Adam was kind enough to turn me on to Aperion Audio in another thread. So per his recommendation, I quickly followed the hyperlink to the Aperion website, straight to the 632 LR's.
You can find them here.
I quickly read the website, and yes like many others, they being an internet only retailer, offer a 30 day trial. But unlike some, they offer to pay shipping both ways, so I thought, "hmm must be priced in somehow
. More about that later.
So I placed my web order last weekend for a pair in black. I thought it was going to be a flat black like so many others. Nope, no cheap box here, these come in a beautiful piano
BLACK. But before I explain how they sound, enjoy some snipplets of the cute emails Aperion sent me
Dear Ric,
Thank you for your order--and welcome to the Aperion family!
Soon your speakers will be embarking on the final leg of their journey. Born in the minds of our product development team and designed by Ken Humphreys, our acoustic engineer, your speakers were crafted, assembled and prototyped to rigorous specifications.
Once approved as Aperion-worthy, they were lovingly hand-assembled in small batches overseas and tested to perfection. They were then given proper travel documents and happily boarded a steamer to America.
Upon landing, your speakers were loaded onto a special Aperion transport and smoothly conveyed to our warehouse. They?ve patiently waited for the right person to fulfill their destiny and call them home. That ?right? person is you!
We ship all products we have in-stock within one business day via FedEx Home or Ground, with signature required (for your protection). Along with your speakers you?ll also be receiving a speaker care kit with instructions on how to take good care of your speakers so that they?ll take good care of you.
Your 30-Day Totally Risk Free In-Home Audition won?t begin until your entire order is delivered, so if by some small chance any of your items are on backorder, you?ll still have plenty of time to give your system a full workout before making your final decision.
We know how excited you must be! Should you have any questions, nervous excitement or just want to talk shop while you?re waiting, feel free to call us toll-free at 888-880-8992, or email customerservice@aperionaudio.com.
Again, thank you and welcome! We're intensely proud of our products, and believe you?ll thoroughly enjoy their company. We look forward to a long and happy relationship.
Warmest regards,
Your Aperion Family
And the really cute one!
Dear Ric,
Your shipment is now on its way to you via FedEx Home Delivery. While Kelli was carefully hand-packing your shipment, we all sang a song of farewell and blew confetti about the warehouse. Then we packed your speakers on the truck, snapped to a smart salute and sent them on their way.
If any confetti remains on your box, please dispose of it carefully. One can never fully trust confetti.
Luckily no confetti was in the one big box which snugly held two smaller boxes. In each box was a no peanut soft foam fitting padding holding the speakers safely in place. In side a clear plastic bag was a purple velvet bag, wrapping and protecting each speaker. I was impressed.
After placing each 632 on top of my JBL L 100 T's (36" tall) we (well, my caregiver) plugged in the bananas on my 12 gauge speaker cables. Now I have been using these JBL's for over 20 years, and they are worthy sounding speakers with titanium dome tweeters, 3.5" midrange, and 12" woofers.
The 632's are on the power hungry side, but the trusty Emotiva LPA-1 is more than plenty of amp at a conservative 110 x 7 per channel. My pre amp crossover set at 80hz, and the Hsu sub turned down a bit, I cranked open some wattage listening to smooth R&B from XM sat. radio. The 632's came to life and we listened to several songs from XM. First instant observation was that the 632's were brighter than my JBL's, a surprise. But not harsh. I quickly started thinking what I would listen to from my collection. Ahh, a digitally remastered copy of
Wish you were here by Pink Floyd. Warp 9 Scotty, it's time to rock out!
With the volume up quite high, I listened to the entire album. It was loud, but very very enjoyable. I did this on purpose because I wanted to test the 632's sound, and make sure listening fatigue did not set in. It never did. What I first perceived as bright was actually quite smooth.
Now down at room level, an afternoon of rock from XM 48,
Squizz.Tonight the 632's get a real treat,
Full Metal Jacket on Blu-ray! Now about this two way paid shipping. Thats for the first month. Aperionaudio will give you a year to trade in full price and trade up (just like my hometown dealer). So expect a pair of Aperion Towers in my future, if I don't just keep these.
So my first impression was great. The 632's are flat down to 48hz, so I'm going to back down my crossover in the prepro to 50hz for tonights movie. The midrange is filling, the highs from the 1" silk dome tweeters isn't tiring and I might have to throw in some Kate Bush to eval female vocals.
Just a first listen
.
