Aurum Acoustics concept

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Aurum Acoustics active system

Once in a blue moon you get the chance to do a personal evaluation of an exceptional system.
Who’d object?
Certainly not the ladies and gentlemen who received the invitations to the listening sessions.

To use a wine analogy, we were going to share a tasting session starring a rare and consequently expensive vintage. It’s as if we had opened a bottle of a 1976 Château Margaux and had invited you to discover its perfume, its colour, to wet your lips and finally taste one single glass of nectar, without the slightest obligation to buy the case of twelve bottles at your feet.

Back to hi-fi again. Shall we share an audiophile moment, just between music lovers? Let yourself go, indulge your senses. We promise you will be caught up in an experience of delight you will not soon forget.

Aurum Acoustics au FSI 2007
Aurum Acoustics au FSI 2007

 

Foreword

Imagine, just for a moment, you have been given between forty and forty-five thousand dollars to build a dream system. What would you do?
How long would it take you to find the right components, matched with the right loudspeakers, find the perfect cables and set the gear up in an appropriate piece of furniture? Yes… how many trials would you need, how many mistakes, how much wasted time, how many cost overruns, how much energy spent (and discouragement felt) before you got what you wanted? Hmm? Any bells ringing? Maybe you have a little experience along these lines… like all the rest of us audiophiles, no doubt.
Fortunately, however, one man has put himself through all that on behalf of his customers: Mr. Derrick Moss of Newfoundland, Canada, designer of the Aurum Acoustics Integris 300B system.

We decided that the report on our meeting with Mr. Moss and his system should attempt to be as original as his concept, so we’ve added what we think of as a special touch. The editor’s listening report will be preceded by the impressions of a number of guests: music lovers, musicians and audiophiles who were kind enough to spend some time with us and the Integris system for the pleasure and the novelty of the experience. High-end equipment tests are generally reserved for a few rare individuals who share only their own impressions, but here we have given the customary exercise an expanded human dimension by opening the doors of our listening room to other audio professionals and to the public.

Derrick Moss au CES 2007
We want this test report to be as authentic as we can make it, as passionate as an ode to music itself. Dear reader, may I wish you as much pleasure in reading these lines as we had in the months we lived with the Aurum Acoustics 300B Integris system.
So… to begin, once upon a time there was a system they called « high fidelity »…
Derrick Moss appeared at our door at the beginning of November 2006 with the Integris CD player under his arm.

aurum acoustics cdp
Once the player had been installed in our setup and he was sure things were off to a good start, he went away and came back the next morning with the rest of his system, which was made up of a pair of speakers, an amplifier, a stand and cables.
It took almost an hour to assemble and install all the parts.

Setup

set-up aurum acoustics 300b
There was certainly no doubt about the sound. It was great, but… you didn’t expect there to be any « buts » about it, now did you?
The speakers needed to be repositioned in their new space and we agreed to try an alternative to the Cardas power and interconnect cables that came with the system.

vue arrière des connecteurs du aurum acoustics cdp
A system of very high quality is like a racing car, which you can set up by adjusting things like the firmness of the suspension. We wanted to adapt the Aurum system to our taste while maintaining a certain reference point, so we used two inovaudio Silver AC power cables with rhodium connectors and and a pair of inovaudio alpha silver RCA cables with Furutech Filament Rhodium connectors. We also coupled and isolated the transport and the amplifier from their supports using Golden Sound (USA) DH Super cones and two No. 4 Vibe Busters from sound fusion (Canada).

connectique arrière de l'amplificateur aurum acoustics 300b

The System

The first element is a high-end CD transport, a top-loading Philips CD Pro, matched with a Quantum converter chip from the Swiss company Anagram which upsamples the digital signal to 24-bits/192 kHz. The DAC and the preamplifier with its analog output are combined in one perfectly isolated internal module equipped with both balanced and unbalanced outputs.

vue interne sur le cdp integris aurum acoustics
The second element is active triamplification in a single box. For the mids and highs there are Sophia Electric 300B mesh plates and Electro-Harmonix 6SN7s, rated at 20 watts output and about 10,000 hours’ operating life. The bass is dealt with by 100 solid-state watts from Bryston modules.

Vue interne de l'amplificateur 300b aurum acoustics
The third element is a pair of three-way speakers whose front baffle is sloped ten degrees back.
* Tweeter – 1-inch (2.5 cm) Seas Excel
* Midrange – 6-inch (15.5 cm) B&C Components low-mass treated paper cone driver in a sealed 15-litre enclosure
* Woofer – 10-inch (25.5 cm) Seas driver in a sealed 50-litre enclosure
The fourth element is a two-shelf custom stand of wood and aluminum, on three vibration-coupling spikes for stability and control. The wood veneer finish matches the speakers.

Reviewer’s note: nothing appears to have been left to chance in this system; the approach works from all points of view.

For the audio purist : may I invite you to learn the technical details directly from the manufacturer’s site? Here we intend to skim over this aspect of things in order to concentrate mainly on the system’s sound.

Listening

We won’t make a habit of it, but this time you’ll be doing most of the talking, not me… after all, the popular expression has it that « when you’re talkin’ you ain’t listenin' » !
However I would like to recommend very warmly that you note down the names of the recordings used during these tests. There are some truly remarkable pieces on these CDs.

mécanique cdm pro philips
mécanique cdm pro 2 philips

 


Alain M., pro musician (percussion) and TV host
My first reaction right at the beginning of the listening session was that the system was generous, it gave us a sound with « flesh on the bones ». There was something very natural and realistic about it.
I remember a double bass which sounded pleasantly large and deep. However the highs were too subdued for my taste, as though they were held back and unable to open up completely.
This bothered me to the point of limiting my listening pleasure.
As a drummer, I found the different sounds of the drum kit had a nice presence, especially the snare and some bass drums (the movement and resonance of the skin).
Marc Philip played one percussion piece which floored me. (Scène de la vie Pastorale, Xavier Martin). The dynamics of this piece were almost upsetting. I was touched by the realism and depth of the instruments.
All in all I had a lot of fun listening to this system. In my view, though, the highs should be more crystalline, open and accurate (the impact of the stick on the cymbal should be thinner).

In a word : comfortable.

Recordings used for this session :

* Rush: Chronicles
* Genesis: Selling England by the Pound
* Dave Matthews Band: Crash
* Led Zeppelin: Early Days (The best of Vol. 1)
* Xavier Martin: Scène de la vie pastorale.


Gilles T., music lover and member of the AMA (Association Montréalaise des Audiophiles)
I had heard the Aurum Acoustics system every year since it first appeared at the Montreal Festival du Son et de l’Image. It has been a pleasure to hear for myself the progress made by its designer over that time. Each version has been among the two or three best systems presented at the show at any price, and many people have put it in first place year after year.
In spite of the tiny hotel rooms and the crowd of thirsty music lovers pressing in on each other, drinking in each note, savouring each impact on the drum skin, stunned by the woofers’ astonishing bass, surprised by the speed and sweetness of the timbres which come from the SEAS Excel tweeters without obscuring the incredibly rich midrange, I stubbornly stand there waiting for a seat to be free front row centre so I too can enjoy it to the fullest, for at least an hour a day three days running.
Okay you sheeplike herd, just budge over a bit and allow your humble servant to take his turn in the centre of the show that has you so enraptured…
Such memories…

And then I find out that Derrick Moss is in Quebec and has brought his whole system with him to set up at our friend Marc Philip’s place.

Great Scott! Marc invites me to come for a listen, and I have palpitations…
I call up my pal Michel S. and we get on the road to Asbestos, once the kingdom of the eponymous mineral and now the domain of high fidelity. Armed with a plethora of discs we enter the home of Marie-Ange and Marc to be greeted with big smiles. Restored with coffee and a sampling of good chocolate, we enthusiastically head for the music-loving audiophile’s den: a dedicated listening room.
As we come into the room we are met by some rather unusual things. Each component, the player-preamp, the 300B amplifier and the loudspeakers inspires confidence by its sobriety and build quality.
The wiring and connectors are audiophile grade. A pretty remote whose commands make intuitive sense.
In elementary Latin we learned that Aurum meant « gold »: speech is silver, silence is golden. I noticed this as I stuck my ear up next to the speakers.
After eyeing everything thoroughly and tapping the rigid, non-resonant sides of the speakers we took out the first disc and started the audition with the full, rich contralto of Marie-Nicole Lemieux singing the Ombre Vane aria from Vivaldi’s opera Griselda.
In spite of the power of her vocal efforts, the Aurum system delivers the piece without the slightest sense of effort and with a disarming ease and naturalness.
The red priest surprises us with the ornate movements of his silky strings, accompanied by a harpsichord which the numerous fortissimo passages never eclipse.
The musical selections follow close on each other’s heels.
Each disc reveals details previously hidden to us: the dry flutter of a page turning, the pluck of the strings of the harpsichord, the delicate tapping of the strings of a double bass, the zip of fingers sliding on new guitar strings.
Every selection delights us. We forget the passing of time and penetrate an almost palpable, carnal universe–even an orgasmic one!
The musicians seem to appear in the listening room and the Aurum system vanishes, leaving the entire stage to the performance.
A Bach sonata played on an early 18th-century violin by Camillo Camilli reveals the wood of the instrument. The richness and sweetness of its timbres reverberate in an immense hall. Hélène Schmitt, the violinist, enthralls and surprises us, caressing our senses.
We are all smiles as we continue our odyssey on waves of jazz, pop too, and in a nutshell the Aurum system has made new friends. Everything fits it to a ‘T’. Like a top model of great breeding and distinction, it can wear anything.
These are three-way speakers, and each way is a Milky Way of stars which dazzle you and which you do not wish to lose from sight. No need for a subwoofer, they go very low and do it with great authority. The SEAS tweeters’ highs are detailed but never brilliant or aggressive. Everything is rapid, sweet, natural and pleasant. The mids dance with remarkable richness and colour. You can sense the wood.
No matter what kind of music we play no matter the volume or instrument, nothing offends or hurts the ear. This system is a live thing, powerful, detailed, universal. It can be served with any sauce, even a hot one.
Anyone looking for a system for classical music, jazz, rock, heavy metal, rap or opera owes themselves a listen to the omniscient Aurum Acoustics 300B Integris system.
The time I spent with it went by too fast, and I wait with some impatience for a second invitation to bathe once more in the infinite Aurum.

In a word : transparent.

Recordings used for this session :
* The Stockholm Cathedral Choir: Kornt Har Sin Vila en XRCD2
* Michel Pascal: Puzzle
* Nicholas Payton: Gumbo nouveau (Trompette)
* Thérez Montcalm: Voodoo.

 


Michel S., music lover and consultant at Archambault Music
This is a report on a listening session with the Aurum system, in better conditions than at the Montreal Festival du Son et de l’Image.

In this season, one well supplied with tests and auditions of components and systems, it was a pleasure to rediscover a turnkey system which frees us from having to search for units which have « ideal » synergy. With this one, I felt no auditory fatigue after more than three hours of listening.

The Aurum system has sweetness and transparency which approach that of an electrostatic transducer without the downside.
The image is not oversized nor too narrow and offers a great deal of detail. Another strong point of this system, and not the least, is its respect of timbres. The instruments and voices find their colour and their personality through a tonal balance which does not favour one thread over another.

I can easily call this set of components exceptional for the quality of its reproduction, it gets out of the way of the music.
The Aurum system is a faithful messenger for the music.

Recordings used for this session :
* Daniel Lessard Trio: Pas à Pas
* Vivaldi: Griselda (naïve) Ensemble Matheus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi
* Alpha 100: Un voyage Musical
* Marin Marais: Sémélé, ouverture et danses. Montréal Baroque – Wieland Kujiken, Label: Atma Baroque (DSD,SACD/CD).

 


Patrick Lévesque, music lover and violinist
A few words to sum up the Aurum Acoustics system.
I liked this system very much, it let me enjoy some of my favourite musical styles, from Vivaldi to a good old Pink Floyd hit. The audio image I perceived was an incredible pleasure to the ears.

In a word: superb.

Recordings used for this session :
* Chris Jones (No sanctuary here) 03:47
* Blues Company (Cold rain) 05:44
* France Gall (besoin de vous) Live Bercy 1993 03:36
* Oscar Peterson Trio « You look good to me » 04:47
* Monty Alexander Trio « Nite Mist Blues » 10:10
* Martin Xavier (Scene de la vie pastorale) 02:04.

 


Listening impressions of Alain C, audiophile and music-lover
It’s surprising and impressive to feel the bass of an organ right there in your living room, and with such precision. That’s only happened to me in churches.
The definition in the low frequencies is surprising. You’d really think you were at a live show. The system provides unusual immediacy and connection. I especially liked Pat Metheny’s « Turn left » CD. Track 12 of the Voix Ostéophoniques’ « Resonance » CD: impressive, OOF!
Hearing this is humbling, what beautiful quality.

Recordings used for this session :
* Eagles: Hell Freezes Over
* John Rutter: Requiem (Reference Recordings HDCD)
* Pat Metheny Group: Offramp -Turn left
* The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out – Take Five
* Voix Ostéophoniques: Resonance
* The Alan Parson Project: Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edgar Allan Poe
* Hommage à Félix Leclerc du 08/08/88
* Academy and chorus of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner: Mozart Requiem.

 


Richard Dufour, audiophile and music-lover
Sometimes in an audiophile’s life he gets the chance to hear a truly outstanding system, and the Aurum Acoustics system is one of those.
You can see right away by looking at them how high-quality the components are.
Although it’s the ears that tell you when a system is really good, let’s say the first impression is through the eyes and this is a gourmet lunch (to use a gastronomic analogy).
The sonic virtues of the system are the equal of its price, sweetness where it’s needed, punch no problem, squeakiness when there is some–in short, easy to listen to, like a great ice dancer who makes her art look easy.
The stereo image, let us say, resembles the one I’m used to, no more. (This listener uses a Stereolith single-speaker system which does not produce the illusion of space by the usual method.) If there is anything exceptional about this system it’s the sound quality. I don’t know if it’s a characteristic of the system, but we were in a small room for speakers this size and yet the presentation breathed very nicely.
If things are even better in a large room, then in that case the listener would be at the gates of Heaven.

Recordings used for this session:
* Schubert Quintet in C,
* The Chuck Israel Quartet: The Bellingham Sessions Vol. 1,
* Hugh Masekela: Hope,
* Rutter: Requiem,
* A few Patricia Barber cuts,
* Dhafer Youssef,
* FSI 2006 Fidelio,
* Joe Pass: Ira, Georges and Joe,
* Kodo: Mondo Head,
* Atylantos Opéra moderne: Jean Patrick Capdevielle,
* Thomas Otten: Close to Silence,
* The Rosenberg Trio: Caravan,
* Wes Montgomery: Impressions.
* John McLaughlin: Thieves and poets.

 


Alain Provencher, audiophile and music-lover
I’ll try my best to put my experience into words. First of all, I had no expectations. I had listened to systems at this price before and had often been disappointed.
The Aurum Acoustics system is a very nice setup. The aesthetic side is stunning, the speakers’ finish is flawless, the rack, the speaker cables and of course the components, everything is beautiful.
As far as sound is concerned, you would have to call it surprising-surprisingly transparent and balanced, to be exact.
The highs as well as the mids were sweet and balanced. The bass was generous but still precise. You could feel the bass, the low notes made us vibrate too.
There was not the slightest doubt that we were before a sound system of a very high class.
The idea of designing a system whose parts function in symbiosis with each other is all the more interesting because you don’t have to buy another thing. The AC power cable and the RCA interconnect are quality pieces which are included with the setup.
The design of the amplifier looks robust and the use of three amplifiers is obviously a winning idea.
To sum up, it would be a lot harder to buy components separately and get the same quality this system provides.
Certainly the price is high, but the point should not be missed that this is true  » high fidelity  » reproduction.
I just have to get it gift-wrapped so Santa can slip it under the tree for me next Christmas.

Recordings used for this session :
* Holly Cole (I can see clearly now) 04:13
* Martin Xavier (Scene de la vie pastorale) 02:04
* Rutter: Requiem, Reference Recordings HDCD.
* Pink Floyd: The Wall.

 


Jocelyn Jeanson, audiophile and music-lover
From the very first notes it was a pleasure to listen, it was lively, precise and well-defined but not too much so. Note that I’m comparing it with my normal setup, which uses Acoustat panels 2.5 metres tall in a room with an 18-foor ceiling.
The sound is refined, one realizes that Derrick Moss has spent years perfecting it. It’s now just about perfect, I can’t seem to find any defects in it… perhaps a slight drop in detail in the high frequencies.
I think the designer, by using 300Bs to amplify the mids and highs, has made a choice in favour of balanced timbres rather than highly demonstrative expression. That places the system in a very high class indeed.
We are too used to hearing unbalanced hi-fi systems which tend to make the same point over and over. This is not the case here, since the tonal balance is all but perfect. Bravo Mr. Moss.
In a word: precise.

Recordings used for this session :
* Hommage à Claude Léveillé
* Richard Desjardin: Abbitibi
* Sheffield Lab Drum & Track disc
* Dave Brubeck at Carnegie Hall 1963, track 4
* Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon, Digital Master 24K Gold.

 


Jacques Vigneau, music-lover specializing in alternative rock and fusion jazz
The Aurum Acoustics system gives a very airy sound, open in the mids. I had the initial impression that bass was lacking, but this turned out to be an illusion, because if there is bass on the recording the system will reproduce it with class.
An iron fist in a velvet glove.

You quickly forget « bad company » (your previous, flawed points of reference) with a system like this. The soundstage is incredible, there is such realism of timbre and transients. I heard sounds I had never heard before, or never been used to hearing.
It’s a very finely-tuned system. Yes, that’s the word for it: fine-tuned.

Recordings used for this session :
* Porcupine Tree,
* Steve Hackett: The Tokyo Tapes,
* Eric Tessmer Band: Last Night at Joes,
* Altered: Heavy Jazz Fusion Trio en 2003,
* Bireli Lagrene: Hommage à Django Reinhardt, 1995, « My Favorite Django »,
* The Flowerkings (2006): Paradox Hotel,
* Sound track to Luc Besson’s film, The Fifth Element,
* Mike Goudreau Band: The Grass Ain’t Greener,
* Peter Frampton: Fingerprint.

 


Jonathan Menard, audiophile and music-lover
The Aurum Acoustics system is clean and sober-looking. It breathes quality.
The speakers are beautiful, the finish is excellent, but nothing about their appearance could prepare me for what came next. They looked like perfectly normal three-ways with drivers you could get from Solen. Nothing spectacular there.

I sat down and listened to a few of my current reference CDs. I went from Emilie Simon to blatant electronica to Diana Krall to ambient to trance; in short I tested the terrain in all its aspects.

The first impression that came to mind: great transparency.

I LOVE transparency, it’s just that unfortunately it sometimes goes along with a flat sound without much relief. Anyway, not the kind of relief which makes me jump out of my chair.
Actually my first contact gave me the impression that is was a superbly balanced system but at the same time polite and reserved.
Big mistake!

It jumps like a *******! (Or, more politely, it has impressive dynamics.)
Here, I have to admit without boasting that I know something about bass reproduction. I’ve heard a lot of bass, from below 20 Hz up to 100 Hz, that made my guts dance, at audiophile competitions notably.
Well, the Aurum Acoustics system presented me with what was very probably the most beautiful reproduction of the bass frequencies that I have ever had the fortunate occasion to hear.
Was it the Aurum Acoustics system itself? The acoustics of Marc Philip »‘s room? The combination of the two?
I don’t know the answer, but there is one thing I do know: it worked wonderfully.
Oh, of course I’ve heard louder, more aggressive bass before… but such perfect integration with the upper frequencies, never.
An extension which flirts pleasantly with 20 cycles, an excellent midbass, a breathtaking strike force at 50-60 Hz… yum!
The midrange is particularly well integrated with the tweeter.
Nothing aggressive. I noticed a slight rough point in the mids. the image is superb, the depth is lovely, the timbres are accurate.
In short, it’s an invitation to listen to the music while sipping a good cup of tea and asking no more questions.
There you are, and there are days like that when you surprise yourself with an instinctive relaxation. That’s what happened to me with the Aurum Acoustics system, I dropped my « cerebral » side to let myself go and abandon myself to the music.
I had very few expectations, but in the end I emerged from the session very happy to have heard what I did. It allowed me to put my own references into a new perspective.
Thanks again for the opportunity.

Recordings used for this session:
* Emilie Simon: La marche de l’empereur, tracks 1, 2 et 15,
* Bjork: Vesperine, tracks 2 et 8,
* Pete Namlook: Silence IV, track 1,
* Diana Krall: From this moment on, tracks 3 et 8,
* Infected mushroom: Converting vegetariens, CD2: other side, track 4.
* Artiste: TAB , Album: TAB, track No. 2: Animacia.

lecteur cdp integris
CDP integris by Aurum Acoustics

Marc Philip, editor of magazine-audio. and owner of inovaudio.

We were fortunate to be able to listen to the Aurum Acoustics system for several hundred hours. At first this was in a partially treated listening room, and then in the same room properly done, after we made some modifications to the ceiling.

We came to the conclusion that this was one of the best high fidelity systems we had ever encountered.

What we got was realism, dynamics, true timbres and balance, a breathtaking low end; in a word, the sound was natural.
The speakers disappeared and there was nothing left but the music in three dimensions, there were moments when we believed effortlessly that we were next to real musical instruments.

Detrrick Moss has pulled off the tour de force of designing a system whose five elements ( source, amplification, support, cables and loudspeakers ) have a synergy close to perfection. I am not aware of another such example of this calibre in the history of hi-fi.
Some manufacturers have certainly tried, but who has brought off the ideal match up to now? I could cite Naim, Linn, Meridian, Goldmund or Jadis, and that’s by no means all.
Whether you have a modest listening room or a grand salon, the Aurum Acoustics system will blend into the decor and adapt to its environment, and that’s extremely rare.
The « all-in-one » concept as imagined by Derrick is for those who dream of a system worked out to the smallest details for the purpose of faithful reproduction of music, nothing less.
You know, life never gives you more than you ask for…

Our man started off with the idea of building a system around the best components on the planet, applying theories which turn out to have been judiciously used.
I’m thinking, among other things, of the coupling and decoupling of vibration, of cable matching, of the integration of the low frequencies in a sealed enclosure, the physical separation of the mid and high frequency drivers, the active filtering, three-point support, the nonmagnetic disc stabilizer, the preamp integrated with the CD player.

To sum up : the CD’s digital signal goes to a (Swiss) Anagram converter chip. An impeccable top-loading chassis like the one on the French Audio Aero « Capitole » (but the analogy stops there because the CDP uses no tube circuitry). A built-in preamplifier is controlled directly with a Logitech multifunction remote, which is itself programmable, so that its simplicity and performance can be improved. No cables to add on. A pair of RCA cables leads directly into the 3-way active-filtered amplifier.

The mids and highs are reproduced by two tube amplifiers using 300Bs, known for their extreme musicality with voices. An AB-class amplifier is dedicated to the bass. Bass speaker design is based on the principle of the closed box, in order to reduce resonance while keeping great power performance and the ability to extend to the lowest frequencies.
It’s a winning recipe.

The stand is designed specifically to hold the system’s components. The only thing a new owner has to do is set up the system, and even then Aurum Acoustics’ dealers are highly qualified and competent to look after this final stage.

This Aurum Acoustics system is a jubilation, a machine for audiophiles and music-lovers thirsting for beautiful reproduction of music. It let us rediscover our entire CD collection.
Instead of spending your time changing components or cables which forever seem to be unsuitable or inadequate, never performing well enough, with this system you will spend time listening to music.

Aurum Acoustics has succeeded incredibly well from this point of view. It relieves the system’s owner of an enormous waste of time and money, leaving only what you have the right to expect when you spend $45,000: a high fidelity system truly worthy of the name.
As proof that simple does not mean oversimplified, the shortest way to high performance is sometimes actually the shortest. The musical signal has to be influenced as little as possible by the components it passes through. Even if there are only a few of them, they have to be of the highest quality, and this is the case of Mr. Moss’ Aurum Acoustics system.

For me, the word which best sums up this system is Fulfilment.
You have undoubtedly understood that we liked the Aurum Acoustics 300B Integris system very much indeed. Bravo, and long live the original Aurum Acoustics concept!

Lecteur CDP integris utilisé comme lecteur + DAC + préamp

Conclusion of this first part:

Points forts Strengths :

* Made in Canada,
* Five year guarantee,
* All-in-one concept: you plug it in, it works, nothing else to do but listen to your favourite CDs,
* Apparent simplicity overlying state-of-the-art technology; the CD player alone deserves to be called high-precision mechanics.
* Breathtaking tonal balance,
* Dynamics,
* Integrates faultlessly with any room, small or large, and that’s a lot rarer than you think,
* All frequency ranges, lows, mids and highs are exemplary in their coherence,
* A rare intimacy with the music,
* A realistic price considering its high-level performance.

Points faibles Weaknesses :

* Too well-made, perhaps? The 300B Integris plug-and-play concept leaves little or no room for swapping components. Compulsive buyers are bound to be frustrated.
* Ultra-complete remote control is also complex, perhaps too complex for controlling a single CD,
* A few « whimsicalities » in the internal connections,
* The price, for the ordinary mortal, is a very large amount to spend at once; monthly payments are our friends here.


With enthusiasm and fervour, you were numerous in sharing, entirely freely and independently, your personal convictions on this Canadian high fidelity system and I thank you for that.
For me personally, after sharing several months of my life with it, the Aurum Acoustics 300B Integris system turned out to be one of the most endearing companions I have ever known and became a reference on the hifi world.

It is without a doubt, and without any consideration of budget, one of the best systems I have had the chance to hear up to now.
Succeeding in extracting so much music, so many emotions and sensations, in a seventeen-square-metre room like ours amounts to a miracle. I hardly dare imagine the performance of the 300B Integris system in a larger room; it would surely be a dream come true, the Holy Grail of the audiophile, here at last.

The shared listening sessions were experiences of elation for me, the new meetings were wonderful moments and I won’t soon forget them.
At the time of writing, the Aurum Acoustics system is still at our place, and if you would like to have a listen too, may I invite you to make an appointment? It will be my pleasure to be your guide.

System cost breakdown, in U.S. dollars:

* Integris CD player + Logitech multifunction programmable remote control: $12000.00
* Integris 300B active system, including active filtered amplification + one pair of 3-way speakers + two pairs of speaker cables: $30,000.00
* AC cord: $750.00
* Rack with two isolated shelves: $3,000.00
* Aluminum bases for the speakers (highly recommended): $400.00
* One pair of speaker grilles: $300.00 (optional).

Contacts

Derrick Moss P.Eng. MBA President
Aurum Acoustics Product made in / Produit fait au Canada.
10 Minerals Road
Conception Bay South
Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada A1W 5A1
Tel.: 709 834 8244.


This article was written by Marc Philip, independent publisher. All rights reserved, copyright 2007/2008. The texts and photos are the property of the author and the magazine.

Have a good day and happy listening!

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