Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12-Cirkus-Trampolin-Lingo-Ekos-Arkiv LP player on a Sound Organisation table.
Digital sources: Mark Levinson No.31.5 CD transport; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1, Lavry Engineering DA2002, Nagra DAC D/A processors; dCS 972 upsampler; Arcam FMJ CD33 CD player; Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player; Philips SACD1000 SACD player with Meitner EMM6 D/A processor; Apple 15" Titanium PowerBook with iTunes and Metric Halo MIO 2882 digital interface.
Preamplification: Linn Linto, Sutherland PhD phono preamps; Mark Levinson No.…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Measured on its tweeter axis, the Gershman Opera Sauvage was of average voltage sensitivity, at an estimated 87dB(B)/2.83V/m. This is 2dB below the specified figure. However, my figure is in line with that implied by Gershman's own measurements of the Opera Sauvage at Canada's NRC, which they kindly enclosed with the review samples. Gershman also specified the speaker as an 8 ohm load, but this is misleading. Both the NRC measurements and my own (fig.1) suggest that a 4 ohm rating would be more appropriate. (Gershman has subsequently revised the specification to 4…
Success can be a two-edged sword. With the Virgo (reviewed in September 1995), Audio Physic created a $5000/pair benchmark product at the midpoint of the company's speaker lineup. While an upgraded, $5800 Virgo is due out soon, the original version will remain in production, its price dropping to $4495/pair—less than it cost six years ago.
The problem for Audio Physic was that the Virgo was so good at doing the things this well-regarded German company is noted for that the almost-twice-the-price Avanti (originally introduced in 1989 and twice revised), though superior in many respects,…
While the latest generation of 5" SEAS aluminum-cone drivers attracted Gerhard's attention for the Avanti III's midrange, resonances at the top of the frequency range made such drivers unacceptable—until the design duo of Gerhard and Diesterich began to apply various materials at different tensions to the cone's underside circumference, where it attaches to the surround. During my visit to the Audio Physic factory, I watched and listened as various materials, including plain old rubber bands, were applied to the cones. The results were dramatic—even when the raw driver, sitting on a test…
When I'd parted company with the Virgos, I'd willingly given up some of their astounding imaging and soundstaging prowess to get the Sonus Faber Amatis' rich, voluptuous, swoon-inducing delicacy and inner detail. I'd traded brisk athleticism and excitement for raw, seductive sex. The Avanti III delivered all that I'd given up and more, with surprising ease—in fact, without ever pausing for a breath.
If cleanliness is next to godliness, the Avantis were next to godlike—so clean, so detailed, so revealing—and yet, when everything (including the source material) was right, so rich, so…
Certainly the Avanti III's overall character wasn't as "rich" as, for example, the Amati Homage's. The lack of midbass warmth could also contribute to the sensation that the speaker couldn't fill a moderately large room. In fact, it's recommended for rooms of 210-460ft2 with ceilings of average height. My review pair had no problem filling my moderately sized, 15' by 21' (315ft) space.
There's a solution to the bottom-end problem: Add a subwoofer. There are two new subwoofers coming from Audio Physic, but they weren't available for this review; I used the older AP Rhea. The Avanti III's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 3½-way, floorstanding, moving-coil loudspeaker. Drive-units: one 1" ring-radiator tweeter, two 5" aluminum-cone midrange drivers with Active Cone Damping (ACD), four 6½" woofers. Crossovers: 200Hz, 500Hz, 2.2kHz. Frequency response: 28Hz-40kHz, -3dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m. Power rating: 250W.
Dimensions: 44" H by 7½-9½" W by 16" D. Weight: 92 lbs each.
Finishes: Maccassar Ebony; add $1000 for cherry or maple.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 739A/B.
Price: $10,995/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 35.
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Simon Yorke, Acoustic Signature Final Tool turntables; Graham 2.0, Immedia RPM-2, Triplaner VI, Rega RB300 (Incognito rewired), SME 309 tonearms; Lyra Helikon, Helikon mono, Clearaudio Insider, Transfiguration Temper Supreme, Sumiko Celebration cartridges.
Digital source: Marantz SA-1 SACD player.
Preamplification: Hovland HP-100, Audio Research Reference Phono.
Power amplifiers: Hovland Sapphire (prototype), Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Amati Homage.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove DIN/RCA and…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Audio Physic Avanti III's B-weighted sensitivity was a fairly high 88.6dB(B)/2.83V/m, fractionally but insignificantly below the specified 89dB/W/m. However, its plot of impedance magnitude and phase against frequency (fig.1) revealed it to be a "4 ohm" design; ie, it actually draws 2W from the amplifier to raise the rated sound-pressure level. The speaker's minimum impedance is around 3.5 ohms in the low bass and upper midrange, which should not present problems to good 4 ohm-rated amplifiers. While the phase angle is generally benign, there is a coincidence…
In the time domain, the Avanti's step response (fig.5) indicates that the three upper-frequency units are connected with the same positive acoustic polarity, even though, despite its sloped-back baffle, the speaker is not time-coherent. The woofers are connected with inverted acoustic polarity, which leads to a smooth hand-over of the step wave from the midrange units in fig.5, which in turn implies good frequency-domain integration between the units.
Fig.5 Audio Physic Avanti III, step response on tweeter axis at 50" (5ms time window, 30kHz bandwidth).
Finally, the…