Cambridge Audio Aero 6 Review (Part 2)

Cambridge Audio Aero 6 Review (Part 2)

Sound quality

Often, moving from a small standmount to a big floorstander creates more problems than it solves, but the Aero 6 emerges as the better of the two speakers in my view. Cleverly, you get all the benefits of having two woofers pumping away shifting air, but none of the pitfalls of having a bigger cabinet to keep in check. And fascinatingly, the benefits don’t simply manifest themselves as better bass, you also get improvements right up the frequency band. Treble seems a little more relaxed and tuneful, midband is easier, more effortless and more dynamic and, of course, bass is far bigger booted.

Still, this is very much an Aero loudspeaker; both the 2 and the 6 sound like nothing else around at the price, and that’s meant in a good way. Their baseline is a wonderfully expansive sound, one that’s tonally extremely even and devoid of peaks and troughs. At first listen, this can manifest itself as being slightly over-smooth, but give it a few minutes and as soon as you’ve realised it’s not going to shout at you, you find yourself listening further into the music. The Aeros begin to sound very immersive, and the floorstanders seem to exacerbate this effect, pulling you further into the sound.

Cambridge Audio Aero 6 In sight

Rhythmically, because there’s no coruscating treble coming at you, or clanging midband, you can on first appraisal mistake the smoothness and evenness for a slight lack of bite. But you soon realise that these speakers are as fast as anything at or near the price, it’s just that they’re not crashing their way through the music. You get into a zone, where you can enjoy their natural musicality and effortless ease. It’s actually rather hard to describe, because so few speakers do this – possibly Quad electrostatics and Martin Logan hybrids at the top end of the market, but not many others. The sound coming from the Aero 6s is simply different to almost all other speakers on the market in one respect, thanks to that seamless BMR treble/mid driver and the way it is used. Meanwhile, those twin bass units marry up superbly and make it a delightful listen.

Cambridge Audio Aero 6 (Black with Grilles)

I found that the Aero 2s had a slight lack of atmosphere right at the very top, but the 6s are less guilty of this. Treble isn’t as incisive as Q Acoustics’ 2050i, for example, but it has a lovely floaty quality that means hi-hats are carried with super timing. On The The’s I’ve Been Waiting, it’s unusually easy to hear the interaction between the bass, snares and cymbals and this becomes a really key part of the song. Behind this Matt Johnson’s plaintive vocals soar, giving the song an epic feel. At the same time, loads of detail is thrust out stage left and right, from guitar licks to backing synths. The effect is powerful, engrossing even, yet tonally it’s as smooth as silk – not something you can say of most budget speakers.

Cambridge Audio Aero 6 (Walnut with Grilles)

For a $1.060 box, the Aero 6s can shift large amounts of air. They’re very efficient, seemingly able to produce high sound pressure levels with a watt or two – making them ideal for low-powered Class A and/or tube amps. I am amazed by the easy way they fill my listening room with vast swathes of sound. Camel’s Three Wishes is a suitably expansive soundtrack to this, the Aeros fi ring wide to the extremities of my large listening room, seemingly untroubled by any lack of headroom, even at high levels. The texture of the shimmering backing synths and crisp guitar come over convincingly, and are played together in perfect time. As with the Aero 2s, bass isn’t the tightest and tautest you’ll ever hear, but the supplied foam bungs help to tighten things up, as does careful placement and firm spiking into your floor. Still, this slight looseness is more than compensated for by their wonderfully effortless nature; this sound is as close to big three-way loudspeakers as you’ll get this side of $1.632 or more.

Conclusion

No less distinguished than its smaller $570 brother, the Cambridge Audio 6 is an unusual sounding loudspeaker – in a very positive way. It is one of the most refined, svelte and smooth- sounding floorstanders you can buy without breaking the bank, and has an easy, unflappable quality that makes music in a beguilingly natural way. The extra woofer and umpteen additional litres inside the cabinet simply make the speaker more dynamic and less stressed across the midband, making it an even smoother operator. It also adds an extra octave of bass for good measure, without falling into the trap of so many rivals that substitute quality for quantity. One of the finest affordable floorstanders you’ll hear, make sure you audition it now.