Aural Envelope EX300

The aural envelope EX300 are a really good pair of speakers, rated at 100w they can handle a surprisingly large amount of power and do not distort until high levels. With twin bass drivers the bass is tight and punchy while the soft dome tweeter ensures that the treble is clear and balanced. The sound is really clear and crisp, and they really are great value for money. they respond really well to a good amplifier and i would recommend something that is not too powerful, something that is around 60wpc. I use my set with a Sherwood amplifier giving out 130w rms and it sounds great. as another added convenience the speakers will work with both 4 and 8 ohm amplifiers and are bi-wire able using gold plated binding posts. I believe that they retailed at around 70 in richer sounds but i bought them second hand in a shop for just 55! in my case you really get a lot of speaker for your money and i would definitely recommend them to anyone who is on a budget and want a speaker that really performs well.

***UPDATE***

Just thought I would add a quick update on the Aural Envelope EX300 stereo speakers, having run them in and having tried them out for a while now with a wide range of music.

Having bi-wired them, I have to say that any difference is pretty small; maybe slightly clearer mid-range, but difficult to spot.

However, I was concerned by sibilance and clipping evident on a track by The Weekend Players, and decided to take the speakers to another room and try them next to my KEF Q30's. The sibilance and clipping were also evident on these speakers (NAD amp, Sony CD player). The problem was clearly in the recording not the hardware.

While they were set up I decided to do a few blind tests in comparison (the KEF speakers cost £399 10 years ago). I have to say that the Aural Envelopes stood up very well indeed. Although they produce considerably more bass, they still did not sound quite as 'full' or 'warm' as the KEF's, but it was a fairly small difference. In terms of depth and width of soundstage, they were excellent, and stereo separation was well defined.

I don't profess to having the same hearing as any professional reviewer, but to my ears these speakers sound extremely good indeed. The rest of my views are included in my previous review.

Having read the reviews here I thought it important to give a detailed review of the Aural Envelope EX300 stereo speakers for anyone considering buying them.

I bought these speakers sixth months ago, but I have only just received them as I have moved to New Zealand. I have several hi-fi's with a range of speakers from very large KEF floor-standers to bookshelf Missions. The Aural Envelope speakers are currently connected to a NAD amplifier and a fairly old Technics CD player (both shortly to be replaced). They are connected using Cabletalk 3 speaker cable.

Construction/Finish...

A fairly standard box made from chipboard, covered with a beech effect vinyl. On close inspection this vinyl is not quite as crisp in look as that on my Mission speakers, but from any distance they look fine.

They do not come with spikes for a carpeted floor, and instead sit on rubber feet that are screwed into the bottom. It would not be a problem to fit spikes, and they are readily available.

The rear panel is as you would expect - an injection moulded affair with two sets of binding posts. The posts are solid and brightly gold plated. They really are no different in look or feel to those on any other speakers.

Speaker grilles - these are constructed from MDF with a fine speaker cloth stretched over them and firmly attached. Once again the cloth is the same as any other, and the MDF is well cut.

Speakers/front baffle - this is the only area, that if nit-picking I could complain about. The speakers are well fitted into the front baffle but there are one or two areas around the speakers where the vinyl looks as though it does not quite go around the edge. You would have to be examining them very closely from only a few cms away to spot this. The screws holding in the woofers are the type that require an allen key. To my taste they are a little bright in colour and would look more 'classy' in black. The screws holding in the tweeter are also a bit of a poor choice, looking a little cheap. However, if the grilles are on then you cannot see them, and if you really wanted to you could easily (and cheaply) replace these screws.

There is a port at the bottom, and this again is well fitted and of a fairly standard design. Acoustic wadding is visible inside, and I would guess that this could be removed (there are several schools of thought on acoustic wadding) if required through the back panel, though I think it might be a bit of a fiddly job.

Overall, the speakers are solidly made, and while the difference between these and much more expensive speakers is visible, they are in no way shabby looking. Real wood veneer and more attention to details (the choice of screws, shaped/moulded front baffles) would cost considerably more.

Sound quality...

Of course, however reasonable these speakers look, the sound is probably the most important aspect.

So far I have only connected them singly (as opposed to bi-wiring them) and have 'run them in' for a few hours.

While the soundstage is not particularly deep or wide, they are easily equal to my Mission 701's with a much deeper bass. It's this bass power that many have remarked on, and it is certainly noticeable, giving much greater weight to all the music played. In fact, it may be necessary to turn the bass down a little on your amp, especially with acoustic music where it may take over a little.

Tested with the Chemical Brothers' Block Rocking Beats they coped well; not sounding bloated by the heavy bass-line, and certainly not struggling in the sense of creating distortion through the audible flexing of the woofers.

With more acoustic tracks, such as Nick Drakes Bryter Later, the mid range is well produced and clear, with vocals sounding natural.

By using an amplifier and source from the 'budget' end of the market you cannot fail to be impressed by these speakers.

Why anyone would consider them to be poor in terms of quality or sound I cannot understand. At £70 they are a bargain and a perfect step into the separates arena for anyone building their first system. I bought them in the hope that they would give a little more bass in a large room with a wooden floor. I have not been disappointed.

I have been using the Aural Envelope EX300 stereo speakers for two months, and I am very pleased with them.

The sound quality is comparable to speakers costing an awful lot more. I use them with a Nad310 and a Marantz CD-52, and the sound is awesome.

To the reviewer who thinks we are all working for Richer Sounds, all I have to say is he must be using inferior equipment, or it's not connected correctly. With these speakers you must have a quality system, and use quality interconnects and cables.

Bought my Aural Envelope EX300 from Richer Sounds to give my Yamaha amp some additional kick and was very impressed. Did the try before you buy demo in the shop and was amazed at the quality for such a price. Was looking for a set of budget floorstanders and got a lot more bangs for my buck. Looking to bi-wire when I have time, but have been really impressed and frankly blown away while watch Bourne Identity and Matrix Revolutions. Great sound, price for an awesome set of floorstanders. Do take time to tweek the set up of amps and other speakers though.

I was also worried about buying the Aural Envelope EX300 speakers as they were very cheap, however, they are very good. My old Kefs were feeling their age and these EX 300's are a different type of sound but to my taste. Plenty of umph!

I was shocked to read one reviewer describe the Aural Envelope EX300 speakers as 'awful'. It's possible this reviewer had a bad/faulty pair, or a set-up that didn't suit. I originally tried these using my small room set-up: Denon PMA 250 (30 wpc), and a half-decent Technics CD player. The sound was OK, but nothing special: the bass was a little hollow, and the treble lacked definition. However, I then set these up with my lounge amp (Cambridge Audio A5 [60 wpc]) which allowed me to bi-wire them: result, different speaker. Bass was noticeably tighter, treble much more focused and precise. It may be that these speakers benefit from a bit more amp power and/or bi-wiring. These were definitely a much better speaker with the right set up, great presence and soundstaging, a lot of speaker for around £70.

Amp used for testing the Aural Envelope EX300was a NAD 352 CT so there was definitely no sound quality loss!

Worth buying if they are reduced to about £40 - 50 I would say.

(ratings done as 5=average and what would be expected )

Can only imagine that the people who have already reviewed these Aural Envelope EX300 stereo speakers work for Richer Sounds and are trying to get rid of a job lot. These really are poor speakers, not just in sound, the connections around the back are as cheap and tacky as they come.

As most people would have, I hesitated over buying the Aural Envelope Speakers for such a low price from Richer Sounds. At this price, I assumed they would sound cheap and nasty, but that's not the case.

Used with an Eltax 5.1 amplifier and Gale Silver monitors as my rears, connected to my pc with a Sound Blaster Live sound card, they sound amazing. The twin bass drivers produce rumbling lows whilst the dome tweeters make crisp treble. Great buy for someone on a budget!!!