This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below |
 |
 |
The gestalt-based listening experience of the Capriccio Continuo floorstander was quite rewarding. The Auralea 309 had a wide frequency bubble where the two drivers spoke convincingly with one voice that was imbued with intense tonal and dimensional saturation. Mr. Szall’s two drivers showed a simultaneity of character that approached single widebander coherence with the advantages of ground-up driver design and construction rather than relying solely on careful blending to create the match. The cabinet design successfully removed itself from the acoustical equation and provided sufficient support to propel the 6.5-inch woofer to satisfying depths, sufficient for convincing acoustical and synth foundation but slightly short of subwoofer territory.
|
 |
The Auralea 309 showed a remarkable combination of quick response and relative warmth throughout the spectrum that was a little reminiscent of my own Apogee Duetta Signature ribbon speakers which coincidentally also employ a Kapton substrate. Some will describe that characteristic as mildly forgiving, others as properly damped. It amounts to the difference between being revealing and ruthlessly revealing. One approach limits listening enjoyment to a handful of 'perfect' recordings. The other embraces a wide catalogue. The Auralea reflects the latter.
|
 |
While the Auralea could play the role of the objective observer, it was most convincing with a bit of romance injected into the mix. This brought the warmth of the Italian summer into the mid and upper bass regions and infused the soundstage with mass and projection, placing the performers in your lap and expanding believable distance between performers on a vast homogeneous soundstage. While this presentation compromised some of the cavernous depth of the transparency-based configuration, it gained in detail, dimensional interplay of instruments and hall-boundary information. The added bass weight gave more life to acoustical strings and more growl in synthesizer material. The downside was an accompanying loss of absolute dynamic agility at louder levels. Since achievable levels were still quite loud, this should constitute a reasonable trade-off as long as extremely high levels are not an absolute requirement. Also the obvious addition of a quality subwoofer would restore a greater measure of dynamic impact for those who demand both louder level and even deeper response.
|
|
|
Comparisons.The $7.000-up sector has some wonderful designer statement pieces each with strong points of appeal and different enough to challenge your priority list. The Clearwave Audio Symphonia 72R is a 2.5-way system boasting a pair of Accuton ceramic drivers and a Raal tweeter per side. The additional woofer cone area gave the 72R an advantage in the extreme low frequencies with greater dynamic range, extension and power. Both speakers were exemplary in their transition from woofer to high-frequency drivers, with a slight nod in cohesiveness going to the Capriccio Continuo. Where the two diverged was in voicing. Here they demonstrated fundamentally different characters. The Accuton-based Symphonia 72R followed a cooler path in the midrange, holding up a high standard of transparency that demanded a little more attention to create palpability.
|
 |
The Auralea injected a bit more inherent warmth in that range and the upper bass but retained an equal amount of responsiveness and control. Both tweeters showed purity and detail, with Auralea's FAST being the sweeter of the two where the aluminium-foil Raal demonstrating greater dynamic ability and incisiveness. In this battle the Clearwave Audio plays the transparency card to advantage and adds deeper bass, greater output and wider dynamics, making it a power performer with big Telarc recordings. The Capriccio Continuo counters with greater midrange and high-frequency warmth achieved without penalty in detail plus superior performance at lower volume levels that afford it a higher degree of intimacy over a broad range of music. Two exemplary speakers with different visions.
|
 |
Weighing in at $7.300 Canadian when equipped with its optional MTA stands, the Mike Tang MTA-60F represents an entirely different avenue of thought. Using a single 5” Feastrex widebander per side, it paraded all the virtues of best of breed with a surprisingly robust low end down to 35 cycles, decent dynamics and electrostatic-caliber cleanliness and control. The two were an interesting contest of philosophy. Both the MTA and Auralea were detailed and dynamically responsive from moderate to extremely low levels but the curvaceous Italian could extend that trait to greater volume levels with superior dynamic range. In extreme bass response the MTA had comparable low-frequency limits when matched with its companion amplifier but the Auralea 309 could outperform it in bass definition and power. The Mike Tang reined in coherence, control and midrange authenticity by a small margin but the Capriccio Continuo was very close, a tribute to Mr. Szall’s design work. These are two designs which honour the midrange first and extend that virtue outwards, with the Auralea voiced the slightly warmer of the two.
|
|
|
Conclusion. Capriccio Continuo has made a bold statement with the Auralea 309 Performance. It manages to pack a lot of technology into a uniquely styled very modestly-sized floorstander that can illuminate a room with a big sonic portrait without dominating it visually. It makes few practical sacrifices for its room-friendly dimensions outside of absolutes in volume level and bass extension and the relatively high efficiency and power handing make the speaker suitable for a wide variety of successful matches. The key strengths are high detail married with a sense of overall warmth. Recorded flaws are still there but not highlighted. Pushing the system to capitalize on those traits creates an intensely lively and enticing presentation where the performers aren't archival and distant but upfront and personal.
|
 |
Who should put the Auralea 309 on their short list? Audiophiles looking for refinement and tactile immersion at reasonable volume levels will find this a rewarding speaker to live with and the décor-friendly size and aesthetics will make wife acceptance an easy sell. Who won’t be impressed? Those demanding louder levels and deeper bass will have to supplement or look elsewhere. Listeners who equate higher resolution with the merciless exposure of flaws will find the Auralea’s presentation a little forgiving for their tastes. |
|
Quality of packing: Double-boxed cardboard containers. Polystyrene center piece and caps for shipping protection plus cloth sack for surface protection.
Reusability of packing: Yes.
Condition of components received: Perfect.
Delivery: By hand via Canadian distributor Charisma Audio.
Website comments: In the process of being upgraded.
Human interactions: Courteous and responsive.
Warranty: 5 years.
Final comments & suggestions: Excels at making a wide range of recordings musically engaging and enjoyable, even some which would be deemed unlistenable in more judgmental setups. High resolution without the penalties.
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
