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Acoustic Intelligence

Audio & Video Lifestyle’s

2006consumer buying guide

www.avlmagazine.com.au

20 winning products reviewed

15100%

Australianowned, produced

& printed

15th Anniversary1991-2006

15th Anniversary1991-2006

SPECIALBEST BUYAWARDSEDITION

Home EntertainmentBuying Guide

•‘Editor’s Choice’ Product ofthe Year Announced

•Digital Audio Basics•A-Z of Major Brands

IHi-Fi and Home Theatre Consumer Buying Guide 2006

42

Category Winner: Loudspeakers $2,000 to $3,000

I knew those hard formative years atboarding school learning Latin in classand singing Latin hymns in the choirhad to come in handy some day. I canstill string together a few lines of theancient language, but none of it makesmuch sense. “Look, a girl. Who is thegirl? She is a large girl.” That sort ofthing. For some reason these phraseshave just stuck in my memory eversince.

However, this time I was able to t translate (or at least I thought I

could) the name of this particularunfamiliar loudspeaker brand. Itcalls itself Aurum Cantus, which Iknew the latter part means ‘song.’The Aurum bit was a bit trickier,but then it came to me - it means‘gold.’ The fact that this brand hasa Latin name that means ‘goldensong’ is all the more interesting,because they are made inShandong Provence, China. There is a strong Italianconnection though, as themanufacturing company is partItalian owned and driver designand manufacturing used to takeplace in Milan. As part of theJinlang Audio Co. Ltd., AurumCantus as a loudspeaker brandhas been around since 1994. Itstarted exporting the brand in2001 and now ships theloudspeakers to 26 countries,including Australia, imported byMelbourne-based distributor,Final Link Audio. I have to admit, I had not

heard of Aurum Cantus before, so Ireally did not know what to expect whenthese M-103 speakers arrtived.

What would we do without theWeb? Well, after a few quick searchesand a read of the manufacturer’s andFinal Link’s websites, I felt I’d gleanedenough information to start with.Describing how a loudspeaker sounds isfine, but knowing where it comes fromand how it got here certainly helps.

AURUM CANTUSMELODY M-103

Reproducedcourtesy of

Audio & VideoLifestylemagazine

Hi-Fi and Home Theatre Consumer Buying Guide 2006

43

My Internet browsing revealedanother thing - lots of praise about thesound of its products, but this wassomething I was going to determine formyself.

It’s an odd thing, but I’ve also learntover the years that a loudspeaker’squality is often hinted at by the quality ofthe packaging. Don’t think me mad, butafter years of unboxing and repackaginghundreds of loudspeakers, it’s astrange, but truthful observation. If themanufacturer goes to lengths to protectwhatever’s in the box, there must be areason. In this case, the box meant atriple compartment container, so justremoving these loudspeakers took someeffort. But I could see why immediately.Chinese craftsmanship has come alongin leaps and bounds over the past fewyears and these are testament to thequality of manufacturing that’s nowpossible. These are seriously wellcrafted pieces of timber.

The review pair of the Melody M-103 floorstanders came in aCherrywood (as pictured) real timberveneer that looked sumptuous. Theyalso come in Rosewood with otherfinishes available to order. Build qualityis flawless, with seamless edges, softchamfering and an elegant cabinetshape and appearance.

These models are one of twofloorstanders in the new Melody range,with a larger Melody M-102 joining themore medium sized M-103. These standa touch over a metre tall and eachspeaker weighs a healthy 22kg.Removing the grille reveals what thesefloorstanders are all about and I have toadmit to being something of a fan ofribbon loudspeaker designs (as long asthey are implemented correctly, ofcourse). I’ve owned a pair of Ambiencehybrid ribbon speakers for around thepast seven or eight years and stillmaintain there’s nothing that deliversthe high frequencies quite like a welldesigned ribbon.

The unit in these is called a G3ialuminium ribbon and measuring

100mm in length it sits above a 7-inch(180mm) carbon fibre Kevlar mid/bassdriver. The company manufacturers fivedifferent ribbon midtweeters and theone used in these Melody floorstanderswas designed to offer seriousperformance, but because of its large-scale manufacturing, it doesn’t make theloudspeaker seriously priced. This wasthe fundamental aim with these two newmodels - to bring ribbon-basedperformance down to an affordablelevel.

At $2,499 a pair, these certainly areclassed as an affordable pair offloorstanding loudspeakers, but if youconsider the cost of other ribbontweeter loudspeakers, the real value ofthese Aurum Cantus designs becomesapparent. Listening to them onlyconfirms this further.

The midbass driver is also a newdesign and it’s made of a composite ofnon-woven carbon fibre and Kevlar. Thevoice coil’s a big 50mm and helps thespeaker measure down to an impressive(on paper, at least) 35Hz. At the otherend of the frequency spectrum, thecrossover uses high grade componentssuch as Mundorf Supreme MKPcapacitors and rated up to 40kHz, theMelody 103s are able to handle theextended bandwidth of formats such asSuper Audio CD or DVD-Audio.

I allowed a week of running-in to letthings settle down, as the longer youuse metal ribbons, the better theysound. My Ambience Reference 1600sare still ‘bedding-in’ after months ofuse. I didn’t have to listen long torealise that these are something veryspecial at the price. Hooked up to aDared VP-845 18-watt Class A valvepower amp (also from China) theefficiency of the speakers was put to thetest, while conversely I also hookedthem up to my ME 550II power amp totest their ability to handle current.

Power handling is stated between 50and 200 watts, sensitivity is 89dB and anominal impedance of 8 ohms makesfor a fairly amplifier friendly load.

“One of theM-103’s most

impressiveattributes istheir natural

tonality. This isdue in part to

the superbintegration

and delivery ofwhat is a fine

soundingribbon, so

instrumentslike a violin are

neithersmoothed nor

aggressive.These are

extremes thatmost

loudspeakersgo to, but in

this case, theMelody

M-103s exhibitnothing but avery realistic

texture.”

Hi-Fi and Home Theatre Consumer Buying Guide 2006

44

Distributor:Final Link Audio Pty Ltd34 Gamalite DriveMeltonVIC 3337Tel: (03) 9746 0394Fax: (03) 9747 3063Website:www.finallink.com.auSpecifications:Product TypeFloorstanding loudspeakersEnclosure2-way, two driver, rear portedDriver Complement1 x 180mm bass/mid driver1 x 100mm G3i aluminiumribbon midtweeterRecommended Amplifier Power50-200 watts RMS (maximum)Frequency Response35Hz-40kHzSensitivity89dBImpedance8 ohms (minimum 6.4)Cable ConnectionBiwireableDimensions1025 x 220 x 273mmWeight22kg (each)Price$2,499 per pair

“In a marketplace that isliterally bursting at the seamswith loudspeaker brands and

models, both from establishedinternational and locally

designed and builtmanufacturers, there are

occassions when a new branddoes arrive on our shores thatis somewhat of a giant killer.”

Reviewer:Nic Tatham

All specifications andrecommended retail prices weresupplied by the distributor at thetime of original review, and may

now be subject to change

The low powered valve amp copedjust fine and the combination made anexcellent musical match. Generallyspeaking, ribbons midtweeters soundexquisitely detailed and sweet and boththese qualities are evident in these.Despite the modest power of theDared amp, combined with the warmthof the valve delivery, the Melody M-103s sounded completely unrestrainedwith a fulsome bass and delightfullyliquid treble arrayed across asoundstage that is excellently deep andwide. They boast a lovely openness,setting vocals and instruments in thisspacious soundstage which doesn’tcollapse when mixes get busy either.Add to this fine handling of dynamicsand you’ve got the makings of a veryenjoyable speaker to listen to. Whichafter time is reaffirmed and the moretime you spend with them, the moreyou realise just how faithful theirsound is.

One of the M-103’s most impressiveattributes is their natural tonality. Thisis due in part to the superb integrationand delivery of what is a fine soundingribbon, so instruments like a violin areneither smoothed nor aggressive.

These are extremes that mostloudspeakers go to, but in this case, theMelody M-103s exhibit nothing but avery realistic texture. Guitars, drumsand pianos also sound natural in a waythat’s rare at this sort of price level.They shine with vocals, soundingbeautifully detailed and well projectedwith the likes of Jewel’s Deep Waterpouring into the room with such sweetclarity it’s nothing short of enchanting.

Switching to the more dynamic MEamplification, they really came alive.Playing (suitably loudly) Audioslave’sbig opener Cochise from their self-titledfirst album and the drums hit so hardthey have a physical as well as an auralpresence, while other more rhythm-ledtracks off the album are reproducedwith finesse and fine dynamics. Withhard-hitting material such as this, thesesingle bass/mid drivers don’t halfdeliver some punch.

In a marketplace that is literallybursting at the seams with loudspeakerbrands and models, both fromestablished international and locallydesigned and built manufacturers,there are occassions when a new branddoes arrive on our shores that issomewhat of a giant killer.

It’s probably fairly obvious that Iquite like these loudspeakers. From abrand that I was unfamiliar with, theseare easily one of the best soundingdesigns that I have ever heard for thissort of money.

Add to this sparkling performancetop-class build and finish and you havewhat is quite simply a stunning all-round loudspeaker package at theprice, and as such is absolutelydeserving of its 2006 Audio & VideoLifestyle Best Buy Awards status.AVL Consumer buying guide 2006Ancillary Equipment: Teac VRDS-10CD transport, ME Sound 25/550II pre/power amplifiers, Dared VP-845integrated valve amplifier, WasatchCable Works interconnects, NordostFlatline Silver loudspeaker cables,Concorde equipment support, SAPRelaxa 1 isolation platform, Black Boxmains conditioner

The high frequency magic is performedby Aurum Cantus Melody M-103’s100mm G3i aluminium ribbonmidtweeter. This sits above thespeakers’ 180mm carbon fibre Kevlarmid/bass unit.