Floorstanding loudspeakers — HECO Aurora 1000

HECO of Germany built the Aurora 1000 as a three-way ported floorstander, and it is the top tower model of the Aurora family. The range also includes the compact Aurora 300, and HECO later added an Aurora XT 1000 version. In the United States it sold for USD 799 per speaker, with finishes in ebony black or ivory white silk matt lacquer combined with a wood decor accent.

Key specs that matter

Two 200 mm woofers handle the bass, a single 170 mm cone takes the midrange, and a 28 mm silk compound dome looks after the top, with crossover points at 260 Hz and 3,300 Hz. HECO rates the frequency range at 22 Hz to 42,500 Hz, the impedance at 4 to 8 ohm and the sensitivity at 93 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Load capacity is 230 W RMS and 380 W peak, and HECO names 30 to 380 W as the amplifier power that suits it. The cabinet alone measures 235 x 1200 x 375 mm, growing to 305 x 1258 x 393 mm with the base and terminals, and each speaker weighs about 26.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

Each of the three cone drivers relies on HECO kraft paper membranes, with light long-fibre cones, flat long-fibre dust caps and long-throw surrounds on the woofers. The tweeter is a Fluctus design, its fabric dome mounted in a computer-optimised front plate with a multi-wave surface meant to control dispersion, and it uses a ferrite double magnet with ferrofluid cooling. The enclosure is multi-braced and vents through two flow-optimised, screwed-in reflex tubes. Cross members at the foot carry height-adjustable solid aluminium cone spikes with exchangeable metal or rubber tips, and the tips can be swapped to suit the floor surface. HECO optimised the crossover for both amplitude and phase and fitted it with high-grade components, and two pairs of gold-plated, encapsulated screw terminals permit bi-wired or bi-amped hookup. The removable cloth cover is held on by magnets.

Pairing

Thanks to the high sensitivity, even a low-powered valve or transistor amplifier can drive the Aurora 1000 to high levels, while the wide power window accepts much larger amplifiers too. The impedance minimum of 4 ohm points to an amplifier whose specification covers 4 ohm operation. The twin woofers and deep bass extension make it suited to larger living spaces rather than a small 20 m2 room.

Alternatives

The HECO Aurora 700 sits one step below in the Aurora floorstanding line as a three-way model, using two 170 mm woofers and rated at 92 dB sensitivity.