HECO Aurora 1000 Tower Speaker Review

[shadyJ]

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HECO is a new brand to me, so when some large, 3-way tower speakers arrived at my doorstep from this unknown brand, I didn’t really know what to expect. This led to a series of surprises as I put them through the review process, some negative and some very positive. My experience with them has definitely put HECO on my radar; read out full review to find out why...

READ: HECO Aurora 1000 Tower Speaker Review

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Been waiting almost 9 hours for that link to show up. Great review!

I checked out their website, https://www.heco-usa.com and they have a full lineup.

 

[ryanosaur]

Excellent review. Glad to see another budget-minded offering come up with above average performance. I continue to be stunned when I see higher priced options come to the game with shoddy performance. Is there a Hat Trick in the making, @shadyJ ?
This, the Monolith... and...

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Excellent review. Glad to see another budget-minded offering come up with above average performance. I continue to be stunned when I see higher priced options come to the game with shoddy performance. Is there a Hat Trick in the making, @shadyJ ?
This, the Monolith... and...

I bet the Canton GLE 496.2 towers would be a hit. They were a damn steal when AC4L was selling for $800/pair. Now they go for about 60% more, but still worth it in my opinion.

 

[ryanosaur]

I bet the Canton GLE 496.2 towers would be a hit. They were a damn steal when AC4L was selling for $800/pair. Now they go for about 60% more, but still worth it in my opinion.

Canton, by all account is a great brand. I found one Dealer that only carried their Standmounts; no Towers. That Dealer has since closed so I never got to audition any.
That said, however the A4L thing came about (perhpas a fire sale or stock liquidation from yet another company that brought them in?) it was definitely a great deal. Whenever I've looked at Canton elsewhere, however, they are not a budget minded company.

(Of course, I rarely look at the entry level stuff, but I'm also not buying! )

 

[Eric Myers]

James - great review, and I agree with you 90%. I've had the Heco Aurora 1000's for about a week now, and have really been looking forward to you doing what you do on these! Only point I somewhat disagree on is aesthetics - they exceeded my expectations in this regard, though mine are black and less revealing than white would probably be. Your impressions sonically match mine pretty much point for point. Truly impressive speakers by any comparison, and in the value-for-money regard, an absolute home run.

One point to elaborate on - your observations on the rear bass port not necessarily intended to increase bass is probably correct. I've got them really close to front wall with a pretty minimal treatment behind, and get NO excessive loading or boominess. That's an unexpected benefit in my room, and will be for others considering these.

 

[lovinthehd]

FWIW was just checking out Audio Advice's site to see if shipping was extra, and it's not....

 

[MandM]

Sigberg you taking notes?

 

[shadyJ]

Sigberg you taking notes?

The people shopping for these are not cross-shopping for the kind of stuff Sigberg Audio makes.

 

[Sigberg Audio]

Sigberg you taking notes?

Looks like a good speaker!

I see roughly zero similarities with this product and our speakers, so not sure what to take notes about, but I'm always happy to learn new stuff!

 

[3db]

These speakers punch way above their price class and measure better than any $800 tower has a right too. Bravo!! In room response will gain one more bass but these definately need a sub to fill in the lower registers. I actually prefer this over a speaker that attempts to get to the bottom end with sloppy bass.

Good review. I only question your build score for being a little on the low side as I didn't see any real resonance issues coming out in the measurements. I know its all about taste but I rather be in the company of a nice woman over that of a snotty diva.

 

[shadyJ]

These speakers punch way above their price class and measure better than any $800 tower has a right too. Bravo!! In room response will gain one more bass but these definately need a sub to fill in the lower registers. I actually prefer this over a speaker that attempts to get to the bottom end with sloppy bass.

Good review. I only question your build score for being a little on the low side as I didn't see any real resonance issues coming out in the measurements. I know its all about taste but I rather be in the company of a nice woman over that of a snotty diva.

The effects of the paneling can be seen in the impedance measurement. However, we don't see anything serious impacting the acoustic measurements. It might be more readily seen in distortion measurements which I do not do (for loudspeakers anymore). Some manufacturers go ridiculously overboard in trying to neutralize cabinet vibrations. I don't think it's usually a big deal, but I am not certain of the extent that it can audibly impact the sound. On some really cheap speakers, yeah, it is plausible to me that it can have a significant effect on the sound, but how far does it scale as the build get better? I don't know of any serious research that gauges the audibility of cabinet vibrations.

 

[3db]

The effects of the paneling can be seen in the impedance measurement. However, we don't see anything serious impacting the acoustic measurements. It might be more readily seen in distortion measurements which I do not do (for loudspeakers anymore). Some manufacturers go ridiculously overboard in trying to neutralize cabinet vibrations. I don't think it's usually a big deal, but I am not certain of the extent that it can audibly impact the sound. On some really cheap speakers, yeah, it is plausible to me that it can have a significant effect on the sound, but how far does it scale as the build get better? I don't know of any serious research that gauges the audibility of cabinet vibrations.

Toole suggests that the low Q broad band resonances brought on my panel resonance is more audible than the higher Q narrow frequency spread. I still need to finish reading the book as he may elaborate more on this later on in his book. But for $800, this a terrific speaker.

 

[Eric Myers]

These speakers didn't take long to break in, but they DO loosen up after a little exercise - The magnetic grilles are quite nice quality and transparent. They do like a tiny bit of toe in it seems. Soundstage and Imaging continues to really amaze me - was streaming some Tool earlier - Eulogy on Aenema is a great track for that, and these really made that come alive. Still absolutely zero likelihood of listening fatigue with these speakers. They've got BALLS down low - not overbaked and sloppy, but nice and tight with authority in good balance. At the moment, really listening to Peart's drums, which I can pick out each can and cymbal in space easily, and with very nice tonality. The mix on this record is quite nice for a Rush album - which tend to be a bit 'wall of sound' and this one definitely is that - but the point here is that you can absolutely hear the mix engineer's decisions through these speakers as the tracks move along, which is pretty cool.

 

[lovinthehd]

You could tell when the speakers were "broken in"? That's quite an accomplishment. How's Chocolate Chip Trip on 'em?

 

[Eric Myers]

I can say they loosened up no question at all, and I generally don't buy the whole break in jive. Didn't run Fear yet...tonight is Rush and Triumph from new acquisitions!

 

[lovinthehd]

What does loosened up mean, you got accustomed to them?

ps enjoy the rocking out!

 

[Eric Myers]

Maybe...who knows really. Sure am having a lot of fun jamming out on them!

 

[lovinthehd]

Maybe...who knows really. Sure am having a lot of fun jamming out on them!

Well now I really doubt you can tell (let alone did any actual convincing comparisons)....but glad you're enjoying the speakers

 

[shadyJ]

A good deal going on right now with these speakers: if you enter the code HECO25 in the discount code at checkout, you save $212 per speaker which allows you to get a pair for $1,273.50 which might make these the best deal in tower speakers at the moment.