March 2003 Reviewed by Anthony Di Marco	American Acoustic Development C-Series Home-Theater Speaker System

Description Model: C-800i speakers Price: $800 USD per pair Dimensions: 49"H x 9"W x 11.6"D Weight: 60 pounds each Model: C-50i surrounds Price: $400 USD per pair Dimensions: 11.2"H x 15"W x 6.7"D Weight: 17 pounds each Model: C-401i center-channel Price: $300 USD Dimensions: 9"H x 26"W x 11.5"D Weight: 33 pounds Model: C-10 powered subwoofer Price: $650 USD Dimensions: 19.5"H x 15.2"W x 18.3"D Weight: 51 pounds

Description (cont'd) System price: $2150 USD Warranty: Two years parts and labor Features Proprietary silk-dome tweeters (C-800i, C-50i, C-401i) Treated-paper midrange and bass drivers (C800i, C-50i, C-401i) 10" high-excursion woofer with 50-ounce magnet structure (C-10) Integrated plastic wall hangers (C-50i) Magnetically shielded (C-800i, C-401i) Variable phase, volume, and crossover (C-10) Stereo loop through (C-10) 165W amplifier (C-10) Biwiring capable (C-800i, C-401i, C-50i)

American Acoustic Development’s (AAD) C-Series home-theater speaker system reminds me of the best qualities of the Advent and Acoustic Research products I knew as a teenager. Whatever you paired them with, whether inexpensive electronics or high-end separates, they always sounded good. And although they will perform well with more expensive electronics, their stable impedance curves and voicing are primarily designed to complement the power supplies of budget amplifiers.

To keep costs down and provide more bang for the buck, all of AAD’s loudspeakers are manufactured in China under the watchful eye of Phil Jones, head honcho at AAD (and responsible for some very successful speaker designs, including Acoustic Energy’s AE-1 and Platinum Audio’s Solo). The C-Series line includes floorstanding, bookshelf, and center-channel models, along with a bipole surround and a powered subwoofer. Prices of the C-Series speakers range from $200 to $800 USD. The system under review here retails for $2150.

On the outside

One thing became clear as I unpacked each carton: The AADs are not small or lightweight speakers. The C-800i towers are nearly 50" tall, while the C-401i center-channel takes up most of the room atop my 46" widescreen TV. Even the relatively small C-50i surrounds are heavy enough to have me question the robustness of their built-in plastic hangers. Then we have the relatively small C-10 subwoofer, which by way of its muscular appearance conveys a formidable personality.

Every speaker in this 5.1 package appears well constructed. Each speaker has a satisfying weight and exhibits clean, precise workmanship. Also impressive are details, which are often overlooked in this price class. Every speaker includes facilities for biwiring, by way of sturdy, knurled binding posts. There are also well-crafted cloth grilles, which are a cut above the fragile plastic-framed variety commonly seen. Each ported design also utilizes foam barriers that prevent the enclosure from swallowing (or being force-fed) foreign objects. In addition, the C-800i towers and C-10 subwoofer both include heavy-duty carpet spikes.

Where AAD does save money is in the appearance. Despite its flawless application, the finish consists of shiny, faux-maple vinyl cladding and black vinyl accents. There is also a rather hollow sound and slight buzz that comes from the C-800i’s enclosure when rapped upon. However, at a cost of $2150 for the entire system, something has to give. The trick is making sure the tradeoffs don’t adversely affect sound quality.

On the inside

The Advents I used to own employed paper woofers with foam surrounds and Mylar tweeters. The ARs used polypropylene with foam surrounds for the woofers and midranges, and pure titanium for their tweeters. By comparison, the C-Series couples their plastic-coated paper mid/woofer drivers to butyl rubber surrounds, which allegedly enables them to produce a smoother frequency response and gentle roll-off at the frequency extremes. According to Jones, paper not only has lower cost but also benefits from a lower mass for higher efficiency. The C-Series use 1" silk-dome tweeters for, reportedly, more linear frequency response.

The C-800i’s cabinet is home to four 6.5" versions of these plastic-coated drivers. Two drivers reproduce frequencies from a claimed 30Hz up to 300Hz, where a crossover transitions in two more of the same drivers. This second set of drivers handle frequencies up to 3kHz. The mesh-protected silk tweeter reproduces frequencies from 3kHz up to a claimed 36kHz. One should not mistake this MTM array for a true D’Appolito design. Where D’Appolito speakers use a third-order (18dB/octave) crossover, the C-800i utilizes a second-order slope (12dB/octave).

With its grille removed, this impressive collection of drivers gives the C-800i an elegant but muscular appearance. I placed the C-800i speakers 2’ from the back wall in my listening room, 12’ from my listening position, and 6’ apart.

The same 6.5" drivers and silk tweeter are used in the C-401i. But Jones modifies the typical MTM arrangement used in the majority of center-channels, by creating a 2.5-way design. Consequently, one of the mid/woofers handles frequencies up to 300Hz, while the other meets the 1" tweeter at 3kHz. This arrangement allegedly improves the speaker’s horizontal dispersion characteristics so off-axis response is consistent across the listening area (a feature that is uncommon for many inexpensive MTM designs). As a result, listeners should not perceive a change in tonality whether they sit directly to the front or to the side of the center-channel. Also uncommon for a speaker at this price is the ability to reproduce bass down to an AAD-specified 42Hz.

If 42Hz seems impressive for a center-channel at the C-401i’s price, then 50Hz is downright rare for $400 surrounds. By using two 4.5" versions of their plastic-treated driver, the C-50i surrounds better the bass response of most small surrounds by an octave.

I don’t like the C-401i’s integrated plastic hangers, though. They seem too lightweight to handle the weight of the C-401i. Though the sparse instructions make no mention of this fact, AAD does recommend aftermarket hardware like OmniMounts or Monster Mounts. Concerned by what may happen if the plastic hangers did fail, I placed each surround on 30" speaker stands and positioned them to the side of my listening position so that their null point (blank front face) was lined up with my ears.

Offering bass reinforcement that is specified to extend down to 22Hz, the C-10 subwoofer can also be considered a class-leading product. Powered by a 165W amplifier, the AAD-designed high-excursion bass driver looks like something out of Sunfire’s True Subwoofer. With a 50-ounce magnet and an amplifier claimed to exceed 200W peaks, this sub should live up to its specifications. Feature wise, the C-10 leaves little to be desired. Stereo line-level loops, a variable crossover, and phase correction sit alongside speaker-level connections and a detachable power cord. In my room, the C-10 is compact enough to sit halfway between the C-800i speakers.

In the ear

Choosing the proper crossover point seems to be the key in keeping the C-10 happy. Using 80Hz causes the slightly plump bass of the C-10 to excite the 50Hz mode in my room, while a 60Hz setting tames the mode. As a result, the C-10 does a fine job reproducing meaty but solid bass. I won’t say it’s the driest or tightest bass I’ve heard, but it provides good resolution and impact. More importantly, the C-10 is not a one-note sub only capable of booms and rumbles.

With the C-10 handling the LFE track, the AAD system does a nice job conveying the bass impact of Sauron’s demise in the opening of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The rippling bass effect shook my room with authority while remaining clean and tight.

The same taut bass response is apparent in M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs. Menacing bass effects toward the end of chapter 9 successfully penetrate the skin while the ambient snap and rustle of cornstalks induce a shiver. The C-50i surrounds do an excellent job reproducing the ambiance of Graham Hess’s creepy run-in with a lone alien invader in his cornfield.

The C-Series also gets the subtleties right. Even when things are blowing up onscreen, vocals and subtle atmospheric effects such as wind and rain come through without harshness or treble splash; characteristics often related to poorly designed speakers. And the chaos of scenes like "Alarm" (chapter 3) in Reign of Fire never washes out the details or voices that lay amid the melee of fire-breathing beasts.

The AAD’s smooth nature does come at the expense of some impact and excitement. Crashes, booms, and explosions all sound a bit blunted compared to more forward-sounding designs. I’m not talking about high-frequency roll-off as much as transient snap. Considering these speakers are intended to complement the sometimes-harsh sound of budget electronics, this trade-off makes sense. For instance, the metal shutters in chapter 11 ("The Bee Dome") of the X-Files: Fight the Future don’t open with as startling a snap as they do with some other systems I’ve heard. But the AADs do reproduce the swarming sound of the bees and ambiance of the dome perfectly. I’ve heard many speakers that try to compensate for harshness at the expense of detail. The AADs do not.

The system provides a very smooth but surprisingly detailed sound with music as well. The title track on Ani DiFranco’s Up Up Up Up Up Up [Righteous Babe 13] sounds crisp and clear, with DiFranco’s voice remaining full but not too forward. As they do on film soundtracks, the C-800i main speakers soften the transient edges of instruments, while producing coherent but plump bass. Especially impressive is the C-800i’s ability to throw a well-balanced image. Instruments have good separation without committing the sin of overly incisive outlines. For example, Leonard Cohen’s distinct vocals on the well-produced "By the River’s Dark" [Ten New Songs (Columbia 85953)] don’t just sit at a pinpoint position center stage, but emerge from the center with consistent coverage moving out toward the sides.

Vocals do on occasion sound a bit recessed and thickened, but not to the point where they suck the life out of the music. In fact, the AAD system adds to the enjoyment of some songs. An example is the thin and compressed sound of Clan of Xymox’s "At Your Mercy" [Notes from the Underground (Metropolis Records 222)], which benefits from the C-800i’s thickening of tone by effectively giving body and drive to the song.

Another telling sign of how well the AADs balance their smoothness with detail is in how they handle classical recordings. While transient attack and dynamics did suffer a little, the emotional drive of Leonard Bernstein’s "Candide Suite" [Minnesota Orchestra Showcase (Reference Recordings RR-907CD)] still shone through.

In comparison

Building speakers in China is a strategy that a growing number of audio manufacturers use to compete in this crowded market segment. AAD does it and so does NHT. However, with these two systems, the similarities end there. The NHT Super Audio speakers that I reviewed in December 2001 do not take kindly to budget electronics. NHT’s goal is to reveal everything. AAD is the polar opposite, and welcomes end users who own budget electronics.

NHT’s now-discontinued SubOne is a lot of sub for the money. At $800, the SubOne may not be able to extend as low as the C-10 allegedly does, but it offers additional adjustments such as variable LFE and more convenient controls via external adjustments (a separate component tethered via a cable). In addition, it includes a proprietary balanced RCA cable for noise rejection over long runs. Sound wise the AAD C-10 and NHT SubOne are quite different. The NHT is punchy, articulate, and a touch analytical, while the C-10 has a warmer, fuller character.

Different people have different tastes when it comes to surround speakers: Some prefer direct-radiating designs, while others like the more diffuse-sounding bipole or dipole. I find that a wide-dispersion direct-firing speaker doesn’t give up much to the diffuse types as long as they are correctly positioned. NHT’s front-firing SB3 bookshelf is able to fill my room with engaging surround information. But the C-50i surrounds do have a slight advantage. Their soundfield envelops the listener more consistently and is a little bit better with delineating spatial effects.

Size matters with center-channels: AAD’s C-401i simply buries NHT’s smallish SC1 center-channel. The high-power-handling C-401i demonstrates the importance of bass response for seamless subwoofer integration. Also, in my setup there is little to no off-axis tonal shift with the C-401i. By comparison, the NHT SC1 sounds a bit muffled off-axis.

The NHT ST4 towers are favorites of mine: slender, solid, and dynamic, they image well and have good bass extension. The C-800i is a much larger, albeit less elegant, tower. Bass quality between the ST4 and AAD’s C-800i is similar to their respective subwoofers: The NHT’s bass is fast and punchy, while the AAD's is warm and full. Mid and high frequencies are day and night, however. The NHT’s are detailed and very transparent, but get harsh when pushed hard. The C-800i speakers have very smooth yet extremely detailed high frequencies, but their midrange is slightly recessed. They also image extremely well and provide a more diffuse soundstage that some people may prefer over pinpoint imaging. The AADs are also able to handle a lot of power without any signs of mechanical fatigue.

In conclusion

The C-Series speakers from AAD are impressive products that seem to have struck a good balance between cost and performance; well-built enclosures, nice features, and very good sound quality are their greatest assets. If you’re looking for a speaker system with these qualities, you’ve found the next home-theater speaker system you should audition.

Manufacturer contact information:

American Acoustic Development Ltd.
2609 Discovery Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616
Phone: (919) 876-2571
Fax: (919) 876-2590

Website: www.aadsound.com  

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