Loudspeakers

With some 2kW of amplification already on board for the four bass drivers, plus a host of DSP, this begs the question 'why not go wholly active?'. After all, just a few watts would suffice for the horn-loaded mid and treble... Armin Krauss, Avantgarde's go-to brand expert, answers with a wry smile, 'active speakers have been part of our range since 2013 when the ZERO 1 model was launched. This included an FPGA for programming the crossover parameters in ways an analogue design would not allow for, and to achieve excellent phase and group delay coherence in a speaker where the offset of the drivers was pre-defined by its iconic cabinet design.

'But a certain customer base simply wants the chance to upgrade amplifiers and cables – most of our speaker portfolio still respects this (and happily so). However, the general acceptance of fully active speakers has shifted since 2013, and we listen to feedback from dealers and customers.

'Some say, "adapt the ZERO 1 concept for a pair of Unos, Duos or Trios". But that would not do justice to the potential of these bigger models. Frankly, Holger, our founder, and Matthias, our engineer, have already taken up this challenge. Our horns are outstanding "magnifiers" for evaluating whatever atypical, open-minded idea we come up with. They prevent us from falling for the "all too obvious" solutions.'

Time for the bottom line: does Avantgarde have anything ready to announce? 'Presently, no. But we never say never... so soon, yes.'