Aperion Audio Experiment

[ProPerDoper]

I just reluctantly sold my Fortes to raise money for a much needed roof project before winter gets here. So...I've hooked my 6B's back up. The first thing I noticed is how friggin solid and heavy these are for a bookshelf speaker of their size. Then I gave them a quick wipe with some pledge. Aperion REALLY does make a beautiful speaker. I am listening to Eva Cassidy at the moment these things have surprising bass and dynamics for a speaker of their size. Eva's incredible voice sounds wonderful. I was originally going to sell these but I am glad that I kept them now.

Kudos to Aperion Audio :thmbsp:. I've not dealt with their customer service yet but I've heard very good things about it as well.

Now, back to Eva

Mark

I'm camped out on my doorstep, scanning side to side like an observer at a tennis match watching for the FedEx truck.

 

[jazzmans]

I'm camped out on my doorstep, scanning side to side like an observer at a tennis match watching for the FedEx truck.

Ain't that both the best and the worst feeling?


Congrats!


jaz

 

[Hixx]

I just reluctantly sold my Fortes to raise money for a much needed roof project before winter gets here. So...I've hooked my 6B's back up. The first thing I noticed is how friggin solid and heavy these are for a bookshelf speaker of their size. Then I gave them a quick wipe with some pledge. Aperion REALLY does make a beautiful speaker. I am listening to Eva Cassidy at the moment these things have surprising bass and dynamics for a speaker of their size. Eva's incredible voice sounds wonderful. I was originally going to sell these but I am glad that I kept them now.

edit...My ONLY negative comment would be about sensitivity. This model does need a little more power than other speakers that I have had but all things considered, I really like the 6B and I hope that your new speakers are all that you hope they will be.

Kudos to Aperion Audio :thmbsp:. I've not dealt with their customer service yet but I've heard very good things about it as well.

Now, back to Eva

Mark

Yeah I love the 6Bs too. They are indeed fairly low sensitivity, but if the sensitivity was higher they undoubtedly wouldn't have the same bass response. So it was a bit of a trade off and we chose to go the route of the best possible sound.

Glad to hear you are still enjoying them!

 

[ProPerDoper]

Ain't that both the best and the worst feeling?


Congrats!


jaz

It is! I'm dying here: It's 5:19 pm, and although FedEx has this out to delivery, it ain't here yet! (Tic toc, tic toc.....)

 

[ProPerDoper]

First Impressions....

7:30 pm, and FedEx pulls in front of the house. I helped him carry them inside.

I'll attempt to go very slow and careful with my impressions with hopes of being as objective as possible. Tough duty when you're excited about your new speakers.

Boxes were in pretty good shape, with only slight damage on the bottom outside seam of one. Speakers are single boxed with hard cardboard corners and shaped foam protecting them. They're also packaged with a sock covering the entire speaker, and then a plastic bag covering that. A pair of high tack white gloves are included, presumably for grip and to keep prints off the cabinets. Packaging overall seems very good.

When you first open the box instructions in short form sit on top. Sort of like a quick start guide when you buy and start up a new computer. They're very well written, with easy to follow instructions for assembly of the feet, laying them over, and pulling them out of the boxes. Really easy to do.

When I pulled the protective plastic bag and then the sock off the speaker I have to admit that I was pretty amazed at how beautiful these things are. This is where a bit of enthusiasm in my review is warranted....sort of like: "God these are beautiful" comes to mind. I mean really. The finish is high gloss cherry with just a touch of burnt orange in it from my perspective. Don't know how else to describe it, except to say that from my view it's striking.

The drivers have a very high quality appearance to them. Kevlar, with a woven fabric design like B&W with very wide rubber surrounds. Drivers are set back or recessed in the cabinet slightly in every case. I like it.

Initial listening impressions are positive. I connected them to my Kinergetics Chiro 5 channel amp in bi-amp configuration through a B&W Reference 20 playing from an Onkyo DX 3800 via digital connection. These need to be broken in significantly before an objective review could be complete, but I do observe a few out of the box impressions worth sharing: (Very Preliminary)

1) Mids are very pure. They just seem to provide a high level of clarity and smooth delivery that oozes quality. Vocals, both male and female are really clean, as is guitar work and piano.

2) Treble is sufficiently bright and pleasing. I was warned that these might be a bit more neutral in the upper frequency than the Paradigm Studio 80's that I'm used to in this environment. However, the highs that I'm hearing are well balanced and very adequate, very clean. I like a bright speaker, which is why I point this out, and I don't think I'll find any limitation with these, but only more listening time will tell for sure.

3) Bass is very low and smooth. I turned off my Klipsch sub and the overall balance of tones including the lower frequencies is very good. These hit low.

4) Imaging is stellar...and I mean stellar. I ran Martin Logan Arius I in this environment for a time and loved their soundstage. I could not however, get over the limitations in placement with them or their lack of concussive dynamics. These image exceptionally well, with punch.

Again...these are very preliminary first impressions, right out of the box. I'll attempt to attach some pics, and provide more perspective after living with them a bit more.

 

[uplander]

Congrats, those sure are purdy! I look forward to hearing further impressions as they break in and you get to know them. I live pretty close to Aperion's HQ. I may have to make a trip in and see how they differ from the Intimus line, which I described as a bit laid back in my friend's system. I'm glad to hear that you feel they'll be bright/forward enough for your tastes.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Those are a little bigger than I figured (and they look a little bigger than the Paradigm Studio 80's, although that could just be the digital camera doing that). I BET they sound good. Nice cabs.

 

[ProPerDoper]

Those are a little bigger than I figured (and they look a little bigger than the Paradigm Studio 80's, although that could just be the digital camera doing that). I BET they sound good. Nice cabs.

They're only a few inches taller than my Paradigm Studio 80's (v1) but much smaller in every other dimension.

 

[markw300d]

Wow...those are sweet! I am glad that your initial impressions are very positive. Thanks for starting this thread. I posted one about the 6B's a few months back and didn't get a single reply which surprised me a bit. I think Aperion makes very nice speakers and seems to take customer satisfaction very seriously. They just don't seem to be very well known in some circles...yet .

Enjoy!

 

[markw300d]

Yeah I love the 6Bs too. They are indeed fairly low sensitivity, but if the sensitivity was higher they undoubtedly wouldn't have the same bass response. So it was a bit of a trade off and we chose to go the route of the best possible sound.

...and I am very glad that you did! It was the right choice.

 

[webbb]

Comparison to Axiom

I will be very interested to find out your comparison to the Axiom M60, as I had often thought of that as a next step for me. My M3ti are currently with my brother-in-law since I built the Audiokarma Indignia and I sort of stopped there. The Aperion are more beautiful, that's for sure.
Thanks and looking forward to it -

 

[ProPerDoper]

I will be very interested to find out your comparison to the Axiom M60, as I had often thought of that as a next step for me. My M3ti are currently with my brother-in-law since I built the Audiokarma Indignia and I sort of stopped there. The Aperion are more beautiful, that's for sure.
Thanks and looking forward to it -

I've not yet done an A/B comparison to the Axiom M60's which I use in my HT setup. (The entire Epic 60-500 sysem)

I can tell you however even before I do that comparison that I believe the Versus Towers to be far more musical than the M60's overall, especially in the area of clarity and imaging. The build quality of the Versus towers is head and shoulders above the Axiom's.

The Axiom's are a great HT system value. For music however, not even close IMO based on my preliminary impressions.

 

[Hixx]

7:30 pm, and FedEx pulls in front of the house. I helped him carry them inside.

I'll attempt to go very slow and careful with my impressions with hopes of being as objective as possible. Tough duty when you're excited about your new speakers.

Boxes were in pretty good shape, with only slight damage on the bottom outside seam of one. Speakers are single boxed with hard cardboard corners and shaped foam protecting them. They're also packaged with a sock covering the entire speaker, and then a plastic bag covering that. A pair of high tack white gloves are included, presumably for grip and to keep prints off the cabinets. Packaging overall seems very good.

When you first open the box instructions in short form sit on top. Sort of like a quick start guide when you buy and start up a new computer. They're very well written, with easy to follow instructions for assembly of the feet, laying them over, and pulling them out of the boxes. Really easy to do.

When I pulled the protective plastic bag and then the sock off the speaker I have to admit that I was pretty amazed at how beautiful these things are. This is where a bit of enthusiasm in my review is warranted....sort of like: "God these are beautiful" comes to mind. I mean really. The finish is high gloss cherry with just a touch of burnt orange in it from my perspective. Don't know how else to describe it, except to say that from my view it's striking.

The drivers have a very high quality appearance to them. Kevlar, with a woven fabric design like B&W with very wide rubber surrounds. Drivers are set back or recessed in the cabinet slightly in every case. I like it.

Initial listening impressions are positive. I connected them to my Kinergetics Chiro 5 channel amp in bi-amp configuration through a B&W Reference 20 playing from an Onkyo DX 3800 via digital connection. These need to be broken in significantly before an objective review could be complete, but I do observe a few out of the box impressions worth sharing: (Very Preliminary)

1) Mids are very pure. They just seem to provide a high level of clarity and smooth delivery that oozes quality. Vocals, both male and female are really clean, as is guitar work and piano.

2) Treble is sufficiently bright and pleasing. I was warned that these might be a bit more neutral in the upper frequency than the Paradigm Studio 80's that I'm used to in this environment. However, the highs that I'm hearing are well balanced and very adequate, very clean. I like a bright speaker, which is why I point this out, and I don't think I'll find any limitation with these, but only more listening time will tell for sure.

3) Bass is very low and smooth. I turned off my Klipsch sub and the overall balance of tones including the lower frequencies is very good. These hit low.

4) Imaging is stellar...and I mean stellar. I ran Martin Logan Arius I in this environment for a time and loved their soundstage. I could not however, get over the limitations in placement with them or their lack of concussive dynamics. These image exceptionally well, with punch.

Again...these are very preliminary first impressions, right out of the box. I'll attempt to attach some pics, and provide more perspective after living with them a bit more.

Awesome, thanks for posting the review and enjoy!

 

[ProPerDoper]

Awesome, thanks for posting the review and enjoy!

My pleasure...it's been fun! I'll have more detailed impressions to post after further break in and listening.

Question: Does the impedance rating change in bi-amp configuration?

I'll also be posting the impressions of my good audiophile buddy once he makes the 1.5 hr. trek here and gets to listen to these. He'll do a more critical review with even more capable/experienced ears than mine.

I brought two neighbors over tonight and ran through some Fourplay, (Chant is a track that makes lower end drivers drop out of cabinets , George Michael, (The guy's vocals are great for reviewing, as is Nora Jones') Boston, Santana, etc.

I don't want to overdo their reactions, but to say they were floored is an understatement. Very impressed....they are.

 

[ProPerDoper]

Update

I probably have somewhere around 10 hours of break-in time on these presently. They've opened up very nicely, and to say that I'm pleased is an understatement.

The first impression people have when seeing these is just how beautiful the cabinets are. Just stunning. The second is how pure they sound.

Last night I had my friend Corbin over who's done a lot of studio recording for various artists and bands. He listened in awe. We played Nickelback, Colby Caillat, Michael Buble', James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, and Allison Krauss. (The purity of Alison Krauss' voice through these is chilling) You could see the pleasure he was getting when he closed his eyes and and sort of shook his head saying..."unreal... this is exactly how it sounds in the studio....."

I'm finding these to be very neutral and accurate. I describe the sound as more balanced and slightly laid back with tendency towards very clear delivery and balanced tone overall. The entire spectrum of sound in a recording is well represented without a "bump" in crossover manipulation that some companies include to appeal to the mass market speaker buyer. The more the volume is increased, the greater the dynamic impact...big time. The result is so sweet.

Corbin's overall assessment was that the delivery of these speakers is akin to the result of a perfectly EQ'd studio session. "You just know you got it right...."

Apparently....we're not the only two that feel this way: http://www.digitaltrends.com/speaker-reviews/aperion-audio-verus-grand-tower-review/

 

[Hixx]

My pleasure...it's been fun! I'll have more detailed impressions to post after further break in and listening.

Question: Does the impedance rating change in bi-amp configuration?

The overall impedance does change when you bi-amp but the minimum impedance at both sets of drivers would remain the same. So we could still label the speaker nominally as 6 ohm.

I probably have somewhere around 10 hours of break-in time on these presently. They've opened up very nicely, and to say that I'm pleased is an understatement.

The first impression people have when seeing these is just how beautiful the cabinets are. Just stunning. The second is how pure they sound.

Last night I had my friend Corbin over who's done a lot of studio recording for various artists and bands. He listened in awe. We played Nickelback, Colby Caillat, Michael Buble', James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, and Allison Krauss. (The purity of Alison Krauss' voice through these is chilling) You could see the pleasure he was getting when he closed his eyes and and sort of shook his head saying..."unreal... this is exactly how it sounds in the studio....."

I'm finding these to be very neutral and accurate. I describe the sound as more balanced and slightly laid back with tendency towards very clear delivery and balanced tone overall. The entire spectrum of sound in a recording is well represented without a "bump" in crossover manipulation that some companies include to appeal to the mass market speaker buyer. The more the volume is increased, the greater the dynamic impact...big time. The result is so sweet.

Corbin's overall assessment was that the delivery of these speakers is akin to the result of a perfectly EQ'd studio session. "You just know you got it right...."

Apparently....we're not the only two that feel this way: http://www.digitaltrends.com/speaker-reviews/aperion-audio-verus-grand-tower-review/

Great stuff! :yes:

 

[ProPerDoper]

First A/B Comparison Test

So tonight my musician son and I did an impromptu A/B comparison between the Aperion Verus towers and my Paradigm Studio 60 v2 towers.

Up 'till now I had always considered my Studio 60's to be my most accurate set of towers, followed closely by my Studio 80 v1's.

We used an Alison Krauss CD on my Onkyo DX-3800 as the source, and immediately noticed the following: (Our opinions lined up exactly)

1. Her vocals popped on the Aperion's by comparison. So much more pure, forward, silky smooth...crisp.

2. The sound stage was much wider on the Verus towers. Imaging dynamics were far superior.

3. Bass was much lower and controlled.

4. The clarity in the midrange was off the charts by comparison. Hearing each pluck of the banjo and guitar strings was quite impressive.

5. Treble was more dynamic on the Aperion's. Not brighter per se', but more pronounced and detailed. Again, I was cautioned that the Verus towers weren't as bright as the Paradigms...more laid back. I have not found this to be the case in my comparisons, and I actually favor the smooth performance of the Verus tweeter, finding it plenty forward for my liking.

Bottom line: The Aperion Verus Towers win in just about every category in our opinion, and by fairly good margin.

 

[uplander]

It's great to hear that you're pleased with them, and thanks for sharing your impressions. You've got me very curious to go check them out. Enjoy!

 

[ProPerDoper]

It's great to hear that you're pleased with them, and thanks for sharing your impressions. You've got me very curious to go check them out. Enjoy!

I've owned lots of speakers. Lots. These have satisfied me beyond any other set that I've owned.

I'm currently considering an Emotiva amp to finish off my system. Looking at their XPA-2 or the XPA-200. One is 300 watts and huge KVA, the other is 150 watts and huge capacitance: http://shop.emotiva.com/

The Verus Towers are a pretty easy load at 6 ohm and 92 dB. I'll bet the XPA-200 at 150 WPC/8 Ohms is plenty, but would I ever find myself wanting for more? (That's the struggle)

 

[uplander]

I'm currently considering an Emotiva amp to finish off my system. Looking at their XPA-2 or the XPA-200. One is 300 watts and huge KVA, the other is 150 watts and huge capacitance: http://shop.emotiva.com/

I hadn't seen or heard of the XPA-200, so I just went to their site. I've always wanted mono blocks, and the XPA-100 also looks very impressive in it's specs. Uh oh. My budget might need some re-arranging.....