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The overall balance’s minor warmth is realistically due not to any treble softness but a finely administered mini dose of extra lower midband which moves the tonal center downward by a few clicks. This creates a more relaxed yet substantial take over the Virgo. To condense it somewhat provocatively, one acquires a Virgo at the end of one’s 30s, an Avantera toward the end of one's 40s.
Resolution is a clear forté. Both midrange and treble units are exceptionally transparent to micro detail of any kind, be those timbres, dynamic gradations or spatial ambiance. An oft-visited number is Jem’s “Closer”. Here I usually focus on the midrange. The Avantera finally pointed out that vocals and certain instruments of intro and refrain switched placement between two adjacent layers of depth. I strongly suspect that the producer indulged a personal joke relative to the lyrics which I can’t detail out without infringing on our PG 13 rating.
The Avantera applies exceptional focus and a widely feathered-out panorama. Just a few years back such excellence was the exclusive providence of ribbon tweeters whose dispersion pattern created discontinuities with standard midrange cones to always attract a bit of undue attention. The continuity between mids and highs of the Avantera meanwhile is seamless.
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More interesting to my ears even was how the same resolving power in these bands was true for dynamics and timing. On Smog’s Dongs of Sevotion Bill Callahan applies strategic pauses and retardation to “Hard Road”. With the Avantera the small tensioned arc of the guitar sequences became more apparent toward the peaks. This subjectively lengthened the pauses between sequences. On his drum kit's cymbal Callahan applies a standard but subdued 4-beat rhythm over extended stretches.
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At first glance very basic, this speaker clarified the riveting frisson between the nearly but not quite metronomic drum work and the off-beat delays of vocals and guitar. These nuances created higher tension and involved this listener more than before. This was exceptional timing! |
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Conclusion: Audio Physic’s Avantera is a living-room friendly, superbly fabricated and wonderfully performing loudspeaker. Essentially free of colorations in the mids and highs without gratuitous powder sugar on top, there is a mild emphasis in the upper bass/lower midrange which in the sparsely furnished midsize to larger spaces that its industrial design aims for should be spot on. This voicing is too subtle to impose a personality. It simply injects an iota of saturation which this price class expects. Audio Physic knows very well just who they designed this speaker for.
Special virtues are exemplary linearity and freedom from coloration from the midrange up; an utter absence of disturbing resonances in the vocal range and treble as is rarely achieved; and soundstage width and depth that’s never limited by the speakers themselves but only by the program material. Relative to the Virgo 25, the Avantera is the more relaxed, authoritative and—given its grander surface area—also more resourceful easeful performer even though both share much common ground.
Psych profile:
- Superbly crafted slim tower in décor-friendly dimensions. The drivers are carefully calibrated in-house designs and the entire project exudes extreme care during development.
- Well extended articulated easeful bass whose clean demeanour without special effects should serve over many years.
- Very transparent vocal band with proper saturation and weight.
- Very clean and non-demonstrative treble which avoids prior tendencies toward the bright and emphasized.
- Resolving power at the highest level relative to stage dimensions as well as to tone colors, dynamics and timing. This introduces new and gripping detail in familiar recordings. Because all drivers are purpose-designed as a team, such detail specificity doesn’t dissect the whole and instead maintains proper overall flow and integration.
Facts:
- Concept: Passive bass-reflex 3-way
- Trim options: Black and white high gloss and Ebony/Makassar add €200
- Dimensions and weight: circa 115 x 24 x 42cm (HxWxD), 40kg/ea.
- Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m
- Nominal impedance: 4Ω
- Warranty: 5 years
- Website
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redaktion @ fairaudio.de
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