The ELARGO 100 is the more compact floorstander of the Elargo line from Gauder Akustik, a newer range that also contains the Elargo 200 and the Elargo Center for home cinema. Gauder pitches the family at living rooms where the loudspeakers are treated as part of the furnishings, so finish and proportions were given as much weight as the driver set. Unlike the older Berlina models, whose enclosures are stacked from separate ribs, the Elargo cabinets take the teardrop outline from solid side walls with internal bracing. A pair costs EUR 23,998 in Germany with the standard tweeter.
Key specs that matter
Gauder specifies a 3-way bass-reflex floorstander with a nominal impedance of 4 ohm and a power handling rating of 280 W. Height is 119 cm, width 26 cm and depth 38 cm, and each unit weighs 40 kg. The driver complement is two 17 cm long-throw XPulse woofers, a 17 cm XPulse midrange and a hand-selected beryllium dome tweeter, with a diamond tweeter offered as an upgrade. Three finishes are listed - piano lacquer black, piano lacquer white and high-gloss rosewood. No sensitivity or frequency range figures are published by the maker.
Engineering and use context
Both woofers have stiffened aluminium cones and a centering spider vented at the rear, which lets air escape from behind the moving assembly during long strokes. They radiate downward, a layout Gauder chose so that the low frequencies excite the room evenly, and the reflex opening also sits on the underside. The midrange driver is housed in a sealed compartment of its own, isolated from the air load of the woofers. The tweeter pairs its ultra-light beryllium dome with an iron-neodymium-boron magnet. The crossover is symmetrical, uses Mundorf components and filters at more than 50 dB per octave, and its Time Delay Control circuit holds back the faster driver signal so that the outputs of all three ways line up in time. A Bass Extension system adds low-frequency output in selectable steps, and a separate switch sets the bass level to minus 1.5 dB, flat or plus 1.5 dB. Clearwater cable runs inside the cabinet. Options include a Double Vision version and a front frame held by magnets.
Pairing
The low nominal impedance together with the high power rating suits a solid-state amplifier with real current capability rather than a small valve design. The bi-wiring terminal allows two cable runs or separate amplifier channels for the woofers and the upper section, and the Elargo Center can complete a multichannel front row built around a pair.
Alternatives
The Gauder Akustik ELARGO 200 is the larger tower of the same line, with two 22 cm woofers, a 126 cm cabinet, 50 kg weight and 480 W power handling.