British turntable specialist AVID is pushing hard to become one of those companies with a complete line up, after last year when they introduced reference pre and power amplifiers it was the turn of speakers.
The new series will comprise of three speakers, a medium-sized stand mount and two floor-standers who were not ready for show yet. The Reference Three, which we obviously heard with the in-house-made amplifiers and turntables, consists of two 6” mid-woofers in reflex-loading and a 28mm tweeter, all cased in high-tech aluminum cabinets, with dedicated stands that add mass to the already beefed-up construction.
The sound was actually quite good, especially considering these are AVID’s first attempt at taking the high-end speaker world. On MoFi’s remastered Dead Can Dance Into the Labyrinth LP, there was speed, detail and an open soundstage. For the bad news: the Reference one will cost $220.000; the Ref two set you back $150K. The Ref Three, by contrast, is a mere $60K.
Of special notice the Acutus Reference Turntable power supply, a box that could easily hold inside a reference amplifier, for the modest price of $40K. An exaggeration? This is high-end 2016.
