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Thoughts on internet based speaker companies.

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pearsall001

Member
What's your take on some of these companies & there speaker lines. To name a few: Axiom, Aperion, SVSound, Emotiva, Ascend Acoustics, AV123, Outlaw Audio, Ohm, Tyler Acoustics, Salk Sound, Lipinski Sound. Are there any others that you know of?.

All of them seem to have pretty darn good stuff, & they pretty much receive good reviews across the board. I was always curious about trying some of then out but just never got around to it.

Has anyone here tried any of them & if so what's your thoughts. Curiousity is creeping in. The new one from Aperion, the 6T looks like a killer!
 
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You've left out two that I've purchased from and been very happy with: Audio Concepts (ACI) and Newform Research. And although I don't own them any more, I had a pair of Axioms (since passed along to my sister-in-law) that I liked a lot. When you live in the middle of nowhere like I do, the internet is a godsend.
 
While the name has been resurrected (now based in Austrailia) Apogee is, as far as I know, online only.
There is a guy in Nevada (Minden) who rebuilds Aps and sells refurb'd units also. He's an "installer" (see above) for the new Apogee ribbons that are available. Get out your pocketbook. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ :sigh:
 
I've got a pair of Axioms. I was a bit worried about getting them without being able to listen first, but I read alot of reviews online, especially alot of the "shootout" or comparison reviews. Besides, its not like I could have demoed many brands I was interested in, J&R is just about the only local hifi store where they allow kids to listen.
 
Selah Audio is another one. Elemental Designs has a tower speaker now as well. Hsu has some speakers too, in addition to their subs.

I have a pair of Selah Audio custom 3-way monitors that sound great. Also, my brother has a pair of Aperion tower speakers, but I'm not sure the exact model. They're nicely finished and sound great too.
 
So what is the name of that online speaker company that some questioned as to whether it was in the 'white van' category, but it really wasn't. As I recall they were made in China, but had excellent build quality and very low prices. They had a diverse selection of models ranging from bookshelf to large floorstanding.

I can't seem to remember. :scratch2:
 
I bought a Fluance Home Theater set off the internet. I like them a lot for movies. They were "wife approved" unlike the big Technics speakers that I had to give away to get them.
 
MaxSeven said:
So what is the name of that online speaker company that some questioned as to whether it was in the 'white van' category, but it really wasn't.
Click to expand...

Could it have been Fluance? Their site kind looks fake, but they are a real, non-white-van company. I heard one of their bookshelf models, I think it was 120 a pair. They had no right to sound that good.


Or was it S-Dat? I'm not sure if theyre white van or not, but they sure look it.
 
My HT system is composed of 5 speakers by Ascend and a sub by SVSound. I love it. Not the slightest desire to change any of it.

It was a bit weird buying them based on what 'the internet' said, but they ended up sounding quite good. I had reason to contact both companies for customer service related issues and everything was handled extremely well. I'm pretty sure I spoke to one of the owners of one of the companies personally (don't remember which), just because he happened to answer the phone when I called.

A friend of mine has Axiom speakers and an SVS sub for his HT. Also sounds great.
 
pearsall001 said:
What's your take on some of these companies & there speaker lines.
Click to expand...

My take is that whether they are online or traditional, you will have great products and possible shite, caveat emptor. That said, the niche companies evolve around their vision of how it should be done rather than conform to a concept that may be more suitable for the traditional retail environment*.

I like what they are doing which is essentially freeing the consumer from traditional speaker industry groupthink. Further, as these companies live or die by their online rep & what people are saying about them, it behooves them to be responsive or they are out of business. Again, the consumer wins.

I would be more than willing to try an off-the-beaten path brand if I found one that on paper (or in ether) met my needs and..... there were current users that also gave it the rave.

:thmbsp:

*Which today appears to be Best Buy and the few odd audio shops that somehow remain in business, God Bless Them!
 
I have 7 Aperions....they are very well built, sound great in my HT, and look/sound nearly as nice as my 'high gloss' Cantons that sold new for ~$3200/pr.
They used to offer free shipping and 30 day free trial...if you did not like them...they paid for returns....I sent back a Center Channel...it was not defective...I just told them that I wanted the next size up....free shipping (at the time) for all.
Not sure if they still do that.

pearsall001 said:
What's your take on some of these companies & there speaker lines. To name a few: Axiom, Aperion, SVSound, Emotiva, Ascend Acoustics, AV123, Outlaw Audio, Ohm, Tyler Acoustics, Salk Sound, Lipinski Sound. Are there any others that you know of?.

All of them seem to have pretty darn good stuff, & they pretty much receive good reviews across the board. I was always curious about trying some of then out but just never got around to it.

Has anyone here tried any of them & if so what's your thoughts. Curiousity is creeping in. The new one from Aperion, the 6T looks like a killer!
Click to expand...
 
I bought speakers from an "internet company". A few years back I bought a pair of Emma's from Alegero Audio. I have been very impressed with them. Unfortunately they are no longer in business. They made a really outstanding product. I'm glad I made the purchase. As long as I don't blow them up, I'll be alright. Service from a no longer existing company could prove to be a problem!
 
I purchased a used Outlaw 950 Preamp from the original owner and found it to be an excellent purchase. He originally was not keen to buy over the internet but after he read the reviews took the dive. I bought his used preamp, he up graded and bought another Outlaw product with HDMI capabilities.

I am very impressed with this preamp with all its function & capabilities. I had a B&K HT preamp previous- but this one ended up sounding better and had more capabilities for my 6.1 HT uses. Once I get my power amp situation finalized then I am sure this will be a winner for me. As it is I am using a 5 ch/ 125WPC Carver that is adequate but I really want 200 + watts for the L/R mains and then use the 125WPC for the other channels. I don't need/use a sub.
DC
 
NicoR said:
Could it have been Fluance? Their site kind looks fake, but they are a real, non-white-van company. I heard one of their bookshelf models, I think it was 120 a pair. They had no right to sound that good.


Or was it S-Dat? I'm not sure if theyre white van or not, but they sure look it.
Click to expand...

I think it was Fluance. Those are very inexpensive. But, the site doesn't specify whether they have real wood veneer or vinyl crapola.
 
The Fluance's (SX-HTB) I have are real. They are really nice, solid wood speakers. They are great for movies but I have never been impressed with them musically. They aren't bad for HT speakers, probably better than most HT systems for music.

I need to hook the two large speakers to the Yammi and see what I get from them.
 
Just happened to notice...

You can get S-DAT's at Overstock.com for next to nothing. Mayhaps we should get a group upgrading session together to see if we can get them to sound better. Heck. Probably the cabinet is worth what they are selling 'em for...


Any thougts?
 
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