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AvalonlsisLoudspea
in lssue48
by RoyGregory
Reviewed
Those wondering at the yawning chasm
in price between Avalons Eidolon
Diamond and the flagship,four-box
Sentinel need wonder no more. The
lsis not only fills the gap, it also
provides a more practical
rangetopper for smaller
European rooms. Although
there'sseemingly little
new to differentiatethe
have alwaysexcelled, but into the
new realms of dynamic
range and impact.
Here we have
,"!
.9.yJili,""
transparencyand
stagingfor which the
company is justifiably
-:&J
goes, ". :i#r,,:*C
complement
the ne$,'speaker i'..#ffiffiffi;
extends the
Eidolons
performance
envelope
nnt
ir rct
in those
areas
where Avalon
18
necessaqlit's a combination thats
very veryspecial indeed.
>+
FO f"':""""ff:J"n
Isis from its more
affordablesiblings,
at leastas far as
styling and driver
without getting so much as a hair
out of place: Impeccably mannered,
supremelyorganisedbut brutal if
: , r f.
.
renowned, but combined
with a sense of power,
scale and sheer presence
that has so often been the
preserveof more obvious
sounding alternatives.Its a
little like discoveringthat the
welfspokenyoung man being
bullied by the scruffs is actuallY
the Eton boxing champ. These
speakersare well capable of
administeringa sound drubbing
Price: $58000
UKDistributor:
Audiofreaks
Tel.(aaX0)20B94B4153
Net.wwwaudiofreaks.co.uk
Manufacturer:
AvalonAcousticsInc.
lonacoustics.com
Net.www.ava
lssue48
f4.50
www.hifrplus.com
REPRODUCIT
NH
G E R E C O R D EADR T S
Awards
lssue
BestSpeaker?
mightylsis
Avolon's
BestSystems?
wers'picks
Revie
33 outstonding
Occessones
Ilililil
REVIEW
SYSTEM
.
TheAvalonl s i sLoudspeake
by RoyGregory
Expectationis a funny thing - and it can
also be quite disconcertingwhen itb
wide of the mark.After all, I thought I
had a pretty good idea of what Avalon
speakerswere about,when along came
the Isis. Not only was it larger than any
Avalon lVe spenttime with, it was dear$
obviously and comprehensively better
"more
than them too - and not just in a
of the same" kind of way Here was a
speakerthat deliveredeverythingIVe
come to expectfrom an Avalbn, but wed
so holisticallyto a whole new capability
that it rewote the rulebook, not iust for
Avalors but for my understandingof
how speakerswork in general.Here is
the product that has finally crystallized,
for me, a whole host of thoughtsand
ideas about the way that hi-fi and
loudspeakerscommunicate and handle
information into a single moment of
clarity Suddenlyall those things that I
knew were important - now I know whlr
Firstimpressionsare important - but
they can alsobe misleading.Walk into a
room where theres a pair of Isisand the
first thing that'sgoing to go through your
"BlG":
The second is
brain is the word,
probably'Avalon". Yep,this is indeed a
large speake4which, with its multiple
facetsand angulargrillesis very
definitely an Avalon,but in both cases
youd only be part right.ln reality the Isis
doesa remarkableiob of minimizing the
visual impact of such a largebo4 it
might look BIG,but it's actually BIGGER
than that.Yet,despiteits true dimensions
it doesn'tdominate my room in the
sameway that the MAXX2sdid, or
indeed the Nola fugasusdo.
More importantly that lurking sense
of famitiaritygoesbeyond the basic
stylingcues;there'ssomethingof the
company'smassiveSentinelsystemhere.
Seldomseen and familiar in the
photognphic senseonly the huge (and
hugelyexpensive)systemis well named,
with its human dimensions,tapered
shouldersand forward tilted head
combining to give it a brooding
(omni)presence.Look closer and you
begin to realisethat the Isisis both an
outgrowth of its smallersiblings tike the
Eidolon and a downscaledversion of
the Sentinel- although its also neither
of thesesimple constructs.You might
assumethen, that it representsthe next
evolutionarystagein designerNeil
Fhtel'sthinking and developmentand
here youd be on saferground; except
that evolution is a gradual process
whereasin developmentaland perform"the great
leap forward"
ance terrns
representedby the lsis is actually
a significantstepchange,more
becauseof the slope) translateinto a
seriouslymassivebody helping to
explain the 100kgweight for each
cabinet. The carefully arrangedfacets
are selfevident and help reduce
diffraction effectsfrom the front baffles,
while the complex shapesthat result
ensurethat the beautiful veneersare
selectedand superbly applied by hand.
the thick, black basethat visually
couples the speakerto the floor also acts
as a channel for the twin, downward
firing ports, allowing an
easleregress
towards the rear
for their considerable output. Once
inside the cabinet, if
you could get there,
youd find the familiar
;
revolutionary
than
evolutionary
in nature.
Instead,letsjustsay
that,despiteappearances
andthemoreobvious
physicalevidenceto the
contrarythisspeakeris
like no Avalon you'll
have heard before.
Let'sstart with form;
the lsismight
draw its overall
aesthetic
and humanoid
dimensionsfrom
the Sentinel,but it is,
technologicallyspeaking,
a much closer relativeto the Eidolon
Diamond. Its cabinet is constructed in
familiar Avalon fashion,from massively
thick slabsof laminated selecteddensity
fibre material (or MDEjust not the offtheshelf variety) the sloping shapes
helping to eliminate parallel surfaces
and thus internal standingwaves.In this
instance,the bafflesare over 115mm
thick, which combined with a five{oot
high fnme, near 15"width and 17"
depth (although it's actually greater
i
multiple bracesand the
exhaustivelyselected
crossovercomponents
that grace Avalons other
products.
So far so good and
exactly what youd expect iust targer,a differencewhose
importance (and challenges)
its easyto underestimate.Other
changesare likewise,more
important than thev seem.The
three viciously sharp cones supplied
for each cabinet now thread on
beautifully engineeredstuds,while large
spanner flatsmake levelling the speakers
an astonishinglyaccurateand simple
(and vital!) process.The separate"head"
is indeed physicallyisolated (although
it's permanently fixed to the main
cabinet) making this a four-box,stacked
system,rather like the kgasus in
concept. The two cabinet elementsare
"carefully
spaced by a slab of
selected
polymer material" (that'sCorian to you
and me) that mimics the Ushape and
rear apertureof the speaker'sbase.
73
REVIEW
. SYSTEM
)
Squint through the gap and sure enough,
buried in the recessis a small, downward firing reflex port that loads the midrange driver. The polymer slab servesto
damp the mechanical interface behveen
the two cabinets,reducing intermodulation distortion of the mid and treble
by spurious energj/generatedby the
huge bassforcesproduced in such a
speaker.Physicallyit also allows the
shift in balfle angle that allows
conected axesfor the hveeterand
mid driver - as well as creating
that chest to face transitionthat
helps to make the speaker
seem oddly human in form.
Removethe grilles and
once again its a story of
the familiar writ large.
Avalon's own, inhouse modified
version of the
7" ceramic midrange is flanked
by a diamond tweeter and a pair
of Nomex-Kevlarconed bass units.
But. when comoared to the Eidolon
Diamond, the 25mm
L * ,
. . .
"
!- T nEn-Ireouencvonver
'Z
is some 25o/olarQer,
--.
rr!!'Fr
'f'tts6ll
,a 'r.
i }ff
a
whilethe bassdrivers
are the bigger, 13"
Sentinel. Add all this
lot togetherwith the
changesto the cabinet
and you get a significant
increasein both internal
volume and sweptarea
when compared to a system
like the Eidolon. Somewhat
surprisinglythe figuresthat go
alongsidethese dimensionsare far
from extravagant.Bandwidth is
statedas 20Hzto 45kHz*3dB, while
efficiency is 90dB with a 4 Ohm load,
but once again, theres more to these
numbers than meetsthe eye.
Setup and ancillaries...
on
thequalityof the lsiswill placedemands
Anyspeaker
system
approaching
However,
wherein somecases
andsourcecomponents.
the drivingelectronics
ampsto pieces,
ruthlessly
natureripsthe partnering
theirsuper-critical
with equal
and reservoir
capacitance
exposing
their musicalweaknesses
disdain,
the Avalonsdo not fit that mould.Maybeit'sa reflectionon the
generally
madefor the sensitivity
of speaken,
buttheir90dB
optimistic
claims
prettyconservative,
whichcombined
with theirflattish4 0hm
sensitivity
seems
lowerpowerlimitof 75Watsunusually
loadmakes
the manufacturer's
realistic.
ln thisinstance
itl the qualityandnatureof the ampsthat matte6,a
qualityandserious
quantity
verygoodthinggiventhedifficultyof combining
(2kWintothe
in a singlechasis.
So,whilstthe mightyKaranKAM1200s
ofscaleand
4 Ohmload!)delivered
an undeniably
majestic
sense
Avalons'
potential,
by the
theagileandtactile100Wattsdelivered
awesome
dynamic
effective.
0ddlyenough,the valve
HovlandRADIA
werealsoastonishingly
youwon'tgetvalves
to
ltriedwerelessimpresive:
I'mnotsaying
amplifiea
with care[and
workwiththe lsis,but l'd certainlyapproach
thecombination
definitelydifferentcables).
+21SEwiththe
Pre-amplifien
employed
werethe LyraConnoisseur
superiorl
RADIA
andthe TomEvans
Vibe,with the latest(anddramatically
andVPI
Front-ends
werethe Kuzma
StabiXUAirline
Pulse
2 powersupply.
'12.5
with KoetsuBlueOnyx,LyraTitani, vdH
turntables,
TNT6IMW Signature
Plusphonocartridges,
all played
throughtheGroove
Condor
andMysonic
fromfinite
stage.Silverdiscsspunin the Wadia86lSEwith raclsandsupports
fromNordost,
theValhalla
signalandpowercabling
elemente
andStillpoints,
terminals.
cables
shot-gunned
to theAvalons'single
speaker
heavy',
their
the lsisaren'tunmanageable
0newordof warning;
although
makes
to handle,
especially
asyouareadvised
shape
certainly
themawkward
againstholdingthemby the top cabinet.A little thoughtdevotedto their
paydividends.
Oncein the
installation
before
theyanivewill definiiely
wassurprisingly
straightlisteningroom,basicpositioning
of the speakers
74
:"
in the
unitsemployed
There are other,lessobvious factors
that contribute significantly to the
speakers'performance. Avalon have
developedproprietary purpose designed
motor assembliesemploying
Neodymium magnetsfor all the drivers.
Likewise,all diaphragmsare concave
and are contained in vented enclosures.
This consistencyacrossthe audio range,
especiallyas regardsthe magnetic
material,is a critical component in the
speakers'seamlesssenseof integration.
Once again, in the IsisAvalon have
produced a speakerthat doesn'twear its
value on its sleeve.lf you are shopping
with your eyesthen you'll need to look
below the surfaceto discern their
significantinvestmentin materialsand
technology But, shop with your ears,
and the benefib will be immediately
apparent.I hesitateto use the words
'Avalon"
"obvious"
in the same
and
sentence,but as the opening preamble
makesclear,there'ssomethingso
weighted,
withexcellent
forward.
Theverynatureof theirbas,naturally
andtexture,
means
thatitt
harmonic
complexity
speed,
airanda convincing
placed
at thestandard
veryobviously
eitherrightor wrong.Withthespeakers
constantfactor)| simplymovedthemforward
width in my room(asurprisingly
too far
untilthe basslockedin; too far backandit washeavyandsluggish,
of carpetsI foundthat a little
forwardandit lackedweight.In the absence
Havingtriedvariousseruiettes
dampingbeneaththe bassportspaiddividends.
from
the hint of chestiness
I finallvsettledon thin corkmats,whichremoved
thethinnes
withthefabricoption,whilestillameli0rating
voices
experienced
That's
the beautyof thelsis;at
au naturellt.
andslightbas humpdelivered
eachandeverystageof setup,they let you hearexactlywhat'sgoingon,any
deviationfrom"right"beingperfectlyapparent.
periodof
axes,a significant
Thereafter,
with tapeprovidingreference
a squaredanceinvolvinglateralor front to backshifts
subtlerefinement,
to toe-in,realized
of a few mmsat a timeandevensmalleradjustments
hit thesweetspotandthe
improvements
untilI suddenly
incremental
lockedtogether.lf that soundsweird,just believeme
anddynamics
soundstage
of musicandimages,
when| $y thatyou'llknowit whenyouhearit. lnstead
the energy
withinthe notesfeelslikeit'scomingfromwithintheimages
you
general
lt
makes
realise
how
vague
and
from
vicinity.
ratherthan
their
generated
reallyis.
by mostspeakers
insubstantial
the soundstage
2cmsto the
wassituated
withthe left handspeaker
In my room,nirvana
theorder
leftand5mmforuard,the righthandone5mmto the right.That's
it'scertainlya process
that any
of changewe'retalkingabouthere.However,
with,especially
oncethegoalis
listener
shouldbecomfortable
experienced
Fortunately,
I wasaidedby the useof finiteelemente!deeply
appreciated.
floor,an
thespeake6'spikes
andmywooden
dimpled
discsbetween
with ease.
Thefinal
adjustments
arrangement
that allowedtiny,repeatable
which
pieceof thejigsawarrivedwith precise
levellingof the speakers,
focut dimensionality
andpresence
to thesoundstage,
introduced
additional
generating
musical
delivery.andconvincing
anevenmoreemphatic
RNIEW
. SYSTEM
)
obviously unusual and right about the
way thesespeakerssound that youd
have to be wantonly obtuse to miss it.
Ironically in some respectsAvalon
speakershave suffered from their
greateststrength also being their
greatestweakness.Their resolute
refusal to add anything to the signal
they receive has produced speaker
systernsof astonishingly low distortion
and genuinely low colouration. So
much so that they genenlly leave less
of a thumbprint on the music than
the driving electronics- an amazing
achievement for a transducer but one
Lowering
the costof living...
thingsaboutthe lsis
Oneofthe mostinteresting
is the wayin whichit rewritesthe cost/quality
Linn's
curvewhenit comesto buildinga system.
"front endfirst" philosophy
wasbornout of a
mixtureof self-interest
andtechnological
necessity.
RecordplayeBarea mechanical
problemandby their natureare
engineering
with cripplingly
expensive
to get right.Speakers
severeimpedance
curvesandlowefficiency
- andthe
demandampswith big powersupplies
components
in thosedon'tcomecheap.But it
wouldbewrongto applythis logicto every
s,\Atem,
or to equatequalitywith price- especially
whenit comesto differenttypesof product.
Just
in a hornbased
lookat the costbreakdown
that's not always appreciated in the
marketplace.This almost Protestant
body and weight. The problem is that
adherence to sonic virtue and silent
cabinets has led to the speakersbeing
and harmonic relationships within the
smaller than the competition, with
less character- and its character
(and perceived value) that customers
cling on to.
Let'sdigressfor a moment and
examine the way in which those
competing productsoperate. Generally
speaking,they might be described as
"better"
having more scale and weight,
bassand more impact - but how is this
effect achieved?Hi-fi existsin a physical
world and you can't get nothin' for
nothin' with physics.Any speakersystem
can be defined by the balance it strikes
behveenthe conflicting and interlocking
requirementsof bandwidth, internal
volume (more generallyperceivedas
external dimersions) and efficiency
Therefore, if a speaker is of a certain size
and sersitivity theseshould define its
bandwidth - at least assuming that the
manufacturerisn't exaggeratingor
"enhancing"
the figures.Thus,for many
speakerdesignerstheir art consistsof
trickingthe ear into believingthat theres
more coming out of the box than there
really is, creating a sense of bass power
and impact where it doesn't actually
"voicing"
exist.This
of speakers
essentiallycorsists of adding (hopetully)
judicious quantitiesof spurious energy
from the cabinet to flesh out the lower
registers,adding that senseof increased
76
the extra energy won't track the phase
music, which means that it distorts the
systemto seewhat I mean.Butthe lsis
undermines
thisin an evenmorefundamental
way"lt not onlyoffe6 a morethan reasonable
it doesits ownjob
loadto the drivingamplifier,
too.Instead
betterthanalmostall others0eake6
of havingto controlthe speaketbendingits
outputbackinto somekindof shape,all the amp
thesignal,
allowing
its
hasto do nowis pass
on ib qualityratherthaniS
ownerto concentrate
powerdelivery.
Ihe sameapplies(to a leser
extent)furtherup the system.
Suddenly,
the
speaker
hasbecome
a facilitator,makingthe
sptem'sjob easierratherthan actingasa choke
on performance.
Thelsismightbeexpensive,
but
at leastit lightensthe loadon the restof your
equipment,
andits loadon yourwallet.
become a weakness...I'm afraid that
if you want real, high quality bass
extension(which precludessonic sleight
of hand) then you're looking at large
reality of the performance. Of course, no
drivers and even larger cabinets.
speakeris devoidof extraneous
energy
Which brings us neatly and far from
coincidentally back to the Isis.Just
imagine a speakersystemthat
combines Avalon s traditional
and this is as much about
controlling and
directing it as anything
else.If you think adding
controlled energy to the
sound is bad, just listen to
a few of those speakers
where it isn't controlled
(pretty much any sub 53@
floontander will do).
Of course, if you want
to talk about the subtle
manipulation of reality then
you need some kind of
recognisable reference for
comparison. That generally
means a familiar voice or
acoustic instrument,which in turn
means that such manipulation is
more obvious or troublesome with
some kinds of music than others.
Now considerwhat that meansin
the light of Avalon s zero tolerance
approach and lighter, more accurate
bass output. Not surprisingly their
speakershave garnered an excellent
reputationfor their integration,imaging
and acoustic precision - which
"good
translatesas
on classical" in the
lessthan Darwinian world of hid retail.
You can see how a strength can also
strengths
with the electromechanicalhorsepower
to generaterealisticbass
weight and power.Now
dream about the
possibilityof it having
sufficientsensitMtyand
a benign enough load to
be driven by real world
ratherthan second
mortgageamplification
and you'rebeginning
to get the picture.
Add in a bandwidth and physical
dimensions that
coincide almost
perfectlywith the mosl
a Europeanlisteningroom
can realisticallysupport, togetherwith
flawless finish and a shape that makes
them seem smaller than they are and
you can begin to understandwhy these
speakersare so exciting.It'snot just
their sonic performance(which is,
believe me, exciting enough) but the
fact that you might actually be able to
realisethat potential.
ings; it's time to talk (musical) turkey
When discussingthe Isis,it's
meaninglessto talk in terms of
individual aspects or bands of
performance.The whole point about
thesespeakersis the holistic nature of
their presentation.Sq lets be clear:
they go deep, they go high, they go loud
- enough in each direction to satisfy
Their focus, transparency resolution
and lack of distortion are all without
serious peer, their integration is utterly
seamless.What that means is that in
real terms they impose no limits on
choice of material - and few in use.
One colleague, hearing that I had a
pair of Avalons at home (and assuming
theyd impose a stringent classical diet)
asked with a mischievous glint in his
eye,what the last record ld listened to
was... Oh the pleasurein telling him,
the consternation caused when it
turned out to be the 852's first album
- and yes, I was playing it very loud!
It'slong been an article of faith that
transducers have the greatesttonal
impact on the sound of a systembecausethey have the hardestjob,
taking a signal in one form and
converting it to another.Indeed, listen
to a rangeof CD playersand you can
almost hear them strugglingto take all
the information and put it back together
again.Yet,it neveroccuned to me
until now that a loudspeakerhas to do
exactly the samething. In any musical
performance,theres a place for
everything and everything has to be in
its place. The problem with speakersis
that the distortionstend to be so gross,
the transducerso inefficient (in energy
terms) that the cracks in the minor get
smearedoverwith the sonic equivalent
of a thick layerof Vaseline.In other
words, we're strugglingto see through
the soft focus and whilst we're aware of
the discontinuitieswe can't define their
edges.Besideswhich the ear and brain
are clever enough to take this fractured
whole and make some sort of serse
from it.
But as well as having a place, every
event in a musical performancealso
has a time, which means that in
reconstructingan acousticsoundstage,a
speakermust be accurate,quite literally
in both time and space.Nolg Ialways
knew that imaging was important and
often argued that this was so precisely
becauseif the image is right then other
equally important things must also be
right. But it wasn't until I heard the Isis
that I finally joined all the dots in the
argument,becauseuntil Id heard the Isis
Id never heard a speakerthat really did
imageright.l,et me explain...
Mostspeakersthrow out some kind
of soundstagebut in most casesitb a
very pale imitation of realit5rLets look at
a few of the more common distortions.
Those speakersthat are touted as
deliveringexcellent depth; listen to the
far reaches of their sound stage and you
realise that more often than not you
realise that the images placed there are
physicallysmaller and quieter than they
should be. Their senseof distanceis a
visual thing ratherthan an acoustic one.
Which helps explain why so many of
these speakersexhibit a gentle
mid-bassdip. Theyle playtng
with the energy levelswithin
the sound field. Likewise,
that
verydetailedspeakers
havean etchedor spotlit soundstage
are
manipulating
the
anhal timeof
upperfrequency
information.
Thatdetailthat ,;.,
,
reachesthe
ear before it
should certainly
standsoul but it also
appearsahead of the harmonics that
should support it and flesh it out.
By norq it should came as no
surprise to learn that the lsis is preeminent in my experience, when
it comes to arranging musical
information in space and time. Whats
more it doesso with equal aplomb from
the bass(although not the very deepest
registers)all the way to the upper
reachesof audibility Listento these
speakersand they sound both different
to what you expect from a hi-fi system
and far more natural.Listenlonger and
you'll realisethat it's becausethe scale of
the instrumentsand performersis totally
consistent,whereverthey'replaced in
the soundstage.And I'm not just talking
about acoustic,audiophile pressings
either. Let's revisit the -852s.
Plalng'Dance This MessAround'
(which has to be about as un-Alalon as
a track can get) there's real drive to the
solid insistenceof the drumming, the
easysepantion of the kick drum and
bassas they push the music along. Kate
Pierson'svocals are at exactly the right
height, FredScneiderunmistakably
behind her on the left.
Tapedat Compass
Foint with Chris
Blaclaarell
at the controls
this is no
audiophile
recording.
The drum
booth crowds
the lead singe4
the kit spreadjust
a littlewide by its
manymics,but the
substance
andenergy
the tightness of the band
as they work through the
rhythmic convolutions of the
track is infectious.Guitarsiar
and stab,the keyboard grumbles,
but above everything there's
the senseof space and tension
within the music, between the
musicians.Dance?Play this tnck
through the Isisand it almost physically
lifts from your seat.
A stepfurther?How aboutRTloros
penceworth of LP
And Prayers,99
samplerfromCherryRed,and as
righteousa recordaseverwas.Butwith
17trackscrammedontoits hvosides,
whatprice fidelityWell,iusttry
77
REVIEW
. SYSTEM
)
'On
Everything But The Girl's
My Mind'.
Theres Tiacy all winsome and right in
front of you, with Ben Watt well back
on her left. Its a device demanded by
the song, her lyric, his distant echo and
it works beautifully So much so in fact,
that you can hear quite clearly both in
terms of scale and the way that hes
proiecting his voice, that this is no
studio artifice;hes back there and this
is a single take. Its the ability to
preservethese cues, to conjure
both the sense and the fact of
the original performance that
makes the lsis so special.
Play something stellar like
JanisIans'Some
hoples Lives'and
the effect is quite
breathtaking, both
for its musical
realism and the
directnessof its
communication.
The other
thing you'll
quickly realise is
that on smaller
ensembles,rock
bands and the
like, images are
astonishingly
natural in size and
scale. This is due in no small
part to the physical size of the
speakers,which are after all, near
man-sizedthemselves.But it's a fact
that holds good to the back of the
stage,such is this speaker'sability to
delineate, direct and deliver musical
energy Suddenly you realise iust how
emasculated upright basssounds on
most systemsjust because its almost
always positioned to the rear of the
group. The Isis rehabilitates both it
and its contribution,the playing
clearer,the tone far more complex,
the groove coming alive.
Tianslatethat to orchestra and
althoughthe imagesshrink in size,
they maintain their consistencyand
perspective.Concerto recordings no
78
longer leave the soloist sounding so
exposed and over-miced,the orchestra,
the life and energy in its contributions,
restoring the proper balance. Even
something as familiar as the Starker
Dvorak Cello on Mercury holds new
surprises.Not only is the soloist
positioned properly on the same stage
as the orchestra,and much more to
scale, the orchestra is physically
larger,laid out flatter and in
distinctly serried ranks. The
double-basseshave real
powerand weight,a rasp
to theirbowingto
balancethe slashing
brilliance of the violins.
Likewise the Du Pre
Elgar,the Heifetz
Tchaikovsky and
a host of other
records about
which I thought
there was little
more to learn.
And that's really
the point. It's not
to BasementJaxx and cry at the end
oI La Tiaoiata,strut with Jaggerand
conduct the I-SO.It deliversyou into the
heart and soul, meaning and emotion of
a performance.It givesyou the music...
Its been a long journey via the
Eidolon Diarnond, the Nola hgasus
and the Wilson Duette, all speakers
that have taught me about aspectsof
musical coherence and low distortion.
But those threads have been bound
positively emphatically together in the
Isis.Avalon speakershave long added
little of themselvesto the musical
event, but now finally Neil Patelhas
produced a speaker that encompasses
the scale, the pattern and the energy of
that event - as well as the complexity
and nature of that energy It is the
most musically complete speaker
['ve heard.
>+
T E C HN I C A L S P E CFI I C A T I O N S
Type:
loudspeaker
DriverComplement:1x
25mminverted
diamond
about how deep
these speakersgo,
dometweeter
lx 178mm
ceramb
i co w l
or the wonderful
basstexturestheyfloat
so effortlesslylt'snot
aboutthe lack of glare
or edge in the treble, the
supremely natural midrange
tonality or the effortlessdynamic range.
Indeed,you can get speakers(although
not many) that do go deeper and throw
an even more palpable acoustic space
as a result. You can destroy the fragile
wonder of their performance if you ask
too much of the partnering amp (a
point I reached once or twice with the
RADIA but never with the Karans).
You'll find that this is a speaker that
reveals (but doesn't rub your nose
in) the acoustic irregularities of your
listening environment. These are all
factors you need to consider. But what
you won't find is a speaker that makes
more senseof the music on your discs.
This is a speaker that makesyou dance
Three-way
reflexloaded
midrange
2x 330mmNomex/Kevlar
bassunits
Sensitivity:
Bandwidth:
90dB
2QHz- 45kHz
4 0hms
75 -750Watts
PowerRequirements:
(WxHxD):
Dimensions
38 x 153x 56cm(actual)
lmpedance:
Weight:
l00kg ea.
Finishes:Ouiltedcherrycurlymaple,
Standard
figuredwalnul
Finishes: Birdseye
mapl€,
walnut
Special
clusterburl,myrtlecluster
Price:
burllallat additional
cosu
f58000
UKDistributor:
Audiofreak
Tel.(aaX0)2089484153
Net.www.audiofreaks.co.uk
Manufacturer:
AvalonAcoustics
Net.www.avalonacoustics.com