Test Aurelia Cerica
Given this intro, for the Aurelia Cerica one would expect controlled directivity for less room involvement; increased top-end dynamics and power response from the thrice-paralleled 'zero' excursion tweeters; superb soundstaging; and superior integration of the tweeter-to-mid/woofer transitions. The waveguide guarantees the latter. It enlarges the tweeters-meet-air diameter to that of the bigger drivers. That equalizes directivity mismatches in the crossover region and presents the ear with less seam detection. On the minus ledger, three stacked tweeters raise lobing fears. Wasn't Siegfried Linkwitz very specific about symmetrical arrays around a single tweeter? Paralleled HF drivers have precedents in pro applications and McIntosh home speakers of course but otherwise seem verboten. If—as one would expect Antti Louhivaara to claim—this was such a brilliant idea, why wasn't it more widely used? Time for some answers from the Finnish engineer. His previous designs have met with fine commercial and critical success. It's reasonable to assume that his Aurelia efforts advance over where he left off with Amphion. The Cerica is his second-best current model. After having been very favorably impressed with Amphion's entry-level Helium 510, I thought all this background promising enough to commit to today's assignment in person.
Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen