internal bass chamber is divided by a twin layer of felt. This has the upper woofers see some laminar resistance before encountering the port. It also addresses the standing wave common to tall narrow boxes and eliminates common resonances in the lower midband as a result.
A further detail—and this one is shared with the Virgo—is the neoprene decoupling of the terminal plate. The Avantera then adds a rubber mount to its WBT binding posts to maximize resolution. The same rationale accompanies the neoprene dowels which affix all drivers and the aluminium mount plate. The only exception is the actual tweeter which mounts to the plate from behind whence it decouples with a cloth gasket.
The electrical filter of capacitors and coils—nominal transitions are 150 and 2.800Hz— is unusually implemented before and after the transducers. While theory says this shouldn’t make any difference, Manfred Diestertich is firmly convinced that the ‘post filter’ has positive effects. Since competitors too have embraced this solution, one assumes that the benefits cannot be imaginary. The photos stand witness to flawless fit and finish. The Avantera conforms to the highest expectations and demands of manufacturing tolerances and quality.
Setup: Proper placement took time. With its added bass artillery I expected more authority than from the Virgo 25 and this was immediately confirmed. To linearize this response without obvious peaks and troughs I kept moving the Avantera further and further away from the front wall. A satisfying compromise between output, upper bass speed and extension remained elusive at first. The eventual solution was counter intuitive. These speakers actually worked better a tad closer to the wall than the Virgo had: all of 40cm between rear baffle and room boundary. Due to a similarly narrow front baffle the Avantera likewise disperses sounds all the way into the upper midrange not only to the front and sides but also rearwards.
Because my living room’s front wall is mostly undamped, close proximity sacrificed some midrange clarity. The ultimately best compromise mirrored the final Virgo scheme of about one-meter distance from the wall and toe-in so steep that the main axes crossed about one meter behind my head. I’d not recommend sitting closer than 2.5m. That’s the minimum distance it takes for the various drivers to acoustically cohere.
The maker specifies a minimum of 40 watts power which should then be of the potent well-defined sort. For larger spaces which the Avantera would seem ideal for (see minimum distance), I’d kick off with 100 watts. The paralleled 16Ω woofers create a compound 4Ω impedance. I got the impression that the speaker in this range really thrives on power and control. Those qualities tend to be more the domain of high-power amplifiers with generous current delivery.
