Aperion Audio Verus Grand Loudspeaker System Reviewed

[KEW]

I agree that the center sounds like an exceptional component among excellent components.

This was the portion of your statement which I did not get out of the review:

My impressions from his review were that the Songtowers and VGT were probably toe-to-toe...

The inferences I can make from studying the review is that the Verus Grand is clearly superior in imaging (even though the SongTower was rated 5), since Toms says it imaged better than any other speaker he has ever heard. Previously, he had commented that the HT2-TL's were the best imaging speakers he had ever heard (and specifically superior the SongTowers).

Based on the FR's the Aperion appears to have better off axis dispersion (which is consistent with Tom's comments about setup and toe-in flexibility).

I do think it is reasonable to believe he is referring to the SongTowers when he makes the following comment:

I've had quite a bit of experience with floorstanding speakers in this price range and compared to others, the bass extension of the Verus Grand towers wasn't it's strong point. I've had other speakers of comparable price that had much better extension.

Thus, the SongTowers get the nod for bass extension.

 

[rushwj]

i can't believe tom's not weighing in on this discussion yet. we'd love to hear from you tom.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Just as a factual note, the ST that Tom reviewed was revised several months ago to use a different Seas woofer--the reed cone ER15 instead of the CA15, and the crossover was revised accordingly. I don't know what Tom would think of the revision (which affects the upper midrange primarily), and I'm not making any claims, but it's not quite the same speaker.

 

[Hicks]

I was wondering how far off of the wall the towers should be since they have both ports in the back, would these be practical to use in an HT that is limited in space whereas they need to be some what closer to the wall ?? A typical set up with panel , towers flanking and so on , just curious as to the distance during review, thanks, sawz.

We recommend two feet to the rear wall, but you can get reasonably good results with one foot.

Of course my opinion is admittedly biased, but I have heard both and think the Verus Grand Towers would easily hold their own against the Song Towers. I myself would be interested to see a shoot out between both in the same room.

I would just mention that in the looks department, to get a high gloss black finish for the STs that is comparable to the standard finish of the VGTs it will cost you an extra $1800.

 

[GranteedEV]

We recommend two feet to the rear wall, but you can get reasonably good results with one foot.

Of course my opinion is admittedly biased, but I have heard both and think the Verus Grand Towers would easily hold their own against the Song Towers. I myself would be interested to see a shoot out between both in the same room.

I would just mention that in the looks department, to get a high gloss black finish for the STs that is comparable to the standard finish of the VGTs it will cost you an extra $1800.

the high gloss isnt that mucu for the STs
that's the hand rubbed piano gloss.

 

[Hicks]

the high gloss isnt that mucu for the STs
that's the hand rubbed piano gloss.

The standard finish for the Verus Grand Towers is also a hand rubbed piano black lacquer finish.

 

[GranteedEV]

The standard finish for the Verus Grand Towers is also a hand rubbed piano black lacquer finish.

cool Although to be fair here I wish the VGT had a few more finish options for an extra charge. I would probably pay more to get the center if I could get that midrange driver in white instead of black.... it would then not only match my current speakers but also look stunning

When we talk about the greatest speakers at a price point, IMO you probably hit a threshold where many differences of opinion would likely be purely subjective. It sounds like the VGT are definitely up there past the threshold

 

[Hicks]

cool Although to be fair here I wish the VGT had a few more finish options for an extra charge. I would probably pay more to get the center if I could get that midrange driver in white instead of black.... it would then not only match my current speakers but also look stunning

When we talk about the greatest speakers at a price point, IMO you probably hit a threshold where many differences of opinion would likely be purely subjective. It sounds like the VGT are definitely up there past the threshold

I agree, really they are both great speakers.

So for those of us that can't afford a pair of each, pick one and enjoy!

 

[KEW]

So:

With a pair of these towers at $1800 and winning the POY; and the Salk SongTowers at $1900 and so highly recommended, there is no doubt in my mind that both are great speakers. Ideally someone would listen to both before making a decision, but it is pretty difficult to listen to Salks without having the money permanently committed to them.
Can you offer some pros and cons or maybe some situations which would might suggest one over the other?

For example, might one be better at playing very soft or loud? Or for a particular types of music?

Thanks.

Come on! What gives?
I have little doubt that Tom listened to and compared the two.

Why all of the secrecy?

 

[broonsby]

Verus Grand bookshelf speakers

Today I got a chance to listen to some very nice speakers.

1. The Dali Mentor Menuets at *cough* $1500US / pr.
These speakers are just amazing for their size. They do just so much right. Compared very well to $2k-$5k speakers. But $1500 for mini monitors? Um, yeah, just a little pricey for me.

2. The B&W CM series. Good, not great. Expensive for what you get.

3. B&W 600 series - home theater only. Not a speaker I'd spend money on.

4. The Aperion Verus Grand bookshelves. At $600 for a pair, these things hit way above their price class. Bass extension is very good for such a small speaker. Dynamics were very good as well. Imaging was superb. There was only a small difference in dispersion when changing ear height. Side to side there is essentially none. The vocals and cathedral dynamics on the Tallis Scholars' rendition of Palestrina's Allegri Misserere are superb, well recorded rock is just solid - like it should be, female vocals just beautifully warm without exaggeration. If they err, it is on the side of omission, so no stridency, no significant coloration. And I listened to them on a Marantz receiver, not some very expensive separates at that. I have a suspicion that these with a Peachtree integrated amp would just be great.

I owned a pair of B&W 805's for a decade. The only thing I ever regretted was the need to sell them when moving cross country. Been looking for something to replace them. The Verus Grand's are on my very short list, and since price is an object, there is really nothing that compares at $600 that I've heard. If you need more bass get a sub or the towers. But for apartment dwelling, the bookshelves have enough bass to please without breaking the lease or the peace

In summary, if your budget for speakers is $600, there's the Verus Grand and not much else. I've heard many speakers including Paradigms, Energy, Klipsch, Def Tech, etc... and been underwhelmed, but not with the Aperion GVB.

 

[naren2512]

@ broonsby

Thanks for the wonderful review, do you think Verus grands will be good for movies or music or both ? I am also looking for bookshelves for my 5.1 speaker system which i will be using say 70% for movies and 30% for music. My budge for fronts is about 500$ but can stretch to 600$ if the need be

@ Other members here

Has any heard PSB Image B6 and Aperion Verus bookshelves both ? I would appreciate if you can share your experiance as it may help me decide about my bookshelves.

Thanks

 

[broonsby]

I think the VGB's would be equally at home with music or home theater. I would categorize them as monitor speakers meaning that they are very neutral. What you put in is pretty much what comes out.

From previous experience with essentially studio monitor quality speakers I often found that i didn't bother with the rear channels and often ran 2.1 or 3.1. Unless you have a larger room the rears often just got in the way. I found that the imaging from a high quality stereo was more than sufficient to overcome any localisation problems. And imaging is the strong suit for the VGB's. 5.1 comes into its own when you have larger rooms.

That said, if you can afford the room and/or price, I think a simple stereo system with the VG Tower speakers would work really well too. But I live in an apartment and anything more than the VG booshelves would be overkill for my needs.

While I have not heard the PSB's, 2 dealers I went to carried them and they pretty much said the same thing - not in the same league as what I was looking for. One PSB dealer had me check out the B&W CM series which was decent but was expensive for what you got. The other showed me the Dali's which mopped the floor with the CM series, just killed them. While I would expect it for 50% more money, they were definitely more than 50% a better speakers. And I thought the Aperion's were as good but different than the Dali's, but at $600/ pair, not $1500 / pr.

I think the best summation is that with the Aperion's you are getting entry level true high fidelity at mid-fidelity prices.

 

[alphaiii]

In summary, if your budget for speakers is $600, there's the Verus Grand and not much else. I've heard many speakers including Paradigms, Energy, Klipsch, Def Tech, etc... and been underwhelmed, but not with the Aperion GVB.

Just curious, since you said you've been underwhelmed with offerings you've heard from Energy....have you heard Energy RC-10's?

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading from Energy RC-10's to Aperion VGB's...

I like my RC-10's alot, and while I'm mostly satisfied with my RC-LCR... I can nitpick it and find some things I wish it did better.

I'm interested in the Verus line, but my biggest worry is that, since I can't afford the Verus Grand Center.... the Verus Forte center might be a downgrade from the Energy RC-LCR. Well, that and I am partial to my RC-10's and might have a hard time giving them up...

 

[billy p]

Just curious, since you said you've been underwhelmed with offerings you've heard from Energy....have you heard Energy RC-10's?

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading from Energy RC-10's to Aperion VGB's...

I like my RC-10's alot, and while I'm mostly satisfied with my RC-LCR... I can nitpick it and find some things I wish it did better.

I'm interested in the Verus line, but my biggest worry is that, since I can't afford the Verus Grand Center.... the Verus Forte center might be a downgrade from the Energy RC-LCR. Well, that and I am partial to my RC-10's and might have a hard time giving them up...

Well if you go that route I'd love to hear your thoughts too.... Having just sold my RC's the GVT are high on my want list...any glowing review comparing the Forte vs. the Rc's could easily influence my next speaker purchase decision....

 

[its phillip]

I hope they are just "comparable" to the RC-10s so I don't get the upgrade bug again

 

[billy p]

I hope they are just "comparable" to the RC-10s so I don't get the upgrade bug again

Well you could always try and sell them for more money on ebay or something...jk..

 

[alphaiii]

Well if I do go ahead with buying the Verus speakers, I'll definitely post my thoughts on how they compare....

 

[yelnatsch517]

Just curious, since you said you've been underwhelmed with offerings you've heard from Energy....have you heard Energy RC-10's?

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading from Energy RC-10's to Aperion VGB's...

I like my RC-10's alot, and while I'm mostly satisfied with my RC-LCR... I can nitpick it and find some things I wish it did better.

I'm interested in the Verus line, but my biggest worry is that, since I can't afford the Verus Grand Center.... the Verus Forte center might be a downgrade from the Energy RC-LCR. Well, that and I am partial to my RC-10's and might have a hard time giving them up...

How would they compare to Ascend Sierras or Energy Veritas 2.0? I have the Energy rc-70s and looking to upgrade. I've been looking at Songtowers, new Ascend Towers, and several DIY speakers including the Statements. At the top of my list so far is the Sealed Statements with bass bins using TC Sounds LMS-R 15s.

 

[AD_LIB]

how would you say the Aperion Verus Grand's stack up to the RBH 1266 SE? I currently have 3 RBH 661SE's and need to get something floor standing to avoid toddler injury/death So I'm debating on whether or not to go Aperion Verus Grand or just get 2 1266-SE's

-BA

 

[gene]

how would you say the Aperion Verus Grand's stack up to the RBH 1266 SE? I currently have 3 RBH 661SE's and need to get something floor standing to avoid toddler injury/death So I'm debating on whether or not to go Aperion Verus Grand or just get 2 1266-SE's

-BA

Stick with what you have and just stack a 1010-SE/R sub under each speaker