In 1976 I opened Landes Audio in Chester, NJ, placing an emphasis on unique audio/video systems and custom installations.  Landes Imports grew out of a need to maintain or acquire special equipment for our custom audio/video retail store.  We had difficulty in finding remarkable niche products that were available through normal distribution the market place. In the early 80's I had acquired the franchise for Tangent Acoustics loudspeakers, one of the more heralded British products at that time. When the North American distributor closed his business we were determined to maintain the line for our clients.  Subsequently we took over distribution of Tangent and enjoyed a number of successful years with the line.  At the same time we also imported Helius tone arms and the "Rock" turntable by Max Townshend. With the requirements of our custom installation work growing and because of our own curiosity and love of music, we began to modify and improve speaker systems.  When unfortunate economic circumstances put Tangent out of business, we decided to offer our own custom line of loudspeakers under the company name Terpsichore.  Since the mid 80's we have maintained a superior line of custom-made speakers with the customer's decoration requirements in mind. In the mid 90's we discontinued the manufacturing of speakers in order to concentrate on our growing custom installation business. More recently, from 2000 to 2002, we represented KR Electronics, a manufacturer of fine vacuum tubes and vacuum tube electronics.  During the High End Show in Vegas 2002 I had the pleasure of meeting with the owners of Ars Aures, an Italian speaker manufacturer. I was so taken by the quality of workmanship and spectacular sound that I immediately introduced them to Dr. Kron and suggested that they join forces to show their products together at subsequent shows.  KR and I parted ways in 2003 and in the middle of 2003 Ars Aures contacted me to discuss national distribution of their product. Since the 2004 CES in Vegas I have proudly represented Ars Aures, a leader in speaker design.

In 2002, 5 years from its' inception in 1997, Ars Aures Audio presented the Musical Notes line at Las Vegas CES.  The new loudspeaker line was designed as a benchmark product without compromises in quality or musicality. High technology in projecting, manufacturing and testing are only the preface of the know how that signals the birth of a Musical Notes Speaker. The unique AA sound is a result of many factors.  First, we select drivers that are closely matched to obtain uniformity and consistency in our sound. Then we invest a great deal of time in intense listening sessions.  There are many fine ways to arrive at "good" sound but only our special blend of warmth, concreteness, sweetness, and detail ca be called, "The Musical Notes Sound". This is the best that high-end technology can offer to reach our ultimate goal: "Realism".

PROJECT PHILOSOPHY
Our philosophical approach is predicated on a constant exchange between the heart and the mind; emotion and science intertwined. The scientific approach encompasses the preliminary measurements of the best passive components, drivers, and expensive internal wiring.  The components are warmed up prior to any listening test to recreate what a client will hear in his own environment. Our handcrafted process requires lengthy quality control tests that must be done to insure that each speaker can be certified as an Ars Aures product. The heart or emotional approach is evidenced as we search for an evocative sound by tuning the crossover as we listen.  Natural sound, dynamics and soundstage are important and indispensable qualities when searching for sound reproduction of a musical event. Without these traits the feeling of freedom of expression and live ness cannot exist. Our technologies include: first-order crossovers, bass reflex, band pass, and above all, no compromise in musical reproduction. Our path to high-end is simple and is based upon quality.  The aim is to capture the emotions of the music that hang in the air and bring them to you....

NATURAL CROSSOVER
THE MAIN GOAL of the Ars Aures crossover is to retain a seamless transition between the drivers that creates a sweet and natural sound. We choose the best available matched drivers in the world so that no crossover correction is required. The crossover allows the drivers to work well within their best frequency range.  This allows the drivers to blend imperceptibly so they appear to the listener to be one. Our Natural Crossover produces no phase rotation and does not alter the speed of the drivers.  This maintains time coherency which locates instruments and vocals in their proper place in space. We do all of this to maintain a very linear phase response.  This gives all of the Ars Aures loudspeakers a true and realistic soundstage and a very natural reproduction of the musical event.

Neutral Cabinet
We believe that a speaker must add nothing to the music; it must only be a conduit for the source, an absolute fidelity reproduction system. Only the drivers in a speaker should be heard.  The cabinet cannot introduce any noise which may interfere with the sound stage of the clarity of the input source. Ars Aures Audio speakers employ high-density woods with a variety of thickness in the cabinet, varying from a density of 1 1/4" to 3 3/4" to eliminate unwanted vibration that might produce noise.  Even our various marble speakers, made on request, to obtain maximum neutrality. The internal distribution of volumes and shapes is studied to minimize and eliminate stationary waves inside the cabinet that could introduce distortion. For the same reason, our cabinets have no sharp angles to avoid diffractions.

MUSICAL NOTES LINE
Ars Aures Audio loudspeakers represent a major step forward in obtaining purity and realism in the natural reproduction  of a musical event.  They can reconstruct a more natural and detailed soundstage that brings the listener closer to a more truthful listening experience. With the adoption of NATURAL CROSSOVER and NEUTRAL CABINET, we were forced to adhere to a very strict selection process for passive components (resistors, capacitors, coils, internal wiring, and terminals). Additionally, we were required to use only solid wood and HDF of the highest density. Every passive component is selectively chosen to meet our strict standards. Then they are measured.  If they do not meet our set standards, they are rejected. The manufacturing of the loudspeakers follows a severe protocol: Our technical audio experts assemble crossovers.  Next, our project manager tests them.  Finally Giuseppe Nizzola, AA's President, a graduate audio engineer, tests them.  At this point the crossover is ready to be installed. After the final installation of the crossover, additional measuring tests are done on each and every speaker. The final and most important test we do is by the HUMAN EAR. Everyone on the Ars Aures staff does the listening test from the workers to the President.  This ensures that everyone on our staff can be proud of the speakers we produce. Our strength in being a smaller speaker manufacturer is our ability to work in harmony and be able to express our feelings in having a speaker that is made with not just machinery but with our hearts.