Audiovector R 10 Arreté
Audiovector has previously created a flagship loudspeaker, but never one as ambitious as the new R 10 Arreté. And given the R 10 Arreté is smaller and cheaper than the R 11 Arreté it replaces, that’s saying a lot. However, by leveraging the strengths and performance of the rest of the R-Series, this model sets a new standard for the company. In doing so, Audiovector positions itself on the same playing field as some of the ultra-high-end heavyweights. Furthermore, it accomplishes this while preserving the company’s distinctly European aesthetic. Simply put, it’s a high-end flagship that doesn’t need to dominate the listening room.
The impact of the Audiovector R 10 Arreté on the broader loudspeaker market could be as significant as the product itself. The brand offers loudspeakers starting at an accessible £1,350 (for the QR 1 SE that we tested in Issue 228) and now extends into the exclusive £100,000+ club with a consistent sound and build not many can match. Few companies have such a diverse product range; most focus on manufacturing mass-market, affordable, or high-end products. If Audiovector’s R 10 Arreté proves to be as successful as I believe it will be, it will challenge other loudspeaker brands. Why can’t others also encompass all categories of loudspeakers?
Family style
Recognising the Audiovector DNA coursing through the R 10 Arreté’s veins is easy. Fans of the brand will notice a strong familial resemblance to the floorstanders in the R-Series. This is a positive aspect; companies often become ‘grandiose’ when creating a flagship design, discarding the visual styling cues that people appreciate about the brand. As a result, there are no outriggers, top-pods, bloated side cheeks, bulbous bass sections, or other visual missteps. It’s a classic slim floorstander in the Audiovector tradition, just taller and deeper.
This is a more important consideration than it first appears. Just as Audiovector resists the temptation to reinvent its industrial design for the R 10 Arreté, so it does with its sonic characteristics. There is an – entirely understandable – temptation to ‘read the market’; making a high-end design that either copies the voicing of the market leaders or consciously voice the loudspeaker to ‘fill in the gaps in the market’. Both ways define the product’s performance by the sonic signature of other brands and rarely succeed. By sticking resolutely to its (visual and sonic) guns, Audiovector plants its voice in the high-end audiostream. Instead of making something cynical to pander to high-end trends, Audiovector expands the high-end with its own sonic and visual signatures.
Setting sound aside for a moment, this offers a visual bonus for those not already part of the Audiovector ecosystem: it integrates beautifully into any room. The Audiovector R 10 Arreté exemplifies the ‘classic Danish design’ aesthetic – timeless and devoid of unnecessary embellishments. This loudspeaker does not resemble the installation of a pair of car engines or wardrobes in a ‘man cave’; nor is it an ornate rococo cabinet that would appear dated a few months after installation. The Audiovector R 10 Arreté is an elegant loudspeaker, subtle enough to blend into a spacious, tastefully decorated living room, and timeless enough to remain there for a decade or more.
However, despite the physical similarities, this isn’t merely a taller R 8 Arreté with a few extra drive units. The R 10 Arreté is a distillation of the finest Audiovector, blended with what will likely define the brand’s next generation of products.
The heart of the sound
The industrial design is easy to read; just look at images of the loudspeaker on these pages. But, what makes defines Audiovector sound; from the cheapest to the flagship, from 1979 to the present? Some years ago, Audiovector’s founder, Ole Klifoth, coined his motiviation, by saying, “I wanted to recreate the kind of sound I experienced in Tivoli’s Concert Hall, 13th row, middle, from where I could take in both the overview and the details. Or in Jazzhus Montmartre, sitting about 3-4 metres from the musicians.
“I loved the atmosphere of the jazz club. I found out that I could not find a speaker that could reproduce all of this. That is when I decided – because I was young and adventurous and did not know if it was impossible – that it should be my project.” That music-centric approach from the 1970s still holds today, and the design team – including Ole and several new team members who learned the craft under his wing – still strive to bring that realism into the home. The R 10 Arreté is the best example of that music-oriented development.
However, Audiovector’s pursuit of sonic excellence is not solely based on musical parameters. The company uses the same physics models and measurement techniques seen throughout the audio industry. However, Audiovector uses the ‘if it measures good and sounds bad, it’s bad’ maxim to design new products. Loudspeakers must perform well on the bench and in the home. It’s surprising how rare that coupling is today.
If it ain’t broke…
Many innovative features of the R 10 Arreté focus on combining established technologies. For instance, the teardrop-shaped cabinet is standard across the entire R series, as it reduces the need for excessive dynamics-flattening damping material. In the R 10 Arreté, this cabinet is constructed from vacuum-formed high-density hardwood fibreboard with extensive internal bracing. Additionally, 6061-grade aluminium baffles minimise vibrations, enhancing an already acoustically inert structure.
Similarly, the company’s unique version of an Air Motion Transformer tweeter, featuring its distinctive rear radiation control, is well-regarded throughout the Arreté models in the R-series. However, in this instance, it utilises two of these low-distortion tweeter units; the first covers a range from 3kHz to 53kHz, while the second provides additional ultra-high frequency reinforcement from 20kHz to 53kHz. Audiovector refrains from labelling this a ‘supertweeter’ (preferring instead ‘Extreme Tweeter’, which sounds like a reality TV show about loudspeaker building) because it regards such devices as external components to a loudspeaker, but the ‘not supertweeter’ operates similarly to a supertweeter, smoothing out an already refined upper mid and treble. If you think it’s pointless, have individuals cover the top tweeters, and the resulting lack of focus – subtle though it may be – becomes noticeable.
New line
A system featured in the R 8 Arreté and significantly enhanced here is the Line Array Bass System. In the R 8 Arreté, this functions more as a ‘rear-firing midrange,’ whereas the R 10 Arreté’s rear panel boasts eight 125mm long-throw drivers with ±12 mm linear excursion. Together, these provide a surface area equivalent to a 380mm woofer and extend up to 2kHz. This means you achieve bass with the impact of a large drive unit combined with the speed and reactivity of a standard mid/woofer.
They feature a pair of 165mm AFC carbon sandwich lower midrange drivers and a similar dedicated midrange. AFC is not ‘Arsenal Football Club’ but rather the new ‘Accelerated Force Concept’ explicitly developed for the R 10 Arreté. This innovative drive unit enhances the diaphragm’s initial movement and includes a new concertina suspension made from natural neoprene rubber, titanium voice coils with carbon fibre and natural resin sandwich midrange cones, and distortion-controlled pole pieces. These new AFC designs will likely trickle down into subsequent generations of the R-series.
Naturally, a loudspeaker at this level will utilise the best possible components throughout, which is best illustrated through the medium of crossover networks. Nothing in that circuit is left to chance. It employs precision film resistors instead of wire-wounds, optimised copper coils in a dynamic feed-forward layout, doubly-cryo’d polypropylene dielectric, tin-flashed copper foil capacitors, and Audiovector X Duelund bypass capacitors.
The R 10 Arreté is also the first outing for the second generation of Audiovector’s Freedom Grounding. This wicks unwanted currents away from the driver chassis, works well in many settings and has been improved. It’s more than worth experimenting with.
Power behind the throne
This loudspeaker requires adequate power to perform optimally. That’s not an issue at this level; it’s more of an observation. Although the Audiovector R 10 Arreté’s sensitivity rating and impedance figures suggest a loudspeaker not designed to be an ‘amp crusher,’ it benefits from a power amplifier with good current delivery. Historically, Audiovector has maintained close ties with Naim Audio, and amplifiers with similarly robust peak current outputs truly bring these loudspeakers to life. It doesn’t matter whether the amplifier is a solid or ‘hollow’ state design, as long as it can provide a few good amps when needed. Gryphon, for instance, speaks the same language, both figuratively and literally.
To address the comment regarding the‘power behind it’, there is a three-position setting at the rear of the R 10 Arreté, similar to the control on the Trapeze Reimagined that we tested in Issue 238. Instead of boosting or cutting the treble or bass, this switch adjusts the Audiovector R 10 Arreté’s amplifier matching to accommodate the damping factor of various amps. Position one is designated for medium damping (suitable for most solid-state amp designs), position two is for low-damping tube amps, and position three is intended for high damping factor high-power amps. This allows for a slight degree of experimentation and subtle tone shaping since you can slightly soften or harden the bass by purposefully selecting the incorrect setting (nothing will go ‘pop’ as a result).
Two buyers, both alike in dignity
There are two types of prospective R 10 Arreté owners: long-time Audiovector enthusiasts seeking the brand’s best and those looking for a high-end system combining elegance and exceptional sound quality. Both groups are exceptionally well catered to. The R 10 Arreté consistently outperforms other Audiovector models. Its extended, unforced treble, open midrange, tuneful bass, and excellent driver integration – a hallmark of every model from the QR 1 SE onwards – are all present in the R 10 Arreté. In other words, if you own an Audiovector R8 Arreté or the older R11 Arreté, you might not need a demonstration; the R 10 Arreté takes that speaker and enhances every aspect of its performance. Choose your finish and place your order!
Meanwhile, those entering the high-end audio stream for the first time will encounter a loudspeaker that delivers room-filling sound without dominating the space. Inevitably, these prospective buyers will play loud, bass-heavy tracks during a demonstration (it’s a psychology thing… almost all of us do this), which will seal the deal. These tall, slim, elegant loudspeakers pack a real punch. It doesn’t matter whether your ‘loud and bass-heavy’ track is an orchestra performing Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra (although probably not the Portsmouth Sinfonia’s version), Basie’s rhythm section, John Bonham ‘giving it some beans’, or Infected Mushroom’s powerful trance-metal synth-beat. The effect remains the same.
For me, it was ‘End of the Road’ from Infected Mushroom’s Legend of the Black Scawarma [HOM-Mega/Perfecto]. I know this track well; the electronic bass drumbeats are always deep and fast. However, they feature a speed of attack combined with sheer depth that makes them stand out from the crowd. It’s not just fast and furious; the speed and intensity of those almost square-wave bass beats raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Coupling this with those glass-smashing breaks, the music becomes intense and jumpy… as it should be.
Stand out from the crowd
Move away from the crowd-pleasers and you are met with an outstanding loudspeaker, once again very much in the Audiovector tradition. That AMT tweeter array, for example, gives the R 10 Arreté an effortless and fluid upper midrange and top that makes most dome tweeters sound unbalanced somehow; some soft dome tweeters sound relaxed almost to the point of unconsciousness by comparison. Many of the ‘materials science’ tweeters (that feature vapour-deposited unobtainium oxide on a dome made of a pure nonsensium) fare little better, the worst doing their finest ‘nails down a chalkboard’ impression. The AMT balances out the extremes, making a treble as unforced as it is extended into the bat-eared regions. This makes for an expansive soundstage with a midrange and high-frequency performance so untroubled you could play Lou Reed’s
Metal Machine Music and Yoko Ono albums without the need for rehab afterwards. Almost.
Like all Audiovectors, this is consciously not a starkly neutral loudspeaker design. A slight warmth to the sound in the lower midrange works in its favour. This adds a little body to musicians and voices, making them more exciting and alluring. Most importantly, however, this never adds or detracts from the music and isn’t the cabinet joining in with the music. It’s that ‘benchmarked against real music’ characteristic again. A good example of this is ‘Sunson’ by Nils Frahm [All Melody, Erased Tapes] blends the perfect sense of found instruments and electronics with actual weight and macro dynamics to the individual sounds. This is not like you usually hear it. There’s more precision to that bass and upper midrange caused by that characteristic, not stymied by it.
On the other hand, throw it a tempest—make that a 7empest by Tool [Fear Inoculum, Volcano]—and it’s all good. The drums take a menacing tone, the guitars play with intensity and graunch, and the slightly scooped vocals are resolved. It’s like a highly detailed musical threat assessment—in a good way. After almost 16 minutes of this track, you need a breather and a place to hide.
One of the issues I have with the best in audio is that it sometimes stumbles over the lesser quality in music. This might be self-sealing (goes the argument) because no one spends hundreds of thousands on loudspeakers just to play rap through them. However, that doesn’t sit well with me, so imagine how delighted I was to hear just how good the Audiovector R 10 Areté sounded with Young MC’s ‘Know How’ [Stone Cold Rhymin’, Rhino]. This 1989 old-school rap (revived through its use in the movie Baby Driver) features some of the most articulate, fast-paced lyrics out there and highlights the loudspeaker’s intelligibility in its most crucial range. It excels in that regard but doesn’t allow the scratching and the now-primitive sampling to detract from the performance.
Other tracks highlight just how good this loudspeaker is. ‘Go’ by Public Service Broadcasting [The Race for Space, Test Card Records] combines atmospheric synths, the live-sounding drums and band, and the samples from NASA’s Houston base from 1969 in breathtaking fashion here. We all know what happened, and still wait in trepidation for “Houston. Tranquillity Base. The Eagle Has Landed.” It’s captivating, and more than a bit blokey-emotional.
Then there’s the rhythmic properties that are best expressed through King Curtis and his band playing ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ [Live At Filmore West, ATCO]. You are just drawn to that rhythm section of Jerry Jemmott on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums and the late Cornell Dupree on guitar sound like a train; it’s an unassailable rhythmic masterclass and played here it would be impossible not to tap along with the music.
Olivia Colman’s Oscar
My listening notes on this loudspeaker were extremely scattergun, resembling Olivia Colman’s award acceptance speeches more than proper notes, in fact. (“Lady Blackbird… Oooh!” “Webster Lewis… waaaagh!”) This boils down to a loudspeaker that is as flexible and enjoyable as Audiovector can produce, and that’s saying something. Sure, those who prefer their treble ‘zingy’, their midrange ‘forward’, and their bass ‘majestic’ will not appreciate the Audiovector R 10 Arreté. However, if you consider those terms euphemisms for ‘zingy’, ‘pushy’, and ‘sluggish’, then welcome aboard!
For a small Danish company that keeps knocking it out of the park, the Audiovector R 10 Arreté needs a bigger park! It’s an exceptional loudspeaker that should signify a sea change in high-end audio. For many high-end enthusiasts, this is all the loudspeaker they will ever need!
Technical Specifications
- Type: rear-ported floor-standing loudspeaker
- Drivers: 3800mm AMT N 51 (extreme tweeter), 3800mm AMT N 51 (tweeter), 165mm AFC carbon sandwich cone (midrange), 2x 165mm AFC carbon sandwich cones (lower midrange), 8x 125mm long-throw rear-mounted bass drivers
- Crossover frequencies: 180Hz, 450Hz, 3kHz, 20kHz
- Frequency Response: 27Hz-53kHz ±2dB
- Distortion: 0.15% at 90dB SPL
- Sensitivity: 90.5dB/W
- Impedance: 8Ω
- Terminals: High Current Nextgen (4mm/spades), Freedom Grounding
- Finishes: Canadian Birdseye Maple, African Mahogany Crotch, Italian Walnut Burl
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 159.8×36.3×62.5cm
- Weight: 90.3kg per loudspeaker
- Price: £127,500 $165,000, €147,500 per pair