I have obtained these speakers unused from stock in the Netherlands in 2002. It took a while to position them right as the sweet spot is very narrow. With an Audiolab 8000P power amplifier, Linn Intek used as preamplifier and Marantz 67SE CD player (clock from Guido Tent) operated in a 20m2 room, the combination operated very tight and clear. Very delicate smooth high, mids. and a very tight and not very low but fast clean bass response. A BK XLSS 400 Sub added some substance beneath the 40hz with a very dry fast and musical response. Orchestras do get more space without compressing the smooth delicate, fast response of the low mid range of the minors. This addition makes the Minors to an all round speaker that is able to produce a large diversity of styles, from classic to rock in a very honest and musical way. Alice in Chains-Unplugged, Rickie Lee Jones-Pop pop, Mahlers 3rd with Berlin/Haitink or even Opeth-Blackwater Park were very enjoyable to listen. Going vinyl with the Audiomeca Romance with kiseki blue spot is a poem. One needs some patience until the cartridge is warm enough to experience the difference of analog and digital reproduction. Those who are in search will need infinite patience :-)

not impressed sonically till i replaced the cone speaker with a kevlar monocor unit. i used silicon sealer to bond it in place. now they sound awesome, and even have bass. i won't be selling them.

Very low distortion, fast transient response, wide coverture, cristal clear mid-highs (The best of the market at any price), fast bass response,

limited bass deep, low sensitivity, low impedance (3 Ohms at 1,5kHz), difficult to find spares (Bass units), need a very good and expensive amplifier.

I had several years ago a pair of Apogee Stage (I needed to sell by personal reasons), I loved this speakers (I chose this speakers over a Duetta Signature). Now, I found two month ago a pair of Centaur Minor in new condition, I bought this speakers, yes the Minors is a hybrid, but share the same tweeter as the Stages. I started to try with several amplifiers, the Minor is a hard to move speaker, low impedance, low sensitivity, finally I found an amplifier to move it (I tried with MF A1000, VTL 75/75, Ars Sonum Filarmonia), the amplifier is the Counterpoint NP100 (A modified SA100), the distortion was gone, and the dynamics got new life, and his limited bass got more energy. I believe that this speaker, need a very good amplifier with at least 100W at 8 ohms (The 50W pure class A Musical Fidelity A1000 can't manage this speakers), this is very important. With the NP100 this speaker have the best mid-highs I heard (IMHO the Minor bettered the Merlin VSM), the bass is very short and limited, but clear and fast ( A Vifa P17 in acoustic suspension), not enough for orchestal or rock, but I tried with a Rel Strata III and solve all the problems of the bass frequency. The combination with the Rel and the NP100 have dynamics (I measured 107dB SPLA in my room) without distortion (Is easy forget the sound level), cristal clear mid-highs, tonal accuracy, ultra big soundstage, very wide coverture (not vertical, good thing), overall sound as good as the Stages. Is very easy to place, need a bit of toe in, and almost 1m from the rear wall, this wall best without damping material. If you find a pair, buy it (Remember, you need an very good and powerfull amplifier and a real sub, and stands), you will get one of the best sound reproducction systems at any price, with a close to reallity sound, but not for all (All the Apogees need people that usually listen live music, not can music audiophiles). I give 4 stars because you need additional devices, 5 stars if you have a Counterpoint NP100 and a Rel Strata.

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Apogee Stage One, Spendor SP1/2, Spendor S3/5se......

3D soundstage, very clean & very musical

Lack of deep tight bass. Narrow sweet spot

These Apogees are very excellent with vocal. Treble & mid are very smooth. Just notice that they require a good quality record. They could cast their spell when drive by a powerfull and warm amplifier. Different from other reviewers, I found that the placement of these Apogees was quite easy

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KEF, Tannoy Oxford, B&W CDM 1 SE, Infinity Reference Series

exellent top and mids..good soundstage. if set up right..exellent.

very position dependent. must be willing to jog them around the room, not kidding at all on this one. in the same 10x11 room i've heard them sound so great. and so bad. not a lot of bass. suck out in lower mid to upper bass. 70w wasn't enough. a good 125 and a high bias amp.

purchased these in 92' and coupled them with a musical fidelity b200 and later with classe 70. sounded better with the b200. the prior reviewer is right treble through mid is very smooth and fast. at the time i though it made music come alive. in 9 years of listening couldn't figure out were the xover was..which is as it should be. i understand they did a lot of work to get the small 6.5 inch woffer up to speed. anyway, if your intrested in great sound at a good buy..but do take a look at the weaknesses..there are a few. lastly choose a warm amp in the bass/lower mid.

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just replaced it with the thiel 2.3 with tweeter upgrade. at 3 times the price. to get as good.

Exceptional midrange and treble. Excellent sound stage.

Need a powerful amp to drive. Bass could be better, but acceptable (to me). Picky about placement.

I bought this pair back in '93 after auditioning almost a dozen of different speakers. I bought the demo from the store but the original price was very reasonable. I was very impressed by the Apogee Grand but obviously out of my price range. I asked if they have something easier on my wallet and was introduced to the Minors. The first thing I noticed was the similarity in terms of sound between the Minors and the Grand. The good attributes such as clean midrange and exceptional sound stage were there. The only thing missing was bass but was not a major issue for me. I took it home and drove it with a Rotel 980. It was good but clearly not as good as at the store. It took me another year before I bought a Halfer 9505 to drive it with satisfaction. I have also replaced the speaker wire by a 12 foot pair of MIT T2. Now, it has better midrange and sound stage than I have ever experienced almost anywhere. The bass has also improved to the extent that I can begin to feel it. I cannot overemphasized that the midrange and the treble are very, very pure; they are neither thin nor sizzling. The sound stage is deep and slightly recessed in my system. I have fooled so people into believing that I was not using the Minors because they only heard the stage but not the speakers! Finally, placement is critical to achieving good sound.

rhythm and pace

none

I recently ( one day ago)bought the Apogees for my brother. Straight out of the box they sound ok but the midrange had no body. After four hours the sound improved a lot. Exceptional rhythm and pace compared wiht other tranducers. I heard the Apogees several times at the shop with different Krell amplifiers and with Tranparent cable and of course the AH tjoep cdplayer. It sounded a little bit soft but my sister in law liked the design and sound. Now connected with Symo loudspeakercable and a Linn Intek amp it''s hard to sit still. Metal and rock music sounds great, so i''m do not agree with the other reviewers. My friends own Proac 2.5 & Copland amp, Vienna Acoustics Beethoven & Rotel amp, Duntech regent & Krell amp , Focal speakers & Accuphase amp, they all have their strong points but none has the pace off the Minor''s. components used: Marantz CD80 ( Ennemoser c37, opamp ) Linn Intek (Ennemoser c37) Interlink Transparent Super ( Bullet plug) ssc feet Symo loudspeaker cable. Apogee minor with optional stands

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Translator Stylus one

No speaker is perfect!
Apogee Acoustics is no longer in existence....bankrupted!
It did leave behind an affordable speaker for the average
Audiophile like me and you who's trying to make ends meet, but would like to have a chance to play with "NICE" toys, like the other boys. The Centaur Minor is a "dream comes true" for many of its owner, just like they said....this baby can sing in a "Classical" way, but, no where near the "ROCK". This speaker is design for individual who appreciate "vocal" and "classical" music & some "new age".
And for its price....it's damn worth it. It looks good too, tall and thin....like a model standing there!

Not for everyone!

No body is perfect! Therefore, no speaker is perfect!

This speaker is design to entertain individual who loves vocal and classical music, and for that the owners of these speakers are indeed very lucky to have this baby singing for
you.

Martin Logan is nice, but, the price is not!

In the real world we can only buy what we can afford, and
this MINOR BABY has made my dream comes true. Thanks.

ps. I use this BABY with Onkyo "reference CD Turntable" from Japan ( top loading - only available in Japan ) with
Denon D/A, Carver pre-amp, and Bryston 3B amp....with Japanese 6N RCA cables, and AudioQuest Midnight Blue2....
I'm happy with it, bcos it's within my limited budget.
If I really have the money, I will buy the Acura NSX, not
the Krell or other money sucking gears that is over rate
to suck the money from the average jo like most of us.
If you can tell the difference....then, you need to
clear you ears with a Q-tip.

best wishes.

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Most Apogee Acoustic products.

While this hybrid ribbon/dynamic model is around three years old now, I still believe it is a great budget introduction to the special magic that ribbon speakers make. For a wonderful sense of being there, particularly with vocals, I've yet to hear any speaker come close anywhere near this price range.They excel at reproducing great three dimensionality and depth, and leave the listener engaged in the music rather than analysing the sound.
Sure, they are not perfect (no speaker is), and they are a bit bass light; not the ideal rock speaker. I will soon be adding a sub (English brand REL) which will add more weight and, of course, bass.
For my money, the best of both worlds (ribbon treble and dynamic bass) are obtained from the 'Minors. If anyone knows of anything similar but with gretaer dynamics, punch and bass out there (but not for mega $ more!) I'd be pleased to hear!

Wonderful midrange and highs -- Crystalline clarity with holographic soundstaging.

The 6 1/2 inch dynamic woofer in this hybrid speaker does not provide quite enough bass.

This small speaker is a terrific reproducer of midrange and high notes. It has great dynamics, but the overall tonal balance is a bit bright. Combining it with a good subwoofer crossed over at 80 Hz should make it a terrific performer, though. It would also be a good idea to use it with Apogee's matching stands in order to raise the 26 inch ribbon up to ear height.

REPLACEMENT RIBBONS AVAILABLE:

Replacement ribbons for all Apogee speakers are now available from two sources:

-- graz@graz.com.au

-- apogeeribbons@yahoo.com

For additional information and reviews of Apogee ribbon speakers, see:

http://www.apogeespeakers.totalserve.co.uk

Similar Products Used:

Apogee Centaur, Magnepan SMGc