Stating my ignorance and looking for opinions

[zumbo]

It sounds like he's auditioning lots of speakers, Zumbo. I applaud him for doing so and making a 'more' informed choice than many of us do when we buy gear. If you'll recall, I too tried to steer him away from them when he got to stating his preference for Klipsch. Yet I think he's doing it the right way...he's new to the hobby...and he's actually listening to a variety of gear. I say good for him.

I agree. Said that earlier in the thread.

Your welcome. Many people will just buy whatever. So, thank you for taking the time to talk with us and audition the speakers. Klipsch is big for a reason. They sell speakers. I am not a fan. Like I said about the beer, it's all about preference.

 

[pzaur]

Zumbo - In the end, it may be that I prefer the non-soft dome tweeters. Right now, who knows. Maybe I'll get the Aperions and love the way they sound coupled with my wood floors and 19' x 35' room (Kitchen into main room -> Great Room). Then again, maybe it'll completely sound like a** and I'll send them back a week later. Who knows? Still too early to discount any type of tweeter.

I'm also not quite understanding why you put the quote from Aperion in bold. Can you straighten me out?
I understand why you put the other specs above and below it. No question there. The ohm rating is less than, well, specific.

I did listen to the Polk RTi8s at Tweeter/Showcase. The listening room was small, so, I may have had an incredibly false impression of their sound. Neither my buddy or I were "wowed" by the sound and the Klipsch sounded better in my memory. The Klipsch were in a room at least 2.5 times larger and we sat further back by about 4-5 feet.

Worldleader - Thanks for the graph and link. I did look at those and they interest me at this point. They're on the list on my PC. I added them a few days ago. Just never mentioned it.

I still like my buddy's B&W 603 S3s the most. He's got quite the nice setup at his home. We're heading to Sounds Like Music to check them out and for him to see what $4K a speaker buys you in the B&W 803D. I'm curious myself.

I'm not too (still a little) worried about the low frequency at this point. I do have a subwoofer that works for now. I'm slowly replacing the HTiB that my in-laws gave us years ago. It's a Sony HT-DDW740. Very basic. The sub is listed as having a response range of 28hz-200hz, but has a 50 watt power rating...I believe it clips whenever I play the opening sequence of Star Wars, Episode 3.

More to write, but gotta go.

-pat

 

[zumbo]

Just wanted to be clear the quote was from Aperion.

Have the dealer put the Polks on the same system, in the same room.

B&W's rule. They are as far away from Klipsh as you can get.

I would want my mains, and center, to at least make it to 50Hz. This way, I could use a 60Hz crossover setting.

 

[Tomorrow]

It is an odd coincidence that I auditioned a gaggle of B&W's (for the first time ever) on Tuesday, and Klipsch's for the first time in 20 years, as well. I listened to CM7's, XT's, 802 and 804D's, 70whatevers from B&W. I was thoroughly underwhelmed by all of them, especially for the prices. The one exception was the cute little XT's. I thought they were a pretty good bargain...carrying the 800 series drivers. They weren't very attractive, but played well for what they were.

On the other hand I was prepared to put on the earmuffs when it came time to hear the Klipsch. I hate the piercing sibilance of those horn loaded tweeters. But they were the only thing another store had to A/B with some M&K's I wanted to hear. The Heresy's were junk, as expected, but then the guy broke out the RS82's. Oh my....what a pleasant and full sound. Were they in the same league with the B&W's?...I don't know, because it was a different store and I couldn't cross them. They were much more speaker than the M&K's by a large margin, IMHO. They for certain weren't as precise as the B&W's. But for value...the RS82's were downright smashing and turned my head around concerning Klipsch. $800 pair for the RS82's...nice!!

Give them a listen.

 

[pzaur]

Tomorrow - RS82 = RF82?

I would love to put all the speakers on the same system. I don't think there's a chance in hell that my wife is going to let me purchase them all and then have them at the house, unfortunately That would rule, though!

The Polks were at Showcase/Tweeter and they didn't have any Klipsch. I listened to those at Ultimate, where the room was much larger. My buddy and his wife liked the Klipsch the most out of the ones we listened too, also. We've got very similar ears for what we want.

-pat

 

[Tomorrow]

Tomorrow - RS82 = RF82?

I would love to put all the speakers on the same system. I don't think there's a chance in hell that my wife is going to let me purchase them all and then have them at the house, unfortunately That would rule, though!

The Polks were at Showcase/Tweeter and they didn't have any Klipsch. I listened to those at Ultimate, where the room was much larger. My buddy and his wife liked the Klipsch the most out of the ones we listened too, also. We've got very similar ears for what we want.

-pat

Doh...you're getting in my realm as an old man with a bad memory here....but I'm 98% certain it was RS82 which is a new model replacement for the RF35. So there is a 2% chance that it's RF82, lol.

Yeah, having them all there to switch would be awesome!

 

[zumbo]

I had to go hear for myself, and this is the gods honest truth.

Equipment in the same room. Speakers side-by-side. Run off of the same equipment.

Rotel pre-amp: RC-1070
Rotel amp: RB-1070(130w x 2)

Speakers:
B&W 704
Polk Audio RTi8
Klipsch RF-82

There is no way I would even consider the Klipsch. NO WAY! They colored the music. The cabinets were junk. And, the speakes are just plain ugly. These are not good sounding speakers.

The B&W's were the best. Price reflects that.

The Polks were $1100.00 less than the B&W's. The cabinets were well made, and they sound great. I remembered Polk sounding good, but a little weak on the lower end. When I auditioned Polk before, it was on H/K at CC. This time, it was on Rotel seperates at a high-end dealer. What a difference proper set-up makes. If the store doesn't have the system set-up properly, the demo is wasted. The Polks smoke the Klipsch, and you could fit them inside the Klipsch. They are not as loud though. Big deal.

 

[Nuglets]

There is no way I would even consider the Klipsch. NO WAY! They colored the music. The cabinets were junk. And, the speakes are just plain ugly. These are not good sounding speakers.

The B&W's were the best. Price reflects that.

I think every speaker will color the sound to some extent. The OP already stated that he liked the exact same speaker's that you have auditioned so there must be a reason for that. Probably just a difference in opinion and/or perception.

 

[Tomorrow]

I had to go hear for myself, and this is the gods honest truth.

Equipment in the same room. Speakers side-by-side. Run off of the same equipment.

Rotel pre-amp: RC-1070
Rotel amp: RB-1070(130w x 2)

Speakers:
B&W 704
Polk Audio RTi8
Klipsch RF-82

There is no way I would even consider the Klipsch. NO WAY! They colored the music. The cabinets were junk. And, the speakes are just plain ugly. These are not good sounding speakers.

The B&W's were the best. Price reflects that.

The Polks were $1100.00 less than the B&W's. The cabinets were well made, and they sound great. I remembered Polk sounding good, but a little weak on the lower end. When I auditioned Polk before, it was on H/K at CC. This time, it was on Rotel seperates at a high-end dealer. What a difference proper set-up makes. If the store doesn't have the system set-up properly, the demo is wasted. The Polks smoke the Klipsch, and you could fit them inside the Klipsch. They are not as loud though. Big deal.

Good report, Z. That's definitely the way to evaluate gear. I couldn't comp them as the B&W's and Klipsch were in different stores. Also the Klipsch were not well set up for evaluation. Granted the B&W cabinets are much nicer (generally). But the value/cost issue still is present...only to be settled by the OP.

 

[pzaur]

Wife freaked at tower size...

Well, so much for even considering the Klipsch or anything of similar SIZE. Apparently, they are too wide/bulky/boxy/not feminine/insert any word of "character".
(I think she wants something like this or this) http://www.boysstuff.co.uk/Images/prod_center/pig-speakers-cent-200_68406.jpg
The WAF is extremely low and she just about freaks out at any suggestion of putting something of size in the room. I need to rethink my path for decent sound.
She doesn't give a crap as to what the speakers sound like. She's even said this and believes that the Sony cubes sound just fine and don't need to be replaced. Sony HTiB specs here.(I should have married a musician...)
So, I'm deleting the Klipsch, Aperion, and anything of similar size. Not happy.
On the bright side, I'm going to "Sounds Like Music" with my bud where I'll have a chance to check out the B&W bookshelf speakers and the slightly-smaller-than-Klipsch towers. These are definitely in the price range and will actually leave a little left over. No idea as to what she'll say to the looks of these right now as she almost always refuses to discuss or look at speakers.

Quick considerations without much research:
B&W 601 and 602 (bookshelf)
B&W DM603 and 602.5
Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE
New wife who likes good sound(jk...but...)
Energy C500
Aperion Audio Intimus 632-LR (bookshelf)
Axiom Audio M22 v2

-pat
(as I frustratingly drink my beer)

 

[pzaur]

Wife freaked at tower size...

Well, so much for even considering the Klipsch or anything of similar SIZE. Apparently, they are too wide/bulky/boxy/not feminine/insert any word of "character".
(I think she wants something like this or this)
The WAF is extremely low and she just about freaks out at any suggestion of putting something of size in the room. I need to rethink my path for decent sound.
She doesn't give a crap as to what the speakers sound like. She's even said this and believes that the Sony cubes sound just fine and don't need to be replaced. Sony HTiB specs here.(I should have married a musician...)
So, I'm deleting the Klipsch, Aperion, and anything of similar size. Not happy.
On the bright side, I'm going to "Sounds Like Music" with my bud where I'll have a chance to check out the B&W bookshelf speakers and the slightly-smaller-than-Klipsch towers. These are definitely in the price range and will actually leave a little left over. No idea as to what she'll say to the looks of these right now as she almost always refuses to discuss or look at speakers.

Quick considerations without much research:
B&W 601 and 602 (bookshelf)
B&W DM603 and 602.5
Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE
New wife who likes good sound(jk...but...)
Energy C500
Aperion Audio Intimus 632-LR (bookshelf)
Axiom Audio M22 v2

-pat
(as I frustratingly drink my beer)

 

[billy p]

Well, so much for even considering the Klipsch or anything of similar SIZE. Apparently, they are too wide/bulky/boxy/not feminine/insert any word of "character".
(I think she wants something like this or this) http://www.boysstuff.co.uk/Images/prod_center/pig-speakers-cent-200_68406.jpg
The WAF is extremely low and she just about freaks out at any suggestion of putting something of size in the room. I need to rethink my path for decent sound.
She doesn't give a crap as to what the speakers sound like. She's even said this and believes that the Sony cubes sound just fine and don't need to be replaced. Sony HTiB specs here.(I should have married a musician...)
So, I'm deleting the Klipsch, Aperion, and anything of similar size. Not happy.
On the bright side, I'm going to "Sounds Like Music" with my bud where I'll have a chance to check out the B&W bookshelf speakers and the slightly-smaller-than-Klipsch towers. These are definitely in the price range and will actually leave a little left over. No idea as to what she'll say to the looks of these right now as she almost always refuses to discuss or look at speakers.

Quick considerations without much research:
B&W 601 and 602 (bookshelf)
B&W DM603 and 602.5
Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE
New wife who likes good sound(jk...but...)
Energy C500
Aperion Audio Intimus 632-LR (bookshelf)
Axiom Audio M22 v2

-pat
(as I frustratingly drink my beer)

The Energy C500 is a floor stander @ about 38"h x 14"d x 8"w
I would recommend the energy c100 or c200 and even better IMO the rc10. I haven't heard the rc10 but I have auditioned the rc 50's & 70'S and loved them. Very neutral and warm could listem to them for hours.

 

[zumbo]

At this pricepoint, I would choose MA over B&W.
http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/silver/rs_series/rs1.htm

 

[allsop4now]

Well, so much for even considering the Klipsch or anything of similar SIZE. Apparently, they are too wide/bulky/boxy/not feminine/insert any word of "character".
[snip]
So, I'm deleting the Klipsch, Aperion, and anything of similar size. Not happy.
-pat
(as I frustratingly drink my beer)

There are loadspeakers that are not boxy, but rounded/oval in shape. Such a speaker may give the impression of not taking so much space. Perhaps that will appeal to your wife?

For instance, KEF iQ serie is not boxy. Canto Vento looks very nice (but expensive): http://www.canton.de/download-produktinfo-vento_flyer.htm

 

[pzaur]

B&W trauma

I went to "Sounds Like Music" to check out some B&Ws. The place looked like an ER after New Year's. The salesman was telling us that we were at the store at a bad time and to come back in a week. Some kids, probably teens, came into the store and pushed in every single tweeter on all of the floor and in-wall B&W demo speakers! The only model speaker fixed at the time was a set of 601 bookshelf speakers. They sounded nice, as expected. They didn't handle the low end well, also, as expected. I wish I could have compared them to their big brother, the 602 S3, and the floor standing 602.5 and 603. Unfortunately, every other speaker was, as mentioned earlier, waiting for surgery to repair their tweeters.

My buddy and I are heading back to the store in a week or so to hear the others. Chances are good I'll end up buying one or two models to take home for listening. I'll also be ordering in some Ascend Acoustic 340s and probably the Aperion 632-LR so they're all at my house at the same time and I can compare them more appropriately.

In the coming weeks I should have a once in a lifetime setup of:
Ascend Acoustics 340
B&W 603 S3 (friend's set)
B&W 602 S3 and/or B&W 602.5 S3
Aperion 632-LR

-pat

 

[zumbo]

This is gonna be fun! I have to say, I do believe the Polk RTi8's are strong contenders in this shootout. And, they look the best(IMO)(WAF).

Is there no way to get Monitor Audio in this shootout? Not only do they look better than any of the others, they would be my fist pick for SQ at this level.

 

[pzaur]

Aperion 533-Ts arrived last week. Just got them hooked up and am letting them run while I'm out of the house. First impressions are very good. Not bright, very clear, and imaging seems extremely good. But, definitely need a sub with these. My wife thinks these are "too big." I actually think she'll think anything is "too big" since she is all about image and nothing getting in the way of her entertainment center.

They're very pretty, high-gloss piano black. Not huge by any means and rather sexy in stature, imho.
The sound they produce can definitely fill the room they're in and easily be heard throughout the house without sounding strained.

I'll post more as my adventure continues. As things have recently changed, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do all I want. It may come down to these or my buddy's B&W 603 S3 set. Those, I know I like.
Another factor is purchasing the surrounds and Aperion's prices are cheaper for the in-ceiling speakers and the center channel.

-pat

 

[MUDSHARK]

How do you like them now after a week of listening? I did not care for the B&W 600 series ( in terms of music performance) but did like the B&W 700 series which I found of similar quality to the Infinity Kappa 400s. I was tossing around the idea of upgrading to the Aperion Intimus 500/400 series for the family room since I have recently upgraded the sub to the Outlaw.

 

[pzaur]

I've been very impressed with the musical performance of these speakers. With a little power they like to sing out. As the Aperion site states, they really do need a subwoofer for the low end. The extension is not as great as I would prefer, but they are very tight. The speakers are extremely clear and not fatiguing at all to listen to. I'm also hearing tons of nuances in recordings that I've never heard before. Key clicks from Michael Brecker's tenor sax, bow noises from string instruments, breath intakes, and other sounds.

I'm leaning towards keeping these and ending the search because I'm very satisfied with the sound and the center channel speaker will fit into the slot allocated for it as well as costing less than the B&W center for the 600 series.
Cost is a factor in the house.

If I could do it all over, I'd probably try going for the 633T instead of the 533T. Mainly for the bass extension. My wife won't have anything to do with a larger speaker. She balked when these arrived.

My biggest problem has been that I blew the DVD input on my receiver and now the receiver is producing a hiss/buzz through any attached speakers at high volumes. I think it also affected the power supply in the receiver when the DVD input blew.
The left channel on the receiver is noticeably more powerful than the right channel. I traded the speakers back an forth to make sure it wasn't the speakers creating the difference. It's been a little frustrating. Very unimpressed with the Sony receiver that I have.

 

[Xsound]

If you like the sound of the aperions, then keep them. However, don't settle just because the sound "isn't bad." Always choose because you like it, not because it will do.

I will second the encouragement to check out the Monitor Audio if at all possible. The finish on their speakers is excellent & gives them the look of nice furniture. I would look at the RS1 first. If your wife wants something small & cute, look at some of the radius. Real wood veneer, great finish, & some stylish (albeit contemporary) stands. I prefer the RS series over the Radius, but it's your ears & her eyes.

I have been using some Monitor Audio 700's for over 10 years, and I still love them. I made some I-beam stands out of some MDF. Need to finish them with the black laquer that is sitting in my garage.

Oh yeah, did I mention that maybe you should check out the Monitor Audio RS1's.