The Model 6 is front ported which allows a bit more flexibility in placement. Sounds great. This is a speaker that you could build a system around. Top notch customer support.

None

I spent a great deal of time finding the right speaker for me. I had upgraded speakers every year for way to long. I found the Aerial Acoustics model 6 and that was it. The fit and finish is among the best in the industry. I have the Rose Walnut and they are beautiful. They use a 4th order crossover so the drivers are in phase. The produce a smooth warm sound that you can listen to for hours. I have never tired of listening to these speakers. They work great for movies and music. Don't let the single 7 inch driver fool you, they can play fairly low, in the mid 30's. Also don't let the lower sensitivity fool you either, 85-86db, although the can use a lot of power the sound is great with just about everything, even at low volume. I am currently using a Pioneer Elite receiver and it works great. I knew that I loved the sound of these speakers, but what really pushed me over the edge was I called Aerial to ask a few questions and not only were they extremely helpful but at the end of the conversation I realized that I was speaking to Michael Kelly, the president of the company, how is that for customer service. Michael Kelly is the nicest person that you are bound to come across in high end audio, he is a true gentleman.

Customer Service

All of the people at Aerial are a dream to deal with. The sales manager called me a month after my purchase just to see how I liked them. Best customer service that I have seen yet.

Similar Products Used:

Definitive Technology, Martin Logan, Polk Audio, B&W

wonderful sounstaging tight base perfect mid to top range

none

Having been a enthusast for 20 years owned several makes of speakers .I believe i have found the perfect speaker for my room. 12x11 ft.They not only sound good the finish is perfect.

Similar Products Used:

spendor. dynaudio .monitor audio .sonusfaber

Finish; imaging; reproduction of music. Smallish size.

Long break-in period. Very long break-in period. Extremely long break-in period. Seem to like lots of power.

It is not easy to put my Aerial experience in a "summary". I was lucky. I needed new speakers, but had some specific limitations. First off, my wife wouldn't stand no "mailbox speakers" (mini-monitors--damn! my first choice). I was almost hooked on B&W, but I preferred American manufacture if possible. This led me to Maggie's and Vandersteen's. The finish on the Aerials is like B&W and Thiel. I played around with several Maggie models, but the size was more than I could handle, so I sprung for the Aerials.

Musically, i liked them very much. They imaged as well as the Maggies and the footprint was more B&W. When I got them home, I wasn't very happy at first. I had been warned they took a long time to break in, but I had no idea. We're talking months here, not weeks. Also, placement is very important with these. They are so accurate, that a movement of a couple of inches will change your soundstage. Now, however, after living with them for over 3 months, I like them very much. The sound is not overly bright, but just right on for my taste. There is enough bass, particularly if you like jazz. I don't know if they're the right speaker for the hard rocker though. For what I listen to, vinyl, FM, and CD jazz, classical, and blues, they do very well. The question is, if I had it to do over, would I do it again? I don't know. I think so.

Similar Products Used:

B&W; Thiel; DCM; Magnepan

open,great bass mid and treble, fit and finish

none that i have found yet

Funny reading the previous review, because I think he bought the speakers from Park Ave. Audio here in NYC 3 days before I decided to go with that pair. I wound up buying my Aerials from a guy who had used them for 6 months and wound up getting a spectacular deal. I wont bore you with the details, but I would just like to reiterate the previous reviewers statements about these speakers. They are fabulous! I was very close to buying Meadowlark Shearwater Hotrods, but decided at the last moment for the Aerials due to fit and finish and the fact that I saw many used Shearwaters for sale. I am not at all disappointed!

System:
Balanced Audio Technology vk-d5 cd
vk-3i pre-amp
vk 200 amp
Cardas Quadlink 5c cables and interconnects

Similar Products Used:

b&w,meadowlark,thiel,sonus faber etc...

Wonderful,natural sounding speakers that I don't get tired listening to. Great with vocals.

When I first got them home there was a midrange coloration. I think it had to do with positioning and room acoustics. They were dealer demos, so I don't know how much they had been played. Room postioning and system matching require work. $300 for optional (yeah right) stands.

I love these speakers. They are for me the result of a long, expensive (cables and interconnect and restocking fees) and time consuming search. I listened to many speakers in listening rooms and at home. I changed cables, interconnects, power chords and my cd player. I was getting frustrated and was about to give up and live with a system I was not happy with. The last speakers I purchased were the Joseph Audio RM22si. I was very disapointed in them after all the great reviews. They were bright, congested and not pleasing to listen to. When friends would hear my new system and not comment I knew it wasn't just me. I called the dealer where I purchased the Joesephs over a month earlier and was told I could return them for store credit. The only speakers they had in the price range were the Aerials (actually the black ashe model starts at $800 more). I returned them and bought a demo pair of walnut finish Model 6s with the stands. Retail $3800. After about two weeks of playing with room position, cables, interconnects and ac chords, my system has come together and is a joy to listen to. Vocals are sweet and clear. Midrange is great, not at all bright, a little laid back and dark, but after the other speakers, a relief to my ears. Bass is great for my untreated 12' X 20' room, clear, deep and never boomy. I am listening to cds that I could not leave on with other speakers I tried.

The finish on these speakers is beautiful. I have the Walnut which adds $500 to the cost.

My second choice for speakers would be the Shearwaters. I thought they sounded great and would have considered them if I could have gotten my money back on the Joseph Audios. I do wonder, however, why I see them for sale used so often.



CDs that I play again and again because they sound so good.

Guy Clark, Cold Dog Soup.
James Taylor, Hourglass
Springsteen, Ghost of Tom Joad
Patty Larkin, Perishable Fruit, HDCD
Greg Brown, Slant 6 Mind
Lyle Lovett, Joshua Judges Ruth
Keith Jarrett, The Melody At Night, With You
Richard Thompson, Rumor and Sigh

System

dedicated AC line
Krell KAV 300i integrated amp
Adcom GCD 750 cd player
Cardas Cross biwired speaker cable
Cardas Golden Cross balanced interconnects
2 Synergystic Research Master Coupler ac chords

I give them 4 stars for value because of the $300 stands after $3500 for the walnut finish. I have to give them a 5 overall rating because they sound so good and for me the test is that the more I listen, the more I like them.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Naut.804 and 805s, Meadowlark Shearwater Hot Rods, Joseph Audio RM22, Audio Physic(new $3000 model, forget the name), Platinum Audio Trios, Totem Forrest.

Bass

Bass

Auditioned these today with Rotel Amp and Lexicon DC-1. Very sloppy bass, midrange somewhat bright, and highs slightly rolled off. Soundstage also somewhat limited. Model 7B is much better, much more neutral, with might tighter lower range. Would strongly recommend trying Joseph Audio 25s (not 22s) and B&W 805/804 or paying more for the 7Bs.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 805, 804, Joseph Audio, Linn 5140, Aerial 7B,Martin Logan,

Sound, build quality, and wife acceptance factor.

None that I have found.

These are some great sounding speakers and they look great. They are worth every penny with good front end equipment. People who give speakers like these one star are either deaf, dumb, or have an axe to grind. Either way their opinions are of little use.

Build, nice slender size, balance, top to bottom coherence.

Relative to size the 6 requires a lot of power to open up. Ultimate value may not be the best out there.

I don't own the Model 6s but auditioned them in the context of using them as compact floor standing mains in a home theater system. What appeals to me most about the Model 6 is its size and build quality. They are only 7.25" wide and 39" tall. When I listened to them I was surprised at the quality and depth of the bass, and how well balanced the Model 6 is top to bottom. They are also resonably transparent and detailed, although on the darkish side. One poster noted below that he found the 7Bs to be much better. On the contrary I found the 7B's bass to overwhelm the small midrange driver and to upset the speaker's overall balance. In the smooth black finish the Model 6 is a good value (soundwise), but moving up to a veneer finish adds substantially to the price (looks too), plus the addition of the tilt back stands.

Similar Products Used:

Aerial 7B, CC3B, Thiels, B&Ws, etc.

Good sound stage and mid range

Weak Bass and price

This speaker sounds ok but there are much better values on the market. The local dealer here in New England has a snobish sales pitch.

awesome mids and natural highs, gorgeous cabinet design and finish.

price

Great speaker for a smaller room. Front ported, so easy to position / image. More solid bass than the Nautilus 804. Excellent match with the CC3 and SR3 for Surround Sound. Very smooth and natural.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 804, Paradigm Reference Studio 60