Aperion Audio Experiment
- Thread starter ProPerDoper
- Start date
Their mono blocks are monsters! I know that's more than I need...
need/want/need/want....the line is growing fuzzier in my mind.:sigh:
I posted a while back about listening to some Aerial Acoustics 7T driven by a monster Mark Levinson. The sound was simply amazing. Perhaps those speakers would have sounded just as good with a lesser amp, but I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to make any amplification changes, I'd like to eliminate any possibility that the amp is limiting what my system can produce.
ProPerDoper
Active Member
I'm right there with you. I'm at this very moment deciding on my amp upgrade: Either two B&K M200 Sonata Monoblocks from a friend, or a new Emotiva XPA-2. Both are plenty of power.
My dilemma is that I know well the signature B&K sound and am certain that I'll be very happy with that selection. On the other hand....new from Emotiva is sort of intriguing, with the potential to be a bit hotter on the top end. Decisions!
Update: Pulled the trigger on the XPA-2. Shipping mid December, testing to commence upon receipt. ( YES!
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ProPerDoper
Active Member
Update
So today I received my Emotiva XPA-2 amplifier. What a beast! I am so incredibly pleased with this product also...it made my Verus towers come to life!
I was surprised today with a wonderful gift from a great friend: A new set of Aperion Intimus 6T towers in piano black. The only place I've got a real opportunity to use them in is my garage application. (Second most used system of 5 total in the house
Whoa! I'm more a fan of Aperion than ever before! Using a Yamaha RX-V3000 as the preamp, and an Adcom 555 II streaming Pandora HD via a newly aquired Toshiba wireless Bluray player, I am amazed. These new Aperion towers beat out my much loved Paradigm Studio 80 v1 towers! By comparison, the 6T's sound much clearer with greater soundstage and presence.
Big fan....Huge fan. I'm so sold on the Aperion product.
So today I received my Emotiva XPA-2 amplifier. What a beast! I am so incredibly pleased with this product also...it made my Verus towers come to life!
I was surprised today with a wonderful gift from a great friend: A new set of Aperion Intimus 6T towers in piano black. The only place I've got a real opportunity to use them in is my garage application. (Second most used system of 5 total in the house
Whoa! I'm more a fan of Aperion than ever before! Using a Yamaha RX-V3000 as the preamp, and an Adcom 555 II streaming Pandora HD via a newly aquired Toshiba wireless Bluray player, I am amazed. These new Aperion towers beat out my much loved Paradigm Studio 80 v1 towers! By comparison, the 6T's sound much clearer with greater soundstage and presence.
Big fan....Huge fan. I'm so sold on the Aperion product.
Could you describe the differences you hear between the Intimus and the Grand Versus?
Congrats on the Emotiva. I've heard a lot of good about them, but also so much fan-boy hype, it's kind of hard to filter through it. Please post you impressions as you get to know it. I'm still eye-balling their mono-blocks.
Congrats on the Emotiva. I've heard a lot of good about them, but also so much fan-boy hype, it's kind of hard to filter through it. Please post you impressions as you get to know it. I'm still eye-balling their mono-blocks.
ProPerDoper
Active Member
Intimus vs. Verus
I just remembered that I never got back to you on this...sorry.
The Intimus 6T's are wonderful. Believe it or not, they're doing duty in my garage system driven by a Kinergetics Research Chiro C-500 amp, and sound incredible.
As for the differences between the Intimus and Verus models, there is a review of the Verus Grand's on Aperion's website that goes into detail about the differences between these exact two models, done much better than I could I suspect. It's about 7 reviews from the last one: http://www.aperionaudio.com/speakers-by-type/towers/verus-grand-tower-speaker
My own impressions are that while the 6T is great, the Verus Grand is, well, exactly that: Grand! Mids are more present and pure, soundstage is wider, clarity is better with their new design tweeter.
For my money I would settle for nothing less than the Verus Grand having now experienced both.
I just remembered that I never got back to you on this...sorry.
The Intimus 6T's are wonderful. Believe it or not, they're doing duty in my garage system driven by a Kinergetics Research Chiro C-500 amp, and sound incredible.
As for the differences between the Intimus and Verus models, there is a review of the Verus Grand's on Aperion's website that goes into detail about the differences between these exact two models, done much better than I could I suspect. It's about 7 reviews from the last one: http://www.aperionaudio.com/speakers-by-type/towers/verus-grand-tower-speaker
My own impressions are that while the 6T is great, the Verus Grand is, well, exactly that: Grand!
Mids are more present and pure, soundstage is wider, clarity is better with their new design tweeter.For my money I would settle for nothing less than the Verus Grand having now experienced both.
PR Audio
Super Member
I've only heard good things from Aperion, and they were in the top of my list when I purchased my 5.1 PSB Image Floorstand/Bookshelf Surround/5i Sub setup, but being in PR freight was a big issue. IMHO, the freight from Aperion was ridiculously high. The dealer I bought the PSB's from (Saturday Audio) allowed me to do my own shipping arrangements from Chicago to PR, and I saved a ton of money on freight. I've been in import/export for over 20 yrs., so I knew exactly what to do to save on freight.
ProPerDoper
Active Member
Hmm....Aperion has a free freight policy. Guess that's what you get for not being "Contiguous"
Just today I was looking at a set of PSB 400's with stands for $80. Know much about them?
BTW...I'll be in your neck of the woods in April! http://ptra.org/news.asp
ProPerDoper
Active Member
I'm so pleased with the combination of Aperion and Emotiva that I now own three of their amps.
The blend of the two just seems right. Very impressed...I recommend both highly.
Thanks for the update. That's great to hear that you're pleased with both of your purchases. Or should I say "all of your purchases"?
You've made me re-think the impression my friend's Aperions left on me. I thought his sounded nice. Just nice. It could very well be that it was his source and preamp that left me kind of cold.
What were the other amps you bought after the XPA-2? You didn't go crazy with those mono blocks, did you?
You've made me re-think the impression my friend's Aperions left on me. I thought his sounded nice. Just nice. It could very well be that it was his source and preamp that left me kind of cold.
What were the other amps you bought after the XPA-2? You didn't go crazy with those mono blocks, did you?
ProPerDoper
Active Member
Thanks for the update. That's great to hear that you're pleased with both of your purchases. Or should I say "all of your purchases"?
You've made me re-think the impression my friend's Aperions left on me. I thought his sounded nice. Just nice. It could very well be that it was his source and preamp that left me kind of cold.
What were the other amps you bought after the XPA-2? You didn't go crazy with those mono blocks, did you?
So now I have an XPA-2 driving my Aperion Verus Grand Towers with a B&K Reference 30 preamp, an XPA-5 driving my Axiom Epic 60 - 500 HT system using a Yamaha HTR5990 as a pre/pro, and in the garage an XPA-200 driving Aperion Intimus 6T towers using a Yamaha RV-X3000 as a preamp.
I am incredibly pleased with all three systems. About the only thing in question is whether or not upgrading the receivers being used as preamps would have a significant impact. I have another thread on here on that subject, and still not clear on that issue.
Well, as I'm sure you've realized over the years, there's a point of diminishing returns in all products. The point at where you have to spend more and more a bit of money to get smaller and smaller returns. I'm not familiar with your particular receivers, but I would guess that it would take a healthy investment to get much improvement, and it may be best to focus on looking for a specific unit to address a specific issue. I know there's a big difference between my Anthem receiver that I'm using as a pre-amp and a Pioneer that I've listened to. Enough so that it is the most expensive part of my system. One of the Pioneers that I'm referring to was driving Emotiva amps and Aperion 5T speakers. The sound was much a more laid back, a 15 rows back instead of front row presentation. With great speakers and great amps, you'll hear the differences a whole lot more then with lesser ones.
If you're as happy as you sound, would there really be a point? If there's a good dealer near you, or a friend with a higher end pre, maybe you could swap it in and hear for yourself the differences another unit can make. Maybe a unit with a pure direct analog through-put? A tube DAC? These are some of the things I've been wanting to experiment with in my system, but being happy with things as they are, I'm in no rush. My guess is you're at the same place. And that's a great place.
old arkiedan
New Member
I was about to order a pair of Ascend Towers this week (I have Ascend Sierra 1s) . I was snooping around the forums and found your review of the Verus Grands and I'm interested.
Two years ago I sold my old classic AR9 towers and have regretted it every day since. The Sierra 1s are great but they can't deliver that big beautiful mid-range of a big three-way tower.
I guess I'm asking if, after 3/4 of a year, you're still loving them. Like my Sierra 1s, over time we often begin to notice the new speaker is, after all, lacking in imaging, soundstage, strong mids, etc. Are you as high or even higher on those Verus Grands?
I appreciate it in advance,
old arkiedan
Two years ago I sold my old classic AR9 towers and have regretted it every day since. The Sierra 1s are great but they can't deliver that big beautiful mid-range of a big three-way tower.
I guess I'm asking if, after 3/4 of a year, you're still loving them. Like my Sierra 1s, over time we often begin to notice the new speaker is, after all, lacking in imaging, soundstage, strong mids, etc. Are you as high or even higher on those Verus Grands?
I appreciate it in advance,
old arkiedan
DallasYbarra
New Member
I had the pleasure of hearing the first run of the V2 Verus. They sound quite fantastic. Very accurate in the bass and mid response, and a bit more clarity than the V1's.
EW Hall
New Member
My "education" on speakers has evolved over the past 5 years. Bit by bit, I've discovered the existence of the same "reference" speakers you listed above, as well as Aperion. So, as a result, I'm actively on the hunt for "deals" to bolster my stable of quality speakers.
Two big fish that got away:
A guy near me (no need to travel) offered the full 5.0 Axiom set (towers/center/surrounds) for $500. He "claimed" it was a great deal, moving out of country, yada yada. Never heard of 'em. White cone drivers? White van? Scam. Passed. A week later, after research, called him back...GONE!
Next, I saw a CL post (minutes earlier/I'm 1st to respond) for the entire Verus set (towers, center, surrounds) for $475. Again, never heard of Aperion. The guy says,"they're the last items from my uncle's estate sale. Would you like to come look at them?" Meh, never heard of 'em. Leftover estate sale audio? Asking way too much. PASS. Researched that night. Ooops! Called back the next day...you know the rest!
So...long story short:
As my education (and the hunt) continues, the interesting thing is...the same ones I'm on the hunt for (at an affordable price)...You were already aware of, and had stockpiled, 5 years ago! LOL! #headinthesand
EW Hall
New Member
Excellent review! Eye-friendly format...balanced...concise. Good template. 5 years later, I'm aiming for the same set (pre-owned).
EW Hall
New Member
Excellent comparison review! Eye-friendly format...balanced...concise. Good template. 5 years later, I'm aiming for the same set (pre-owned).
EW Hall
New Member
Excellent. You may have saved me some time. Instead of a series of "gateway" speakers, Aperion may now be my destination speaker.
I've heard a few of their offerings and have been fairly impressed with them. You see them and Triad around here a bit as they're both in Portland, less than an hour away.
Dan
Dan