Aperion Audio Verus Grand Loudspeaker System Reviewed

[GranteedEV]

It is my understanding that Tom retained the Salk SongTowers as his reference speakers.

My impressions from his review were that the Songtowers and VGT were probably toe-to-toe but the VGC wiped the floor with whatever he's got right now (SongCenter?)

It makes me wanna get a VGC. Do you think it would aesthetically match EMP e5Tis?

[KEW]

My impressions from his review were that the Songtowers and VGT were probably toe-to-toe but the VGC wiped the floor with whatever he's got right now (SongCenter?)

It makes me wanna get a VGC. Do you think it would aesthetically match EMP e5Tis?

Well, either I missed something or you are doing a healthy amount of reading between the lines in reaching that interpretation.
I think he only runs the SongTowers in a 2.0 or 2.1 configuration, but don't know that. I've never read mention of a SongCenter.

Almost always, Tom does make comparisons to his reference speakers, and, in this case, the SongTowers are almost a perfect match-up with the Verus Grand Towers.

If you look at the ratings on the last pages (which is admittedly strange since we are comparing a 5.1 system with a pair of tower speakers), the scores are as follows:
Category - Aperion/Salk
Build Quality - 5/5
Appearance - 4/5
Treble Extension - 4/5
Treble Smoothness - 5/4
Midrange Accuracy - 5/4
Bass Extension - 3/5
Bass Accuracy - 4/5
Imaging - 5/5
Soundstage - 5/3
Dynamic Range - 5/4
Fit and Finish - 4/5
Performance - 4.5/4.5
Value - 5/4

So much of the question is what degree of the Aperion's superior treble smoothness and midrange accuracy might be attributed to the center? It is impressive that the SongTower dome tweeter offers more extension than the latest and greatest Aperion tweeter. Bass ratings for the Aperion are reasonably directed at the subwoofer, so that is left open.

However, when I get down to the performance and value ratings, knowing that this includes a poor subwoofer in the mix, I think that the Aperion looks pretty strong.

Another way of looking at it is if you remove the sub scores, everything that relates to sound quality is a 5 for the Aperions except the treble extension.

So, it may well be hair-brained of me to attempt to compare scores like this, but the absence of a comparison between the SongTowers and the Verus Grand Towers is too conspicuous to be left unquestioned (at least for me).

These are two very substantial offerings for audioholics wanting to maximize their audio budget.

In a perfect world, it would be easy, Salk would have the same return policy as Aperion, and you could just buy both, listen to them in your own home for up to 30 days and return the one you don't like for a full refund!

[gliz]

pretty sweet, I would not get the sub though hsu and svsound just seem better. I dont did the fact that you cannot replace a driver without sed it back is kinda lame. Shipping is expensive and takes a lot of time

[bobr1952]

pretty sweet, I would not get the sub though hsu and svsound just seem better. I dont did the fact that you cannot replace a driver without sed it back is kinda lame. Shipping is expensive and takes a lot of time

Absolutely--that is my plan to get an HSU--either 15H or ULS-15. Nothing is perfect but I think the VGC will be about as close to perfect as I am going to get on my budget.

[GranteedEV]

Well, either I missed something or you are doing a healthy amount of reading between the lines in reaching that interpretation.

Dunno if he even has a center channel but i was under the impression the verus grand center made a huge difference in the overall review:

If any speaker can make or break your movie and surround experience, it's the center. While I continue to contend (and you'll see how true this is later in the review) that the center is the least important speaker in your surround sound system for the simple reason that it is the only that can be removed and have other speakers take up it's duties (at least if you sit in the sweet spot), a good one can make a world of difference. Conversely, I've been in the presence of a bad center and it is, without a doubt, the single most annoying thing sans a torn woofer. When the center is handling all of the vocals, to have one that underperforms means that you'll either struggle to understand the dialogue or you'll be forced to increase the volume so that it no longer blends well with the rest of the system. This can be a huge problem.

Luckily, this wasn't the case with the Verus Grand Center. Not only did it hold up well in the presence of the Towers, it had no problems blending while maintaining intelligibility. Aperion rates the Verus Grand Center down to 50Hz at -3db and 42Hz at -6dB. There were a few times in my listening tests when I walked up to the Center to adjust the position and noticed just how clear and non-fatiguing it was. In particular, when I was listening to the Diana Krall: Live in Rio Blu-ray, only her vocals are coming from the Center. At reference levels, I walked up to the speaker and could practically put my ear on it without pain. The Verus Grand Center was so clear, so distortion free, I have no problems saying it is the best center speaker I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in my room. Sure it's a bit big but it is sooooooo worth it when you hear it.

[Marshall_Guthrie]

And I'd actually take issue with the center being the least important speaker. Sure, stereo can pick up the slack when you're sitting dead center, but what happens when you move even a little bit off-center? Your imaging collapses, and sounds are no longer positioned where they should be relative to the screen.

The center channel is essential for anyone who sits anywhere other than dead center.

[jostenmeat]

And I'd actually take issue with the center being the least important speaker. Sure, stereo can pick up the slack when you're sitting dead center, but what happens when you move even a little bit off-center? Your imaging collapses, and sounds are no longer positioned where they should be relative to the screen.

The center channel is essential for anyone who sits anywhere other than dead center.

See I read this a LOT. You guys may very well be correct, perhaps depending on the fact that you actually have a proper center speaker for offaxis listening (read: vertically arrayed speaker on the same plane as your mains), but in my experiences, dialogue intelligibility is much better with phantom, even when offaxis, and I guess I must be led to believe this is directly related to horiz MTM lobing.

Yes, you might* have a "hole" between speakers, depending on the spread, but perhaps the most important function of the center speaker is dialogue.

My old center speaker is like most center speakers, so far as I know, in that at about 20 degrees offaxis, the mids are 180 degrees out of phase. The xover is rarely/never low enough (which is already a double edged sword as you're putting the xover smack dab in the middle of the critical speech passband). The drivers are typically spaced too far as well.

Just my limited experiences. I am so happy to finally have 3 identical speakers across, vertically arrayed, same plane.

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Yes, I'm using a JBL S38ii as my center, so vert array.

[jostenmeat]

Yes, I'm using a JBL S38ii as my center, so vert array.

Thanks. Then do you feel any need to qualify your strong opinion/statement with this in mind, or do you still maintain your opinion even when a horiz MTM is used for offaxis listening?

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Thanks. Then do you feel any need to qualify your strong opinion/statement with this in mind, or do you still maintain your opinion even when a horiz MTM is used for offaxis listening?

I would say that lobbing is something to be considered in all MTM designs, though it's more of a problem in some implementations than others. I suppose if your only choice is a center speaker poorly designed for off-axis listening, and you plan to do a significant amount of listening off-axis, then yes, no center may be the best option. If, however, you have the means to purchase a non-MTM design, or one with better off-axis response, then I'd still argue in favor of a center speaker. A poorly implemented center speaker is no reason to do without, and a great reason to go speaker shopping.