I recently accompanied my dad who is currently shopping for gear with the objective of building a budget sound system. And, our last stop in the audio chain was to get a pair of speakers.
We listened to different models/brands within the 40k region and ended up spending a lot of time with the Aurum Cantus Leisure 3SE. Overall, the Leisure 3SE exhibited a different sound character and experience compared to dome-based tweeter systems. The sound was completely devoid of sharpness, high frequency artifacts and artificial treble extension that one normally hears in conventional dome tweeter designs. With the ribbons, you hear every note followed by silence, then a note, then silence… But, you know that the ribbons are capable of delivering the highs when needed by the program material. We heard a lot of detail in both the mid-range and high frequency section that we haven’t heard in other speakers in its price point (or maybe even 2 to 3x its price). Malinis at detalyado tumunog. Technically, we think it's because the ribbons have the ability to deliver up to 40khz and mechancally, the ribbons just move more air that's why it has more resolution at mid-high frequencies. On the bottom end, bass is articulate with excellent bass extension in spite that the unit has not been 100% broken in yet.
So how good are the 3SE when I listened to music? Well, what I can say is that the acoustic guitar sounds close to the real thing. I know because I play the guitar. The vocals are also close to the sound I hear when I watch live band sessions and when we do sound checks during concert events. Of course it will not generate the sound pressure levels of a live band (that’s why I watch concerts) but the sound quality of the voice reproduced is close to it. I know you might want to hear more but that’s how far my listening preference and reference takes me.
On another note, we also auditioned the very affordable PHP5k Aurum Cantus F-Series bookshelf speakers which also impressed us in its overall sound reproduction. We really think that it’s the best value for money--also after listening to a lot of bookshelf speakers in its price range--that’s why we ended up bringing home a pair
As for the Leisure 3SE, my dad vowed that this is on top of his to do list and will definitely get a pair for keeps. He also liked the Moon Goddess II but is not yet prepared to invest that much again in an audio system.
Again, looking for the right speakers is a tedious process which entails going from shop to shop and scheduling listening sessions. But then, this is a worthwhile exercise if we want to make sure that we make the most out of our limited budget. So, if you’re shopping for speakers in this price range, we strongly recommend that you give the Aurum Cantus Leisure 3SE a listen before you make your final purchase decision or else you might end up having the worst case of "buyers remorse".