search
I got a call a while back from Stephen Mejias (Stereophile('s Sancho Panza to John Atkinson's Don Quixote), who informed me that Aperion Audio had redesigned their entire line of loudspeakers, and suggested that I check them out. I had responded very favorably to Aperion's Intimus 533-T, which I reviewed in the April 2007 issue. I loved the speaker's sound, the sexy appearance, and felt it was good value at $750/pair. And I thought Aperion's 30-day free trial with free shipping each way was a deal that few could resist. So when this factory-direct, Oregon-based company informed me that they'd…
I continued my listening sessions by analyzing four recordings of Attention Screen made by JA at our favorite club, Otto's Shrunken Head, in New York City. (We plan to compile a selection of those performances' highlights for a disc to be released on the Stereophile label in early 2009.) I studied each piece from the nearly six hours of music to select the moments that showed us at our best while also providing the greatest variety of musical textures. The Aperion 6T made this an easy and enjoyable task, and put me in an analytical mood. So I cued up "Pachuco Cadaver," from Captain Beefheart…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" silk-dome tweeter, two 6.5" woven-fiberglass composite-cone woofers. Frequency response: 36Hz–20kHz, ±3dB; 28Hz–22kHz, ±6dB. Impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 91dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 50–300W.
Dimensions: 41.5" (1065mm) H by 7.75" (200mm) W by 15.5" (400mm) D. Base: 10.5" (270mm) W by 18.25" (470mm) D. Weight: 70 lbs (32kg).
Finishes: Cherrywood, high-gloss piano black.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 16T0004184, 16T0009574.
Price: $1390/pair. Approximate…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood & Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Source: Creek Destiny CD player.
Integrated Amplifiers: Creek Destiny & Creek 5350SE, Simaudio Moon i-1.
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Silver RS6, Epos M16i.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG Terminator. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus.
Accessories: Various by ASC, Bright Star, Celestion, Echo Busters, Salamander Designs, Simply Physics, Sound Anchor, VPI.—Robert J.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Aperion specifies the Intimus 6T's voltage sensitivity as a high 91dB/2.83V/m. My B-weighted estimate on the speaker's tweeter axis was slightly lower than that, at 89.6dB(B)/2.83V/m, but this is still usefully higher than average. The loudspeaker's impedance ranges between 4 and 6 ohms over most of the audioband, with a combination of 5 ohms and –45° electrical phase angle at 75Hz, meaning that a good 4 ohm–rated amplifier or receiver should be used with the Aperions.
The traces in fig.1 are free from the severe glitches that would suggest the presence of…
Time thins the ranks of specialist industries. Trends, products, and companies come and go. High-end audio is a poster child for this reality, and most veteran audiophiles have evidence of the casualties—literature or orphaned products, stashed away somewhere. But a small number of true believers remain true to their visions, and persevere to help advance the state of the art.
Joachim Gerhard is one of those true believers. His speaker designs—first for AudioPhysic and, more recently, for his new company, Sonics by Joachim Gerhard—have all been excellent and, in my experience,…
The Allegras' performance took me completely by surprise. They sounded mediocre. I moved the speakers, moved my chair, switched equipment. Nothing helped. The sound wasn't bad, exactly, just diffuse and lifeless—a far cry from the dynamics and precision I'd heard from a demo pair set up in Immedia's Berkeley office. The Allegras didn't sound like the Animas with more bass; they didn't sound like Animas at all—or any other Joachim Gerhard speaker I'd ever heard. Were they defective? Or had I not even got close to the optimal setup in my room? I called Allen Perkins and asked him to come out…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floorstanding, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.75" (19mm) aluminum-magnesium dome tweeter, 6" (152mm) paper-cone midrange, two 7" (177mm) aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 280Hz, 2.7kHz. Frequency response: 25Hz–30kHz, –3dB frequencies; 100Hz–30kHz, ±2.5dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/m.
Dimensions: 40" (1020mm) H by 9" (225mm) W by 13.5" (345mm) D. Weight: 58 lbs (26.4kg).
Finishes: Bird's-eye maple, Maccassar ebony, pear.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 154A/B (maple), 158A/B (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Lyra Titan-i, Grado Reference cartridges.
Digital Sources: Simaudio Moon Evolution Andromeda, Primare CD 31 CD players.
Preamplification: Sutherland PhD phono preamplifier; Sutherland Direct, Placette Active line stages.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB750 Signature, Pass Labs XA-30.5.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables: Stereovox, Audience Au-24, Nordost Valhalla, Nirvana SL interconnects & loudspeaker cables. AC: Audience PowerChord, Synergistic Research Designer's…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Sonics Allegra's voltage sensitivity is specified as a high 91dB/W/m. Assessed with DRA Labs' MLSSA system, my B-weighted estimate on its tweeter axis was close to that, at 90.2dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, the Allegra is a fairly difficult speaker for the partnering amplifier to drive, with an impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) lying at or below 4 ohms in the bass and the low treble. The electrical phase angle (fig.1, dotted trace) is also relatively large over much of the audioband. The minimum impedance is 2.75 ohms at 3.2kHz, though the phase angle is low…