Advice on system with Aurum Cantus vs.PSB/Paradigm

Nobody knows it really. It's a solid state amp, made in the Shenzen region I think. I got a good deal on it but I don't think it has a distributor in NA any more. It's a basic, 4-input amp with a remote, in a heavy aluminum case (Chinese factories seem to specialize in metalwork). Very good sound and output for the money.

Thanks again... is your amp tube? sorry not really familiar with that brand.

Oh, I think it's not much of a review and I'm hardly an expert but thanks for the kind word. If I do a review it will be based on how the ACs sound in my main system.

Sound characteristic is, I would say, balanced. I thought of saying dark but that tweeter is so clear and extended that dark is not the right word. Warm, perhaps, without mud or confusion. The midrange is lovely, not too lush, very sweet-sounding. Soundstage is big and detailed, as far as I can tell in my small space. The speakers certainly are far less bright than the PSB Image units I know, and smoother.

In my very small bedroom I am using a modded Century 21 Alpha 120, a transistor integrated with around 100 wpc. That's more power than the ACs need in that room (the ACs do like power, though). The amp is almost unknown here in Canada; I would compare its sound with integrateds in the US$1200 to $1500 range.

Speaker cables are Audioquest Type 4. Sources are a Yamaha T1 and an Aiwa 3-head deck playing tapes I make on a TEAC V-8300 from my LP12 Lingo. I am using an overkill interconnect with this, an Ensemble Masterflux, just because it is surplus at the moment and I love it.

My systems are just stereo ; I have no plans for HT in the near or mid term.

Other suggestions ? Not really... maybe a sub for HT, although the ACs are surprisingly good at the low end. You know, I would say the Leisure 2s are music speakers: sweet, detailed, subtle, refined, extended. Not what I would pick first for HT. If I were using them in a dual-purpose system, it would be because music was the priority.

Thanks for the nice review of the ACs. I love laid back music... actually, music preferences are: jazz, classical, pop... nothing heavy or too loud. I am after that silky mid-range. Too bad I cannot audition these speakers since they do not have any in my country. Thats why I have to reply on you experts.

What is the sound characteristic or AC's? Is it dark or bright? What amp do you use to power it? cables? Are you using it for stereo or HT as well since I will be using mine for both.

Any other suggestion

Thanks :)

I know the PSB Image 4t but not the 5t. I am listening to a pair of Aurum Cantus Leisure 2s at the moment. (My bedroom is less than half the size of yours but that's where I'm listening to the ACs.) Note that my AC's are a version with upgraded crossover parts, however.

The only Paradigm I can compare with is the Titan, but this was my old bedroom speaker. I don't want to go back to it now.

IMHO the Aurum Cantus is so much better than the PSB there is no contest. The tweeter is especially superior, but that doesn't mean the bass is not satisfying. It goes low enough for me, and my small room limits bass severely. I intend to try the ACs out in my main rig, which is in a room about the size of yours, and I expect to be very happy. I think so even though the Aurum Cantus is much less efficient than the PSB and a lot smaller. If you expect to be having a lot of dance parties in your bedroom, maybe the 5t's are a better choice. But if you want to relax, I would say the Aurum Cantus is for you.