AudioControl is that rara avis, an American company that actually manufactures A/V electronics — carrying comparatively rational price tags — in the U.S. of A. The Washington State firm's roots are in the Pacific North-wet's longstanding pro-audio tradition, but the company is probably best known for its range of widely respected high-end car-stereo gear.
Home theater is a newer segment for the company, but the AudioControl Maestro M2e preamp/processor and Savoy power amplifier are already second- or third-generation designs. (The company also makes a very precise and flexible multichannel equalizer, the Diva, often seen in high-end custom theaters.) Right out of the box, it was obvious that this stack incorporates equal measures of refinement and the fresh-think design I've learned to expect from the AudioControl.
To begin, the M2e has no supplied remote control, on the theory that the owner or designer/installer will choose a universal remote or a media controller — so why throw money away? Complete sets of both RS-232 serial and infrared control codes are printed in the manual and available for download from AudioControl's Web site. And I do mean complete: The RS-232 codes fill four printed pages.
Remote-less though it be, the M2e does arrive with one unusual extra, and it's built right in. Namely, the preamp has a balanced A/V output that can send HD component-video (up to 1080i), along with bitstream digital audio, to components up to 300 feet away. The connection is made through a single run of conventional, easily hidden CAT5 cabling, similar to other "balun" systems now finding favor with installers. AudioControl offers both in-wall and freestanding destination-end boxes, either of which adds about $300 to the the pre/pro's price.
The Savoy power amp, too, is less than entirely conventional. It employs Class H circuit topology, a layout where a multi-voltage "smart" (or at least, less-dumb) power supply can achieve more than double the efficiency of the conventional Class AB design used in most amps, thereby running much cooler. Consequently, the 7 x 150-watt Savoy is almost precisely the same size as, and only modestly heavier than, the M2e.
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The Short Form
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| Price $2,399 (Maestro M2e), $2,499 (Savoy) / audiocontrol.com / 425-775-8461 |
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Snapshot
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| Behind utilitarian looks and features lie superb made-in-America performance — and plenty of American ingenuity. |
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Plus
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•Outstanding audio and video performance •Efficient amp yields high power from a compact box •Balanced output for long HD runs |
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Minus
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•No video scaling or HDMI conversion •No onscreen graphics on HDMI or in high-def •Industrial cosmetics may underwhelm |
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Key Features
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•150 watts x 7 •2 HDMI inputs (1080p) •Transcodes S-/composite-video to component-video •Balanced audio inputs and outputs (XLR) for all channels •Active-balanced video output sends HD-capable component-video and digital audio up to 300 feet •FM/AM tuner •IR in (2-zone) and out; 12-volt trigger outs (3); RS-232 serial port •17 x 5.3 x 15.5 in, 30 lb (Maestro M2e); 17 x 5.8 x 15.8 inches, 41 lb (Savoy) |
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Test Bench
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AudioControl's duo produced very impressive power in all tests, which was surprising for a relatively compact and light amplifier. The Savoy met its 150-watt spec even with all 7 channels driven (hitting 157 wpc), and surpassed it by wide margins in our stereo and five-channel trials. Other results were generally very good; noise performance was the one area in which the pairing was merely average, yielding noise figures 2 to 5 dB higher than those of the best units we've tested. But only the analog-multichannel-input noise measurement — a below-average —77.4 dBW — might in my opinion approach audibility, and then only on truly excellent SACD or DVD-A material auditioned on low-sensitivity speakers at reference levels in a quiet room. Full Lab Results |
Both components are simply but solidly constructed on metal chassis, with evident care both inside and out. None but perhaps a Soviet-era apartment-block architect would call them elegant — but in electronics, as in life, handsome tends to be much as Forrest Gump's mama always told him. Anyway, these components are more likely to live in a cabinet or an equipment closet than under an accent light.
Setup
Since both AudioControls include pro-style balanced (XLR) inputs/outputs for all channels, I used high-quality XLR cables between the pre/pro and the amp for the LCR channels. (This doesn't make a meaningful difference over short runs, but it could reduce noise pickup on long runs in some systems.) Meanwhile, I found when I went to hook up my sources that the Maestro M2e's HDMI connectivity is strictly first-generation — that is, digital-video-only, requiring a coax digital-audio connection alongside HDMI for my Blu-ray Disc player. And since the pre/pro sends no onscreen graphics via HDMI, I also made component-video connections between it and my Samsung 52-inch LCD TV, as well as for all my sources.
Although menus do appear on the component-video output, the Maestro first switches its resolution to 480i to do so. Thus, unless you are viewing in 480i (unlikely these days), the momentary-alert displays for volume-change, mode-select, and so on are suppressed. The Maestro's menus include individual bass/treble settings for each channel and the ability to assign component-video, HDMI, and digital-audio inputs — but there's just a single crossover assignment for all channels (though that's not terribly important in most systems). I set this to 60 Hz, a good compromise in my setup.
Music & Movies
A mere 20 minutes of listening was time enough to suggest, richly, that the AudioControl pairing had all the musicality and muscle I would ever require from A/V separates. The Savoy amp delivers power that belies its comparatively modest size (and weight), easily producing more level than I would demand even in fully theater-like playback, and even with my medium-sensitivity, subwoofer-supported speaker suite. The Departed on Blu-ray Disc only occasionally demands a lot of audio impact, but when those moments come along, the shock value is an important cinematic tool. AudioControl's gear abetted Martin Scorsese's eruptive violence with sadistic glee: When the first unexpected gunshot fired off, I nearly leapt from my chair.
I found no cause for complaint on the music side of the equation either. Here, too, the Savoy amp demonstrated huge dynamic reserves — there's no substitute for power if you want to listen to natural-dynamic music at lifelike levels — as well as the finesse to bring top-shelf multichannel recordings to life. The Maestro pre/pro incorporates all the usual surround-mode suspects: Dolby Digital/EX/PLII/x and DTS/ES/Neo:6 in all their interesting varieties, plus a handful of DSP modes for two-channel playback. Of these, "Music," which is pure ambience-extraction without reverb or delay manipulations, is probably the most musically valuable. There's also a "Mono" mode that will please classic-film buffs by mixing all content to the center speaker and the subwoofer, thus improving the perceived intelligibility and dynamic range.
Ergonomics
The lack of a supplied remote control for the Maestro means that, as a practical matter, everyday ergonomics are really up to you (or your installer). For starters, AudioControl does make available at extra cost a version of Universal Remote's MX-500, a popular OEM remote, preloaded with the M2e IR codes. These codes are also available on the company's Web site in Philips Pronto CCF format, which worked fine with the Pronto TSU9600 touchscreen controller I had on hand. Serial (RS-232) control is the real shiz, however, since the Maestro's serial-command set is more extensive and more flexibly programmable.
AudioControl was good enough to throw in a sample of its BVR-25 active-balanced receiver — an in-wall destination-end for the component-video balun output built into the Maestro. (The BVR-25 fits a standard wallbox; as noted earlier, there's also a tabletop variant.) This actually handles four signal "legs"; since component video requires only three, the fourth carries bitstream digital audio from the selected source to bring PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, or whatever to the remote system. (Alternatively, you can use this line to phantom-power the BVR-25.) I used a 50-foot CAT5 cable to link our family room to my listening studio, jacking the BVR-25 into the small system residing there. (I also strung along a plain two-wire cable for an IR remote receiver to send commands back to the home system's HD cable box.) The extension worked perfectly: I tried hard to see any meaningful effect on cable-HD and 1080i Blu-ray video, and couldn't. The digital-audio feed also worked fine. And in the great-minds-think-alike department, while I was finishing this report, AudioControl introduced a new range of external balanced video-extender components that incorporate IR/serial-control send/receive, built right in.
Bottom Line
If ever there was one, the AudioControl Maestro M2e preamp/processor and Savoy power amp combo is a system for the custom-installed, customer-tailored home theater — whether the tailor is a paid professional or a serious DIY-er. AudioControl's separates may not be the most up-to-the-minute in HDMI-handling or onscreen graphics. But their superb video and audio — and the Maestro M2e's near-limitless control-access and balanced-video expandability — will recommend them anywhere that serious home theater is spoken.
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