Once again, Sweetwater has found a way to not only give you more choices in high end gear . . . but also confuse you in the process. Well, confuse you only in the sense of which product to buy, because they are all great or, well, we wouldn’t carry them. Today, however, we will be telling you about a small company that is rapidly building a big reputation: Avalon Design.
Avalon was founded with the desire to bring the art of music recording closer to the essence of the original performance — quite a lofty goal! Avalon's pure Class A recording systems have already begun to provide the world's leading engineers, producers and musicians with state-of-the-art electronics designed especially for high-definition music and sound recording. These carefully engineered systems enhance the creative senses and become one with the music itself. Avalon systems utilize 100% discrete, high-bias pure Class A audio amplifiers. These amplifiers are incorporated into minimal signal path designs which include sealed silver relays, balanced DC coupled high-current “outside-world” drivers, fully discrete linear DC regulators, low noise toroidal power transformers and selected high quality active and passive components. This powerful combination of design features gives increased musical headroom and greater dynamic transient capability for a truly transparent audio passage.
Avalon's unique design features, highest quality components and continued pursuit of sonic excellence assures the most harmonious musical signal transfer available today. Whether you are recording a solo vocalist, capturing the delicate nuance of an acoustic instrument, mastering music and film productions or recording symphonies, Avalon promises to take you to the leading edge in analog technologies and experience sonic reality like never before!
Warning: You should know right up front that this article is highly technical in nature and contains terms that may not be suitable for the uninitiated. This isn’t light reading folks, because this equipment isn’t going to be showing up in very many semi-pro or project studios. Audio professionals who need to know what they are buying will comprehend this information. Others may end up with a whopper of a headache trying to make sense of all this technical talk. There, you’ve been warned!
Vacuum Tube VT-700 Series. The VT-700 range combines vacuum tubes with Avalon's all discrete Class A circuits. They are ideal for DAW and digital recording, offer a wide range of tube tone and control, feature rugged Avalon construction and given the quality of the sound, are an excellent value. The Avalon VT-737SP ($2,295 list) features a combination of tube preamplifiers, opto-compressor, sweep equalizer, output level and VU metering in a 2U space. The VT-737SP has three input selections: A high-performance microphone input transformer with +48v phantom power, an instrument DI high source input with jack located on front panel and balanced line input (discrete high-level Class A). The Class A preamplifier utilizes two cascaded, dual vacuum tube triodes configured with minimum negative feedback. A high gain switch boosts the overall gain of the preamplifier. The four high quality tubes are configured as singled-ended anode coupled followers. A passive-variable high pass filter and hard-wire relay bypass completes the input signal conditioning. The phase reverse relay is available on all three inputs.
The opto-compressor features a minimum signal path design with twin Class A vacuum tube triodes for gain matching. The optical attenuator acts as a simple passive level controller. Full dynamic control from soft compression to hard-knee limiting can be achieved with threshold, ratio-compression, attack and release controls plus gain reduction selection on the large VU meter. Special spectral control including de-ess is available with the dual sweep mid EQ to side-chain switch. The EQ section can be flipped pre or post the opto-compressor via a front panel switch for alternate effects and tone shaping. Two VT-737SPs can be linked via a rear panel link cable for stereo tracking. The compressor bypass is a sealed silver relay for the most direct signal path.
The VT-737SP equalizer utilizes 100% discrete, Class A high voltage transistors for optimum sonic performance. The high and low frequency bands provide the smooth characteristics of an all passive design, while the dual mid bands include variable frequency and switched Q-width selection. The enhanced range of the mid bands is extended into the high and low bands by the use of x10 frequency multipliers. The bypass switch incorporates a sealed silver relay for the most direct signal path. When the EQ to side-chain is engaged, the high-low EQ remains in the audio path for “tone enhancement.” The output level control then provides a variable control of the overall signal path. The output amplifier utilizes another dual triode vacuum tube driving a 100% discrete, Class A, high-current, balanced and DC coupled low noise output amp.
The Avalon VT-747SP ($2495 list) combines a creative stereo tube-discrete Class A spectral opto-compressor with a musical six-band program equalizer, L-R output level and gain reduction metering and internal regulated power supplies in a 2U space. This unit is ideal for high performance DAW input signal conditioning, stereo bus compression EQ, stereo keyboards and analog mastering applications.
The VT-747SP opto-compressor features a minimum signal path design utilizing sealed silver relays for all signal routing and bypass functions. The optical attenuator acts as a passive level controller with a Class A, variable gain make-up amplifier. Full dynamic control from soft compression to hard-knee limiting can be achieved with master threshold, ratio-compression, attack and release controls. Gain reduction indication is a large analog VU meter. Low frequency and high frequency contour parametric spectral controls can be routed into the side-chain path for enhanced frequency dependent compression with variable frequency and threshold levels.
The VT-747SP EQ utilizes 100% discrete, Class A high-voltage transistors for optimum sonic performance. The six-band stereo program EQ incorporates the smooth characteristics of an all passive design. The frequency turnover, Q and amplitude ranges have been carefully chosen for each band to provide the most natural harmonic balance and lowest phase change while offering simple and effective tone control. The EQ can be placed pre or post compressor for enhanced effects.
The VT-747SP also features Avalon’s TSP, which gives you the choice of either tube tone or the classic, Class A discrete transistor sound by exchanging three high-voltage dual triode tubes with discrete amplifiers in the opto-compressor and primary output stages. Fully balanced DC coupled, Class A discrete amplifiers are utilized for the input and output drive interface with full +36dB input headroom. A high quality analog VU meter indicates accurate gain reduction. Twin 60dB range LED meters provide fast L-R output status of all levels. Finally, only military spec vacuum tubes are used for both long life and ultra low noise (-92dB).
Avalon Designs also offers the pure Class A AD2000 Series. Their AD2044 Dual Mono-Stereo, Pure Class A Opto-Compressor ($3000 list) features a 100% discrete, pure class A signal amplifier configured with high speed current monitored optical control elements. These "invisible" opto elements enable the AD2044 to deliver totally transparent, low noise gain reduction within the minimalist signal path design. No VCAs or IC amplifiers are incorporated. Variable attack and release plus side-chain access, provide unlimited creative control from soft compression to hard limiting. Other features include: Ultra low noise (-94dB); balanced DC ins and outs; a hard wire relay bypass; high headroom (+30dB) output; analog VU meter; and Peak LEDs for gain-reduction presence.
The AD2055 ($4000 list) Dual Mono, Pure Class A Parametric Music Equalizer combines 100% discrete, pure class A signal amplifiers with state-of-the-art passive and active filter topologies. Its unique circuitry delivers very high resolution transient detail at the operational extremes of real world equalization demands. The AD2055 auto-bias DC servo loop control eliminates the need for all interstage capacitor coupling. The AD2055 was designed to “breathe life into all musical performances.” Just one of the unit’s many features includes twin seven octave midrange-sweep (from 1Hz to 500kHz).
Next up is the AD2077 Dual Mono, Pure Class A Mastering Equalizer ($16,000 list) which features 100% discrete, pure class A signal amplifiers, state-of-the-art passive and active filter topologies and a DC coupled minimalist signal path. These unique designs offer the professional mastering engineer alternate tone selections in both filter domains while delivering the highest resolution and super wide dynamic range with very low noise. Custom gold rotary switches give accuracy in 0.5dB, 1dB and 2dB steps. 104 switched frequencies per channel with x10 range selectors provide frequency selections from 12Hz all the way to to 25kHz at 1/4 octave intervals. Avalon claims their AD2077 mastering equalizer is the most musically transparent analog EQ available today, and who could argue with them?
Another offering from Avalon is the U5 Mono Instrument And DI Preamplifier ($595 list). The U5 high-voltage DI-preamp combines a unique passive tone selector with a variable gain preamp and filter. The high input impedance accepts a wide variety of signal levels and instruments from acoustic guitars to high-output active bass guitars and keyboards. The U5 direct box is loaded with sonic character and the kind of user features professionals demand like a variable gain preamp (to +30dB); ultra low noise (-100dB); dual mic and line level outputs; six tone bank selections and a HF cut switch that eliminates noise.
If a premium mic preamp is what you need, you might just want to consider the M5 Pure Class A Preamplifier ($1600 list). Avalon microphone preamplifiers have been in use around the world since 1986. All Avalon preamplifiers share the combined technologies of low ratio transformer balanced inputs coupled with high-voltage cascade FET twin bipolar discrete class A amplifiers. What’s so special about the M5? First off, it was designed specifically to capture musically balanced harmonic detail. It has low noise and high headroom (+30dB) plus a variable highpass filter, accurate 2dB stepped gain control and even a high impedance DI instrument input.
Clearly, Avalon equipment isn’t for everyone. You know it and they know it. But if you need the quality and features that these units possess, why not give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call and find out more about the phenomenal gear from Avalon, along with your special Sweetwater pricing.