The aperion verus grand towers definitely look excellent.
I just bought a pair of Definitive Tech 8080STs and overall I think I can do better. I don't feel the bass is well integrated at times and there is zero front sound stage which I think is due to the bipolar design. Lastly, they are simply too fatiguing for me.
What do you mean by "front sound stage"?? Do you mean an "intimate" soundstage? If that's the case you may find yourself prefering narrow dispersion speakers like
these. (i know they ain't pretty but...definitely see if you can get an audition... drop AK an email... reknowned for making sure most people get auditions). Or do you mean something else?
I am considering trying either the Aperion Grand Towers and matching center or Emotiva 8.3 with the 6.3 center. These are a bit lower than my budget which is great, however I could spend more if needed.
I dunno much about the Emotivas. On one hand, Vance Dickason certainly knows a thing or two about speaker design and on the other hand, a person here said the tweeters used in these speakers are dissapointing (i'm not sure in which way). With internet brands it's difficult for the majorities to audition so the best bet is to get an in home audition and decide for yourself.
Do also consider the Salk Songtowers. The current version uses ER15RLY woofers and Hiquphon OW2 tweeter and not the CA15RLYs and Hiquphon OW4 (which has always been a $100 upgrade) used in the Audioholics review but should sound extremely close and very accurate. They're an acceptably easy speaker load, they've got flat response, and the mass loaded quarter wave enclosure should make bass integration very smooth. There's people here and on AVS that gush over Dennis Murphy designs. There's the ER18 MTM diy speaker in the DIY section, and there's also the whole salk thread on avs. If you want natural, non fatiguing sound then these should definitely be on your list. You need to settle for the standard Black Satin finish if you want an in home trial, but a lot of Salk owners might let you audition these inside their homes. So you could get a different finish with no return period, if an audition impresses you. Or you could just get the beautiful satin blacks and live with them for a few weeks.
Everyone here also seems to love PSB speakers like the Image T6. The only time I ever heard a PSB speaker was at the Sony Store, where it was hooked up to a subwoofer that must have been 10db hot because i couldn't bring myself to sit down and listen. But you may as well audition them if you're looking.
Has anyone compared any of these? Are the Aperions bright? I've heard the Emotiva speakers are slightly laid back which may be my cup of tea.
This is why online companies absolutely need 30 day money back in home auditions or something along those lines.
The DefTechs measure well indeed.
Or do they?
What the measurements don't tell you is how well the bass integrates, the speakers' ability to soundstage, or how fatiguing they can be (ruling out major FR anomalies).
Those measurements, yes.
As a further illustration Axiom speakers measure very well in terms of FR. However, they are, IMHO, ear bleeding bright and very fatiguing.
Or do they?
I'm not really sure why I bought the DTs. I swore of metal tweeters years ago and told myself I would never by speakers w/ integrated subs. I'm not sure what I was thinking.
Nothing wrong with a good metal tweeter, assuming it's not breaking up in its passband and it's well integrated. "listening fatigue" is a crossover function and shouldn't be tied in to driver material. For all you know, the most laid back warm sounding speaker could be using the most rigid driver material IE diamond, while the the most distorted, bright sounding speaker could be using a soft dome.
Be open to speakers, period. The problem with the def techs is not likely the metal dome tweeter but the overall speaker design. Returning to the PSBs, they use a metal dome tweeter. Listen to those and tell me if it's by any means fatiguing or harsh.
