Полочная акустика — Audiovector R 1 AVANTGARDE

The R 1 Avantgarde is a small two-way speaker for stand mounting, made by the Danish company Audiovector, and it belongs to the compact R series, which the maker describes as a blend of evolution and new inventions. In the R series upgrade path the Avantgarde level sits between Signature and Arreté, and its defining change is an air motion transformer in place of the soft dome tweeter. Audiovector has since dropped this version from its current range.

Key specs that matter

A single 6.5 inch carbon mid/bass driver works with the R AMT tweeter, with the crossover point set at 3,000 Hz. Audiovector quotes an in-room response of 40 Hz to 53,000 Hz, a sensitivity of 87 dB at 1 W and 1 m and a nominal impedance of 8 ohm. Power handling is 160 W. The enclosure measures 37 cm high, 19.6 cm wide and 29 cm deep, and a rear port handles bass reflex loading. Standard matte finishes are Italian Walnut, African Rosewood and Black Ash veneers plus White Silk, and custom painted colours were offered at extra cost.

Engineering and use context

A teardrop footprint defines the R 1 cabinet with no parallel walls, a layout chosen to limit internal standing waves, and its front baffle is laminated and kept narrow to reduce diffraction around the drivers. Inside, nanopore damping material and internal shock absorbers are fitted, and a carbon terminal plate carries the input. The mid/bass unit is assembled by hand around an aramid composite membrane and uses titanium technology voice coils, and Audiovector builds its drivers in-house in Denmark. The crossover is based on the brand's DFF topology. The model also falls under the Individual Upgrade Concept, the company scheme that lets owners move an R series speaker to a higher trim later instead of replacing the pair outright. Freedom Grounding is reserved for the Arreté versions and is absent here.

Pairing

The moderate efficiency asks for a solid-state or valve amplifier with moderate current reserves instead of a flea-powered design, and anything comfortable into the nominal load will cope. A stand has to be bought separately, since the box ships with just a black cloth grille.

Alternatives

The Audiovector R 1 Arreté is the bookshelf step above, adding the R AMT Arreté tweeter, Freedom Grounding, a 38 Hz lower limit and 200 W handling.