REVIEW.
EOUIPMENT
AvalonndraLoudspeak
I
by RoyGregory
"lf
it looks too good to be true, then interestingly,at the same time that the be even more precise, what they are not
it probably is." So said a rider at this Isisfirstemerged, the oppositeend of
at doing to the signal.[n shofi, they'renot
year'sTour De France,daysafter the rangewe saw the NP2,a speakerat gettingin its way. In realitythat requires
anotherdramatic recovery,daysbefore around a hventieth the price of its (very) a little more explanation,but fear not,
drug testingwas to prove him (all too big brottrer, but a speakerthat nonetheless for the tools are at hand. Were I to say,
"lf you
predictably) conect. Such cynicism shared the sameshape to its performance want but can't afford the [sis,
is well placed in modem sports;with envelope, the same mix of virtues,even perhapsyou should cornider the NP2"
if they exist at a far lessexalted level. - thosethat didn't laugh would probably
severalhundred highly trained and
closelymatched athletesall attempting There'sa definite, recognisable,shared be outraged.Enterthen the Indra,a
achievement here,depite the difference speakerof such graceand elegance, such
the same feat,the sudden elevationof
one rider or runner head and shoulderc in price,appearance and ovenll obvious physical parallels to the lsis that
oerformance suddenlythe suggestion doesn'tseem
above the norm is both increasingly
- and it's quite so extreme.But then its reassuringly
common and anythingbut natural.
Perhaps no surprisethen that we tend
it's expensive price tag probably helps in
to shy away from similar performance that regardaswell...
stepchangesin other fieldsof activity, This, my third foraYinto this new
yet the logic that govemsthem is generationof Avalon sPeakers,
entirelvseparate. could easilybe presentedas a cut-
We areall familiarwith the down Isis.The heavilYfacetted,
over-usedconcept of trickle immaculately veneeredand rear
down, often couPled to tilted cabinet is a given. The
"technolory", downward firing Port with its
the word
so much so that it too gets Ushaped egress channel the
to
greetedwith scepticism. output is a familiar marker' The
"80%
ofthe perfornance ceramic midrange bowl and
twin bassdriversecho the line
for 50%of the pricel"is the
stuff marketing
of dreams,
I
up in the largersPeakertoo.
especially fields
in wherethe But in many waYsthe PhYsical
taking of percentagesis at best
'lj similaritiesin the choice and
nebulous.Butiust fora moment anangementof the hard wear
l'm going to askyou to susPend are actually little more than
entrencheddisbeliefand consider superficial.The lndra is very much
that if somethingis genuinelY and a littlelsis, but it's actually the thinking
- more precisely,the understanding
consistentlydifferent from the run of
- behind it that makesit so.
the mill then there'slikely goingto be
a reason. There'sno questionin mY We tend to think about sPeakers
mind that Avalon's Isisestablishes new and their performance in terms of what
standardsof achievement in musically they do - they go loud, theY go deeP,
important areas,a newshaPe to its they image (or not) and all the other
performance envelope, if you will But hifi sub-divisionsthat inlorm the review
then, at well the wrong side of $,50K so equallydefinitelya good thing. or audition process.Yet, as transducers,
it should. Sadly,history tells us that such Which begsthe question,what it is along with the sourcecomponentsin a
extravagantstatementsare generally it that theseAvalonsare doing that other system,they stand to wreak the greatest
more about show than go, and cynicism speakers aren't?Well, actually it's more havoc on the music's content. Perhaps
again becomes the order of the day. But a caseof what they're not doing - or to we'd be betteroff concentratingon >
35
. EaUPMENT
REVIEW
) what they don't do (to the signal) are specialand they do may need to reterminateyour cables.
- at least if we want to improve
matter.We can seethat Other than that, they are simple to set
the breed. Where damage is from the sonic success up, sounding remarkablycomfortable
concerned,lessis definitely of earlierAvalon from the off*. However,don't be fooled.
more and you only need designs. Butsomething Positionalexperimentationwill pay
to look at the distortion happenedwith the seriousdividends;you'll know when
figureson a range of lsis- something you've got it right becausethe bass
differentloudspeaker fundamentaland suddenlygainslife and bounce, while the
designsto know that, as a wonderful.You can music steps away from the speaken. And
category,they leave a lot hearit albeitto a believeme when Isay, that is what this
to be desired. lesser extent in the speakeris all about.
Avalon'sspeakers NP2,but boy can Justlike the Isis,the thing that sets
have alwaysbeen low- you hear it in the the lndra apart from other speakersis
impact in nature.Some Indra.And Idon't its ability to step asidefrom the music.
would say they'vetaken know what that It's not just that you don't hear the
sonic invisibilitytoo far, somethingis but instruments lodged in the speakers
that lightness touch
of it's to do with (and you don't, even on earlystereo
infectingthe realm of how effectively left-rightmixes) - it's that you cease
dynamic authority.But the speakersteps to be awareof the speakers all. It's
at
that'sto missthe point. back behind the partly the locationalthing, but it's also
Thereare two major music and my gut to do with the absenceof mechanical
mechanisms work
at tellsmethathasto do influence.You don't hear these
in a loudspeaker:
the withthecrossover. speakers working,you don't hear their
mechanicaland the Extemally, latest
this differentbits reconstituting music.
the
electrical.The former Avalon is arguablytheir Indeed,so even and well integrated
is the one that getsthe most attractive speaker are they that the creationof a seamless,
most attentionand it's also yet. Compact,evensvelte,the uninterruptedacousticspacefor the
the one that'smostvisible,concemed characteristically lozengeshapedfront performance seemsentirelynatural,a
as it is with all the bits that you want to baffle reducesthe visualimpact still given result of the recording process
move (like the drivers)and all the bits further,while the three-way, four-driver ratherthan the minor miracle it
you want to staystill (ike the cabinet). line up fills it to createan aesthetically actually represents.Furthermore,that
But it's the latter,the electricalelement pleasing,balancedappeaance. naturalness hints at a deeperquality,
representedby the crossover,where Of course.everybodyknows :.. the easydynamic and temporal
the damageis often most insidious that you are supposedto authorityon which it rests. this that
/\ lt's
and ultimatelycritical. It's alsowhere use the grilleson Avalon il*r makesthe Indra )
s
\ "*..
the designer, particularlythe designer speakers, buthey, if people
usingOEM drivers,can have the greatest can take the grillesoff to
dF
influence- not alwaysfor good. But listenthen the reverse should also
with speakers, theirvery narure,we
by be true, no?The driversrepresent a
tend to assumethat the bits we can combination of older models,the
seeare the bits that matter,a tendency
that'sunderlined by their also being
reasonably intuitive to understand.So
we look at a massivefront baffle and can
twin bassunits draftedin from
the Ascendant,but paired here
with the 90mm ceramic bowl
midrangefirstseenin the Opus,
$
appreciatethe role it playsin resisting and a new adaptationof the 25mm
resonance. can understandhow the
We tweeterused in the Isis,but using
sculptedfacetingon that baffle reduces a ceramic diaphragmin place *Onethingthe Indradidn'tinherit
fromthe lsis
is
diffractiveeffectsthat destroyfocus.We of the diamond usedin the thelatter's
threaded feet,
cone which consid€r
I an
can look at a drive unit and actuallysee more expensivemodel. The unacceptable omission, thatthethreaded
Now
conesexisttheyshould become standard.
0n
the fancy diaphragm,or flat sunound Indrasare singlewired, my barewoodfloor,I founda corkmat placed
or whateverit is that makesit so special. their Cardasterminals beneath eachspeaker(andtherefore port)
its
really
helped integration lowfrequencies.
at lt.s
And don't get me wrong: thesethings acceptingspades, you
so an easy you
experjment maywantt0 try.
36
REVIEW
. EOUIPMENT
not iust unobtrusive but also musically constantly shifting pattern of different simple- or potentiallyvery complicated
)
inclusive,reachingout to wrap you in instrumentsnever losesits shape,while if you've alreadylost your waY.
the same time and spaceas the original each instrument retains its place and Ultimately,this speakeris about
performers.The Isis did this too, helped identity.The resultingcatscradle of power: the power of one, the power
no doubt by its impressivebandwidth. musical strands becomes a fascinating, of many.You expectSta&er'sBach
But what impresseswith the Indra is mesmerizing interrelationship of Surles be big and bold, rich of body,
to
that it achievesa similar effect from individual contributionscreatinga fluid and authoritative. the Indra's
But
such manageableproPortions. whole that's constructed from the realisation the changingweight in his
of
Listenlong enough and You individual - if you follow my drift. bowing, his accents,even his breathing,
start to recognisehow it's done. This The eagerdynamics,livelYenergr make this a far more expressive,a far
Avalon possesses rarestof shared
that and easyseparation that characterize At
more human experience. the other
attributes,speed and substance.Musical the lndra are especiallyapparenton end of the Mercuryscale,Dorati's.&7ds
information aniving just where and live performances. Acousticonetakes demonstrates sheermusicalenerry
the
when it should, with all are simply stunning,even good studio and dnmatic d1'namic swingsof a full
the harmonic weight recordings theincredible
like delicacy orchestra, well-manhalled.The Avalons
and presenceit of Lisa Ekdahl'sfuck ToEarth,but transitfrom the flutteringdelicacyof solo
should carry thelackol compression Present instruments the imposingswell of a
to
givesthe Indra in the speaker makes even less full orchestralcrescendowith disarming
a confident, audiophile live materialcrackle ease- disarmingthat is until you realise
almost assertive with atmosphere.ExamPles just how loud that crescendois.Such
streak.lt's not are legion, from Joe Jackson seamlessmusical poise and ve$atility are
a coloration in (Summer fhe Ctryorthe live
In what make the lndra a speaker to aspire
the conventional triple album) to Jackie[,even, to. For once the promiseof excellence
more
sense, Sioulaie And The Banshees reallyhas translatedto a lower price
t
a widening.of
the expressive
\1
1 | .W.':"J,iiTffi'# point; for once that price point makes
this dream almostattainable... >+
window, allowing o Neverhas RobertSmith's
the musiciansfull gloriouslyoffkilter guitar
rein. More purposeful teeteredso agonisingly TECH ICALSPECIFICATIONS
N
and arguably more
obvious than earlier
Avalon designs,it's a
quality that makesthe
'get'.
"*'
G,;;;":
on the brink - not
Type:
Complement: 1x25mm
Driver
3-wayreflex
inverted
dome
ceramic
1xg0mm
loaded
HF
ceramic MF
bowl
lndra easierto Just To get the
listen to the deliciously dirtY Indra up and 2x l60mmNomex/
dancing you're LF
Kevlar
funk bassthat underpins Angie
'20 going to need Bandwidth: -
28Hz 25kHz
t3dB
stone's Dollan', its lazy slap
with attitude giving the song a healthy 100 Sensitivity: 87dB
its mixed air of desperationand Watts, more if you lmpedance: 4 ohms
can afford it. Just (WxHxD): 2 6 0 x1 0 4 0 x 4 l 0 m m
Dimensions
menace: yourtraditional
sleazy not
Avalon fare, but the Indra doesn't iust don'tskimp on the Weight: 50.8kg ea.
it quality.The good news is that Price: e17500
stand aside from the musical message,
positivelywaves it through. if you've got a favouriteamp then these
The second strand to this speaker's speakers will giveyou more of it than UKDistributor:
innately natural presentation lies in you thought possible.In the sameway Audiofreaks
that they represent a window onto the (44x0)20
Tel. 89484153
its ability to separatethe individual
musical strandswithin a performance performance,they shine a spotlighton reaks.co-uk
Net.www.audiof
without dismantlingthe whole. As well the performanceof your systemtoo.
as allowing the music to breathe it Greatnews if its well sortedand well set- Manufacturer:
preservesits structure too, so that the up - iust don't expect the slinky contours Acoustics
Avalon
complex weave that creates Bach's of the Avalonsto hide or control any www.avalonacoustics.com
Net-
Musical OfferingEMI ASD414),a unsightlybulges.Which makeslife very
38