After a lot of research, bought aperion audio 7.1 speaker system with 100 W subwoofer.
Used an Onkyo receiver (also thru Aperion, discounted along with speakers). Bought some speaker stands also.
Have had the system close to 3 years now. Excellent system, havent seen anything comparable with any of my friends. Have compared with Bose, Sony, Polk.
Don't regret my purchase. The all-channel stereo mode which expands the sound to cover all 7.1 is my favorite setting for listening (Onkyo setting).
The Onkyo does not have automatic tuning, so I bought an audiometer, and tuning CD to set up the system. Worth the extra money.
Buying from Aperion, I got free Monster audio cables (200m), enough for all my wiring, and the connectors too.
They also sent me cleaning towels/gloves/velvet storage cases.

Not too many seem to have heard of Aperion however. No brand recognition

Excellent system, would recommend to any friend.
(Price is for speakers, Onkyo receiver 3K, stands about 50-100 each)

Customer Service

Excellent.
First ordered speakers alone, with Yamaha receiver from another seller. After seller delayed shipment, cancelled, called Aperio, and ordered the Onkyo. Got the discounted price from them (best on the web for that model)
Have talked on phone, chatted online with audio experts at aperion, before setting up my system

Great Sound! Economical! Great Finish!

None

OK, I am not an audioguro or geek! I actually feel silly saying tweeter and my friends St. Bernard comes to mind when someone says woofer. What I do know is that my ears are profoundly in love with my new speakers and I just can't seem to wipe the grin off my face. But I am getting ahead of myself. First, Aperion has unrivaled customer service. Second, their return policy, they pay for shipping, is fantastic. If you don't like the product. Call them up and send them back. Done! Finally, the speakers are really well manufactured. A solid sturdy product that is also esthetically pleasing. That was important to me. There has not been a moment of listening that has let me down. I use them for both Movie watching and music listening. I did a real 30 day side by side test with everything I could find in my audio arsenal against some BOSE 301 speakers my brother forgot at my house. Truth is I lied. The last 10 days I didn't bother with the BOSE. And I didn't send back the Aperions. Bottom line: if you want some really great speakers at a very reasonable price you can not go wrong! Yes you can spend quite a bit more of your hard earned dollars and get marginally better speakers but then you would be an audiogeek that is independantly wealthy. So, for us regular folks that like music and enjoy movies at home, Aperion has built a suprior product for us we can afford. Plus they are really nice too!

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BOSE 301

Awesome customer service. Great quality on the construction and parts involved with the unit. For the size, it has a great soundfield and dynamic presence

A little weak on the low end, but a good sub will take care of that problem

I've been looking for quite awhile for a small decent sounding speaker for mounting on the wall for use in a hometheater setup. After countless trips to the stereo stores and not finding anything that I liked in the size needed, I decided to give Aperion a try after all the reviews and posting that I have read about them. Figured I had nothing to lose in the deal. To say the least, I was very pleasantly surprised with what showed up. I ordered a pair of the 522's in cherry and was extreamly impressed with units. Extreamly solid, great binding posts, but there were issues with a light band in the finish on both speakers. Hooked them up to the B channel to do a comparison to the existing LR that I'm using (Canton D Plus). I could not believe the sound quality. They were not quite as bright as the Cantons (but always thought they were alittle over the top anyway) but the detail and seperation of these speakers just amazed me. Mind you, there are limitations due to the size of the units but absolutely incredible. Never really listened to music on the system before with the Cantons due to not really being happy with sound from those, but have found myself brining cd's in from the truck to listen to and they are amazing- I'm hearing detail that I did not even know about before on them. Sound great with both acoustic, male, or female vocals Alanis Moriessete sounds great on them (not bad looking either LOL) or putting some BLS on them. They are alittle lacking on the lower end but what do you expect from such a small speaker - using an HSU sub which fills them out nicely. Moving on to home theater, these speakers offer a great presence and soundfield. It's like watching these movies for the first time, now if I only had the time to sit down to watch them all (LOL). Regarding the finish issue, after contacting Aperion regarding this I was responded back to by email and phone. They had a replace unit in the mail the next day and the finish on that unit was perfect (just think it was an isolated incident with the first pair). Overall, I personally feel that these speakers are an excellent value and would highly recommend them to anyone. Planning on purchasing a center channel to match - I was told that they are coming out with a larger center channel in the next week or two involving an active and passive driver and the same 1" tweeter - planning on getting one and will post a review after I receive it.

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Canton D Plus

For it's size, the Intimus 522D has a good frequency response range, very clear and open sound, excellent imaging. Solid construction and nice cabinet finish.

I have not yet found any weaknesses.

Great little bookshelf speakers! Purchased the cherry veneer speakers online from the manufacturer. Very high quality sound!! They sound great in 2 channel mode, and work well as front (main) channel speakers....blend in well with my HSU VTF-2 subwoofer. Using standard speaker wire (14 gauge), no problem! Great company and excellent value!! Get these if you want a natural, open sound!!

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PSB Image 2B bookshelf speakers

Well designed sound range for movies, beautifully crafted enclosures, small size for sound produced. Solidly build, excellent sound imaging, fairly forgiving in room placement. Aperion staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic in their support and set up ideas.

Satellite speakers lack some high end definition. The Subwoofer is quite powerful but can't quite reach the very lowest tones heard in theaters. Satellites are heavy, requiring strong wall mounts.

After much research I bought the Aperion(Edge) Audio 5.1 speaker set up with the 12" sub to be powered by a Yamaha RVX1000 A/V amp. Input is from a Sony NS999ES DVD player. Since the RVX1000 has an unpowered 6.1 rear center output, I soon added a sixth Aperion satellite powered by an old Marantz amp of the same rating the other channels. The room size is 16X21, and it is super insulated and sound controlled. I've read several magazine reviews that lead one to believe these speakers are the best thing going; better than speakers costing many times as much. They aren't. But they are great for anywhere near the price. They lack some high end definition and low bass, but they are wonderfully optimized for the sound ranges typical of movies. I also have a traditional stereo with much higher end speakers and electronics, and the Aperions compare well in many respects. The 6.1 set up images well with smooth transitions as sounds cross the stage. Speaker placement is all but invisible. The powered subwooker is so strong that I usually leave it on the lowest audible setting, or the audience can't take it. The Aperions are easy on the ears, resulting in no listener fatigue after hours of use. The Sony NS999ES allows user selection of dynamic range to adjust for source material. The Aperions track this dead-on, which is something of a feat. If I bought a new system today, I would still buy the Aperions.

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I have had Klipsch, JBL, Bose, Pioneer, Magneplanar, and IMF speakers attached to the same equipment (mostly due to swapping around with my stereo). I prefer the Klipsch's (too bright for some folks,

Looks Don't sound like a small speaker Imaging Easy, relaxed sound. Nice bass definition..even without sub. Packaging (they ship in velvet bags to protect finish) Price..Don't tell anybody, but these are worth more.

Very little. I could use more bass, but I don't think I'd like the trade offs. This size and the amount of lower frequencies they produce seem to be a conscious design decision. A bigger woofer and cabinet would propbably kill the "magic." I also think the treble, while nice and very extended, may be a little hot.

Screams quality even before you fire 'em up! Weighs twice as much as you'd expect, thanks to 1" thick High Density Fiberboard (not MDF). Woodworking, build quality, "fit and finish" and binding posts are all stellar. Now for the sound. Big sound for a reasonably small box. Smooth, full spectrum sound(down to around 55 Hz with out sub). Possibly a little too much treble. While I'm still fiddling with speaker placement, soundstaging seems very promising. These speakers do not sound "boxy", this coming from a Magnepan owner! Knock on a side panel...they're so inert, you may hurt your knuckles. An amazing value.

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Changes.....previously Magnepans, tubes, NAD, etc. Currently a Kenwood receiver for surround sound.

Perfect HT speakers.

Just a tad bit of high frequency detail missing.

I have a 6.1 setup with 6 of these and a Titanic 10" sub. The speakers sound excellent. For HT I think they are perfect. For music they sound very good, just a little rolled off at the top end. The crossover design works great, the transition from woofer to tweeter is SEAMLESS. The sound is acurate and neutral. Plus they look good!

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M&K, Definitive Tech. and DIY speakers

Very good sound, rivals the sound of much bigger speakers. hit very high and very low. 30 day money back guaranty, aperion pays for shipping both ways.

very inefficient (i need to buy a new amp cause it can't handle these babies)

I've had these speakers for a week now, and i must say they are very good. Highs are a little bright, but aperion recomends 50-100 hours to let the speakers "break-in", ill post another review here if the sound improves as described.

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Klipsch Sb-1, Sb-2

Virtually disappear as a sound source when properly setup 2-3 feet from the back wall and 6-8 feet apart. Totally open NO boxy sound here. Wonderful detailed midrange. Fatigue free. Very accurate.

Fairly inefficient. I would guesstimate around 87db efficiency. I find they sound wonderful with Rock especially when paired with a forward firing subwoofer. Those who are looking for sizzing highs might find the treble a little polite and bass limited.

Writing a review for how something sounds is difficult. If I could use three words to describe these speakers they would be: Acoustic, open and Analog. Another difficult thing is that most products reviewed seem to have a rating of 4.5 or higher. Meaning the average reviewer believes his purchase is either a excellent value or giant killer. Is this a true giant killer? According to many reviewers here who have used Sonus Faber, B&W, Rogers LS35, Gallo, Mirage, Meadowlark and Spica the answer is in the affirmative. IMO these are true audiophile mini monitors and well worth building a primary stereo system around. By themselves these speakers make acoustic guitar sound like acoustic guitar. Piano sound like Piano. You don't get that "I know thats an acoustic guitar but it sounds electric" or that canned 'electric' piano sound. Female vocalist who are difficult to produce correctly are wonderful. Listening to Stevie Nicks sing "Gypsy" is almost a religous experience goose bumps and all. Ok, acoustic and analog with to die for female vocals sound wonderful for those who are into jazz, classical and acoustic music. How about good old Rock? "Every Rose Has its Thorn" by Poison (a song I had never really cared for until now) is simpy Jaw dropping! I have made 2 additions which took these wonderful little minimonitors up 2 or 3 notches. The first being a Jolida 202A tube amp. Wonderful combination with the Aperions is you don't need very high volumes. Second I purchaed a PB8PSB Pyle Pro 8" Subwoofer. I have owned both downfiring and passive subwoofers in the past and been very disappointed. Therefore I didn't want to spend big bucks on a subwoofer that I knew I would hate. I was wrong! This little inexpensive (under $150) subwoofer (See my Review) is outstanding and is seemless and virtually disappears. In summary this would be a great speaker to build a primary system where budget is a concern, or for those seeking an outstanding second system. **One note these monitors are discontinued and replaced by the 522's. Not to worry one review magazine that reviewed both the 502 and 522 found them to sound identical with the exception of the 522's having deeper base and being more visually appealing.

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Bookshelf: Acoustic Research AR17, Advent Baby and minis, Pinnacle PN5+ and PSB Alpha Minis

No distortion on digital audio tracks when driven at very loud volume. And unbelievable imaging with audio and vedio. I shopped around and even looked at Infinity Kappa series, but these sound just as good and there $1,100.00 cheeper

You can't go out to a audio video store and see for yourself how great these speakers look and sound, however Aperionaudio.com will send them to you for a risk free 30 day trial and even pay for shipping back if you don't want to keep them. So try them out before you buy.

I bought these speakers online at Aperionaudio.com. In order to get speakers this high in quality you will have to go to an audio-video store specializing in high end products like B&O, Magnepan and Macintosh (Forget BestBuy and Circuit City). As for quality, you can turn up the volume on digital audio tracks with no distortion and great imaging. They sound better than my Bose 901's or my Klipsch loudspeakers. And for 5.1 movies, I would say I NEVER heard anything better including IMAX theaters. The craftsmanship of the real wood finish is a woodworkers dream and AperionAudio takes every step to ensure there speakers arrive in perfect condition, including velvet bags the speakers are placed in before the get boxed. I am very happy and would recommend trying them on there risk free 30 day trial before buying any other speakers, I'm sure you'll decide to keep them.

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Bose 901's & AM16, Infinity Kappa & SM series, Klipsch.