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To be honest, the wholesale subtraction of the lowest bass was actually advantageous at times. For one, I dislike getting clobbered by bass. For two, less bass has me listen more at ease. Why? I live in a multi-family home. At higher levels I quickly get self-conscious about neighbors. Bass jumps right through old Berlin brownstone floors as I’ve learnt. But that’s a mere aside.

The midrange continues the bass thematic – quick, lean, without frills but not without substance. Voices have real urge. Particularly female pipes like Bridgewater and Cassidy project plenty of intensity to get under the skin. Somehow vocals feel very believable which also must have to do with the natural tone colors the Aurora generates. And without doubt it’s also about first-class dimensionality which contributes to the impressive total effect of voices. The ladies seemed to stand a few meters away with reach-out-and-touch appeal.

For male voices I reached for Leonard Cohen’s I’m Your Man. Not bad seeing how it all sounded fresher and less warm and humid than I was used to. The peculiar talk song of the old master was more raw and rough now but not as sonorous. I’d nearly say it sounded more right. It took a while to figure out why. The droning bass which is backdrop or foundation to most all cuts on this album was seriously turned back with the Aurora. That prevented the other ranges from getting swamped to win in articulate clarity. The entire album underwent a spring cleaning. Even the otherwise sickly sweet strings got a bit less rosiny to develop temperament.
 
The price to pay here were small restrictions on midband detail. Ofrin’s On Shore Remain usually offers clear insights into the vocalist’s technique and execution. On some speakers one nearly sees the throat move. Such detail magnification is beyond the Aurora. How she counters is with believable timbres and obvious timing, timing and timing. Piano attacks won’t wow with the last word in transient pizzazz but instead one hears how the strings sit under permanent tension to eagerly await getting tickled. Here Jazz Sketches of Caroline Wegener’s Acoustic Trio truly convinced but the trigger points again were timing and dynamics rather than the full array of micro data this album really contains
A very special reading occurred on guitars. If you love acoustic guitars, it’d be nearly a crime not to take your fave album for an Aurora spin. Omar Torrez’ La Danza veritably nailed me into the seat when I really wanted to jump up in joy. Good guitar recordings turn into an intensely pleasurable sadomaso session. The unbelievable urgency which the Aurora injects into guitars is assisted by the treble. Here nothing falls under the table and speed against seems top priority.


Cymbals hover in space without gravity. Here the speaker walks the high wire of scintillating gleam like a champ without defaulting into shrill paprika. Despite obvious presence the upper registers don’t dominate. While Eva Cassidy’s mentioned live album has the drummer work over his cymbal set which the Aurora tracked vigorously, the voice remained dominant, the crystal-clear cymbals behind her.

If I’ve painted the impression that Hornmanufaktur’s Aurora is primarily a fun box to party with rather than consume serious music, I’ll need to motivate you to try on some classics for size. Regardless of whether you’re die-hard freak or view the genre with more cautious suspicion, I’m certain this speaker will introduce you to new aspects.