AudioControl Avalon G4 Four-Channel Power Amplifier

Four For All

- THOMAS J. NORTON

Four may be an even number, but a four-channel amplifier like AudioControl’s Avalon G4 might seem like an odd duck to some. With Dolby Atmos and other immersive audio formats becoming more common in the custom install market (where AudioControl, which manufactures products at its Seattle facility, has a heavy presence), however, upgrade-anxious customers will obviously need four additional amp channels to complement the company’s existing 5- and 7-channel designs.

​I might argue that 50 watts per channel is more than adequate to drive overhead speakers in an Atmos-ready home theater, but that’s just me. The Avalon G4 is rated at 230Wpc into 8 ohms and 300 Wpc into 4 ohms. Its four channels can also be bridged into two channels to deliver 600 Wpc into 8 ohms.

Features

The Avalon G4 comes in a sturdy but otherwise plain chassis that’s likely meant to be slid into a rack rather than displayed like a totem between front speakers. When it’s plugged in, red lights are visible though the openings at the top rear. Power it on and a bar of blue light illuminates the otherwise featureless front panel, and there’s blue lighting on the rear panel as well. The front light can be turned down or off if desired, but the rear ones can’t be defeated—a potential annoyance.(AudioControl says they have made a running change, with rear-panel light status now linked wth the front-panel lights.)

The analog class-H amp weighs a sturdy but manageable 38 pounds, with most of that weight in a large toroidal power transformer. Conventional class-A/B amps have peak voltage available at all times, while Class-H ones adjust the circuit supply voltage depending on the instantaneous requirements of the source material. This improves efficiency and allows the Avalon to run relatively cool. It also employs AudioControl’s LightDrive system for anti clipping protection.