smooth midrange/highs - never bright or brittle
incredibly deep tuneful bass
pinpoint imaging
very wide dispersion
quality of parts/construction
price/value

NONE

First off let me say that I don't write many reviews and mostly just post my opinion on how a component sounds to me.. To start, I ordered my speakers in late Dec. 05. During the time I ordered, my dealer advised that RAW was upgrading the Apex to the series II. The series 2 had a much better and much more expensive crossover along with the Sound Fusion spikes and other mods etc... Since I purchased during the transition period I was told I would get some of the crossover upgrades (platinum bypass) but not all upgrades and I would still pay the much lower price since I ordered just before the increase. Well, it took about 6+ weeks to have them built, which I was informed of before I ordered so I was OK but a little impatient. Well, when the speakers finally arrived a few months ago, Fedex delivered them totally destroyed. They were shipped in wooden crates that had the tops and bottoms of the crates ripped off. You can imagine the damage caused to the tops and bottoms of just about every speaker's corner.... I installed them while waiting for Fedex to come pick them up. A few things I noticed was my binding posts weren't placed like I ordered them and I didn't have the crossover upgrade I was told I'd get. I immediately call Al (Raw Acoustics) and we talked for a bit. Al said he wasn't under the impression I'd get any upgrades but offered to send me the Platinum caps if I wanted to install them. As we talked a bit more and I got more upset with the whole situation (I felt the crates weren't up to snuff & order messed up etc...) Al graciously agreed to build me a brand new pair with full Apex II's - full Sonicap crossovers w/Platinum bypass etc.. the whole enchilada or I could get my $$ back including shipping. Bear in mind the Apex II's sell for about 3K more than the Apex I. That was a super nice gesture for Al to upgrade me due to all the inconvience. Within about 3 weeks of that call I had a new pair of Apex II. This time the crates were MUCH sturdier and the Apex II survived intact. They were shipped Air Forward this time instead of Fedex Ground Destroyers The veneer on this new pair was just as nice as the first and looked even better with the satin gloss laquer base's... After I hooked them up I played them loudly for several hrs a day while at work - I finally sat down and listened critically one night and noticed that Diana Krall's voice was kinda floating around... Hmmmm... My wife immediately noticed it too. I checked my speaker wire phasing and it was correct. Checked the channel phase on my Tact - ok... Hmmm I thought - one or more of the midranges must be wired out of phase. I call Al and he says a midrage must be wired backwards> SO I removed the midrange drive in one speaker and sure enough - one midrange was mis-wired. Al said he had some temporary help that did the wiring.... As soon as I soldered it correctly and listened I was jumping around for joy, ehehhe.... Diana's voice was now perfectly centered with full body just like if she was there .

I've been through several speakers in the last 2 years including the VMPS RM40's, VSA VR4-JR's and Audiostatic Wings etc... The Apex II are the first that I can just listen to and not think about what can I improve or why doesn't that sound good etc... After playing with their positioning a bit they have stayed their since.... In the past I was always moving speakers around to try to alleviate some aspect that didn't sound right. Not with these! The sound coming from them is so enchanting that its soothing to the ears. Imaging is spectacular and has a holographic quality - you can almost get the feeling you can look around the musician.

Bass hasn't been a problem in my small room - its so tightly controlled it's never boomy (I do have LOTS of room treatment). When I added the Soundfusion spikes I initally thought bass output was reduced but have come to realize it's just even more clean!! Bass has great weight and speed - stand up bass is incredible - you can follow every string pick etc... What I like most about them is that they really disappear in my room(big feat in a 12x14x9 room) - they don't call attention to themselves like my old RM40's did. The RM's had a BIG sound that made my ears tired even after spending months of tweeking to no avail.... The Apex highs are silky smooth and never tiring - just right - midrange is fast and transparent. I really don't have anything bad to say about these and really feel they are perfect for my budget/room/taste etc....

I did have a problem with one extremis woofer(rattled) - I sent Al an email and had a new driver shipped that day!! Customer service from RAW has been excellent. I guess I could go on and on about how they sound but I just recommend if your interested in them find some way to hear them yourself. They really are special speakers. Several friends that have been over to listen that have heard my other speakers and agree that these are in a completely different class - when I tell them the cost they don't believe me

Customer Service

excellent - Al always returns email/vm promptly..

Similar Products Used:

VMPS RM40's w/TRT caps.
Audiostatic Wing
Magnaplanar 2.7QR
VSA VR4-JR