Revel & Aerial Speaker Help - Page 2

The 10Ts will stun you. They're smooth, natural, and musical in so many ways. Their performance is excellent all around and it's hard to pick one particular feature that stands out, but I'll say this: Their bass response will floor you. They're essentially flat to 21 Hz and will easily outperform MANY dedicated subwoofers. However they won't overpower you. They don't have EXTRA bass, they just have all that they SHOULD and it goes pretty near all the way down. They play lower than many subwoofers do.

Amps...I'm partial to Krells, myself. A pair of KMA-160 monoblocks drives my 10Ts and though these are rated at "only" 160 watts pure class A (it's actually more like 250), I've
NEVER run out of headroom.

Given a choice between Brystons and Krells in the same power range and at the same
price, I'd take the Krells every time. But Brystons are excellent amps in their own right and
deserve no criticism from anyone. You can't go wrong with either brand.

CJ

Well, I've had my 10Ts for eight years now and I have no desire to go shopping for speakers, either, except to find a good center channel!

I've borrowed a Phase Tech center from a friend of mine and it's a great match for the 10Ts and I'm hoping he'll sell it to me.

I auditioned a set of JMlab Utopias (30,000 bucks) at a high end store in the Ft. Lauderdale area a few years back and they also sold 10Ts as well. I put in some rather unusual demo material to hear which in one spot has a pretty remarkable bass "event" that's practically subsonic. The 10Ts resolve it clearly but all I heard from the Utopias was a muffled rumble.

The event in question sounds like a fifty foot tall solid lead door falling flat on a concrete floor in a warehouse, recorded from about a quarter mile away. Not loud, but there's
a real sensation of hearing a big impact from some distance away. The Utopias just couldn't resolve it. And they sounded rather nasal as well. To my ears, the 10Ts at
a quarter of the price were superior in every way.

CJ

What's the matter? No space for the Aerial CC5??? I got mine right when they came out some years ago. Its a fanastic center channel that perfectly integrates with the 10Ts.

I have 10T's, CC5, SR3's, LR3's and SW12. Bryston 6BSST for 3 front channels and 9BST for 4 surrounds. Crossover at 50 for all speakers. 50 is a little low for the SR3's, but after experimenting with many different crossovers through the years, having all channels the same seems to give best results for my room. The only change I think of making is adding an additional SW12 for the rear.
I had been looking for an upgrade from my earlier modest surround system for 5 years before hearing the Aerials. I purchased them within hours of first hearing them. A couple of years later, even after hearing the 20T's, I did not wish to upgrade because the 20T's are not matched to the other speakers in the same way that the 10T is. Besides, with this system, it seems we are well past the point of diminishing returns.

I agree with you. The 20Ts are better sounding speakers than the 10Ts. But they have in particular a ribbon tweeter that the 10Ts and other speakers you mention don't have - so for surround sound, the 10Ts, CC5, SR3, etc are well matched.

I'm all for getting a CC5. Can I borrow your credit card?

I have yet to find one at the right price at the right time.


CJ

A used CC5 will show up occasionally on Audiogon. Watch and save your $$$$$ and pennies.

I paid $2700 for my 10Ts. I'd like to pay a LOT less for a center channel. That price is just way too high for me at this time.

CJ

The CC5 is a newer model still current and works well as a center speaker with all of Aerial's speakers (except arguably as the 20T has a ribbon tweeter the CC5 may not integrate quite as well with the 20T). The CC5 is THE ONLY speaker which properly and fully integrates with the 10Ts as an equal. Now you can find a CC3 used for probably $800 and it will work nice with the 10Ts (I had a CC3 before the CC5 was introduced), but the CC3 ain't no CC5.

Don't be so cheap. Get a used CC5. HA!

Have the 10T's been discontinued? I can not find the 10T's on Aerial's website. Only the 20T and the 9B.

Any clarification would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The 10Ts were discontinued several years ago yet remain a fantastic speaker, now at used prices. The 9Bs are very close to the 10Ts performancewise with better bass, per what Michael Kelly has told me.

Jason,
I am not familiar with the Aerial or 10T but I own Revel Studios for my R/L Fronts, an C50 center and use M20s for surrounds.
The Studios are miles better than your F30s. The mid-range driver is much more clear and forward than any in the Performa line. They also use a read firing tweeter to "fill out" the high ends so if you also use them for music you'll be very happy. One thing I do recommend is a high current source power amp to drive them with, they are power hungry. I'm using Mark Levinson 436s and they come alive. I have a friend that is using Brystons and they also do an excellent job.
The "voice" center uses the same technology for their custom drivers as the Ultima Studio and Ultima Salons. One thing to keep in mind with it is it should sit on its own stand on the floor out in front of your display. And again it wants a lot of power to operate correctly.
One speaker you might want to audition is the Revel F50. The drivers, especially the mid range, have been updated from any other in the Performa line. The material used for the cones and the phase plug make for jaw dropping sound staging and realism. Smooth and effortless is the way to describe them. And truly full range. For a two channel music system as well, they're all you need. I believe that the deciding difference between the Studios and the F50s may be your room acoustics/size. The Studios are big and wooly and perfect for a large space. My listening room is about 15' by 20' and the F50s did just as well as the Studios when I had them on loan. And they're about $6000 less. They run about $8000 for the pair.
As far as the B30, excellent choice. I'm using a B15, the older brother, and I replaced a Velodyne (I don't remember the model), with welcome results. It produces ground pounding LAV for TT applications. It also has an equalizer built in to adjust for your particular room. Very Sweet.
As you can tell, I'm in love with Revels. I cannot recommend a better speaker for the bucks, they'll please you for a long time.

cuccarese

Please forgive me for changing the subject a little bit... I am going to audition some B&W 802D speakers in 2 weeks. This dealer used to sell Aerial Acoustic speakers. He told me that in his opinion the 802D was better.

What are the opinions of the B&W 802D vs the 9B/10T?

The components driving them will be a Theta CBIII (2 Xtreme Dacs) & Original Dreadnaught 5x200@ 8ohms utilizing Straightwire Serenade XLR Interconnects and Serenade Bi-Wire speaker cables.

Please also consider the center channels from each manufacturer as I listen to Home Theater 70-75% of the time and will need to upgrade my center channel.

Thanks for the input.

Jim

I'm always a bit cautious about dealer recommendations. THey always recommend what they're selling NOW over what they USED to sell.

Not saying they're necessarily dishonest....but dealer recommendations shouldn't be the only ones you listen to.


I can't say if the 10T is better than the 802D or not. But as the 10T was one of two Stereophile Magazine Joint Loudspeakers of the Year (with the Dunlavy SC-IV being the other) then you'd have to presume that 10Ts are most definitely in the "great speaker" category. I don't hear of too many pairs for sale on the used market but a lot were sold originally. That tells you that people want to hang on to them. And that says a lot.

If I had the space, yes, I'd be looking for another pair of them. I wouldn't trade them
for anything but 20Ts, too.

CJ

I would agree. However this is the same dealer that got me started and has always led me in the right direction. I believe he is going to setup both the B&W 802D and the Vandersteen 5A's for me to audition.

Also the 10T are not to be found. Going to the 20T is out of my budget let alone buy 4 pair for SACD recordings.

I am intrigued with the B&W HTM1D Center Channel though. 205lbs???

It is unfortunate that my ability to upgrade came when it did as I was unable to participate in the 10T's when my dealer sold them. There is a bit of leap of faith that he will guide me in the right direction. Both Audio Advisors and Audio Center here carry B&W now. There is a "distributer" in Jupiter, FL for Aerial Acoustics but again no 10T's and they told me I could not audition them (any speaker).

Thanks for your input. I welcome input from others. It seems that now you only have a few stores that carry 1-2 high end brands. And can not get a good A/B reference.

VERY FEW high end stores will carry more than maybe two or three brands that cover the same price or performance range. It's expensive to keep that sort of stock and if there IS a difference, the one that isn't up to the level of the others is the one that won't sell. (In the same price range.)

The high end store that my Aerials came from carried Aerials as their expensive speaker line, Vandersteen as their second tier, Phase Technology as their more reasonable budget speaker line, Audio Research as their high end electronics line, maybe two mid-point electronics brands, and Pioneer Elite as their other mainstay electronics line, which probably accounted for most of their electronics sales. Oddly enough they also carried Sony ES equipment, which is unusual because the Sony ES and Pioneer Elite lines are DIRECT competitors. But they sold a lot more of the Pioneer equipment. Oh, and a lot of Velodyne subwoofers.

That's where I heard the 10Ts for the first time. It was instant awe. Being fed by a set of Audio Research VT150SE monoblocks (wow, those are awesome amps!) with all Audio Research electronics, the sound was simply huge, inviting, and 3-dimensional. Instant love affair. I knew I had to have them!

I later met the guy who bought the demo pair.

Later he offered to sell them to me.

I sold everything I could live without and raised the money.

I own the demo pair I swore I'd own someday. And it happened a lot faster than
I might have imagined it could.

That was eight years ago, roughly. Maybe nine.

I'm still loving it as much as I ever did.

Anybody and everybody who hears my system, whether for music or movies, comments
on the clean, clear, totally natural sound quality. They didn't know that reproduced music could sound like that.


CJ

JIM
I demod the 9s against the B@W, and a few more as well, Ive also heard the 10Ts at a customers house (carpet installer by trade, not audio) And IMO, and final decision the 9s won out. They are so nuetral its hard to believe, every instrument has its own space, nothing dominating or overexaggerated which is what I felt the B@Ws did w/ the highs (mids somewhat too) The 9s have a tighter bass than the 10Ts, but they are equal otherwise, I think the 9s play a little lower too, but that could have been more of the room than anything. I would say, since you cant demo the 10Ts, check out the 9s, give em a listen and youll probably (I think) abandon the B@W altogether. As a matter of fact, where I bought much of my gear in years past, and recently bought my ruby projector, the salesperson came out to help w/ setup, and heard my aerial setup w/brystons and couldnt believe how nuetral, and detailed they were, he actually said he wished they carried that line, because he thought they were miles better than the B@W. They also carry Dynaudio, and even as a salesman, admitted the aerials were an incredible speaker that no matter what he carries, or sells, he couldnt find a fault with them. He also just about broke his knuckles tapping on the cabinet! they are solid. Give em a listen, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, and fortunate to have an aerial dealer near you.

They won't let me audition any speakers. They claim they are a warehouse only. I sent an e-mail to Aerial and have not heard back. I will be placing a phone call tomorrow regarding their dealer's inability/unwillingness to demonstrate their product.

Also what happend to the 10B speakers that were announced to be in development at CES 2002 with the 20T's? Did the 10B turn into the current 9?

Someday, perhaps there will be an Aerial based on the 10B. But for now, Michael Kelly of Aerial has taken his company in other directions, like their bookshelf speaker system which has been a hot seller!

Bookshelf? Are you talking about the "Theater Wall"? Or is there something else he's doing now?

Yea, I mean the "Theater wall" speakers. I said bookshelf as they're sort of designed to work in that fashion.

Steve,

How can you be retired? You haven't gone to 7.3/8.4. I know your Casablanca is dying to have another Xtreme DAC installed. LOL

This will be the subject for another thread someday. HA! I will put up my 5.3 system vs anyone's 7.3/8.4 system anyday re imaging, soundstage, and sound quality. HA! HA!

Hi:
I am considering changing my speaker setup and am looking at the B&W 802D, the Linn Akurate, Revel, Dynaudio and Aerial. The 9 looks (sounds) interesting, along with the CC5.
Why can't I find more reviews on the 9's? They seem to exist on the 10T and 20T but not on the 9's.
Curious what you think about using the CC5 with Linn Keltik L/R's. They state the CC5 is flexible enough to be used with non-Aerial speakers. Of couse, having the same drivers across the front would be best but the 9's may have to wait until after some other planned purchases are made.
Thanks
BP

i currently have the 10t's and cc3 center. i am interested to know how much more you guys like the cc5 from members who have used both. thanks, rob

I've had both and the CC5 is much better, no doubt about it. Get the CC5.

I had a long conversation with my local dealer today regarding Aerial's speakers. Without getting into great detail it has been decided to bypass the Aerial 9 Speaker and listen to the B&W 802D with their HTM2D center channel.

Turns out that the cabinets that Mr. Kelly from Aerial used to use were from a Danish (not pastry) company that B&W purchased and has now cut off "other vendors", meaning their cabinets are exclusive to B&W.

Doing research on tweeters, I discovered 3 types that are of significance of which only 2 are of interest to me for comparison. The Beryllium(spelling) Tweeter (focal/JM Labs), and now the Diamond Tweeter (B&W).

Utopias are out my budget, which leaves me with the B&W Diamond Series. With accolades that they are in use at Abbey Road and were used to mix the Lord of The Rings, is impressive to me. Granted they are using 3 800D's for the front, and 5 HTM2D as side/rears.

I have scheduled a demo to listen to the 802D and HTM2D center channel. 8K for a center channel (HTM1D) is a little pricey for me.

I was given the option from my dealer to call in a favor to Mike Kelly and get a pair of 9's to audition, but I would have to pay shipping both ways. I'm not at that point to do so.

Also my dealer used to carry Aerial's. Both Mike and my dealer have high regards for one another. My dealer did say they had a challenging time with speaker placement with Aerial's.

I even went as far as speaking with Mike to see if he could help with a local dealer. And unfortunately they are not. My local Aerial dealer is really a custom HT shop and not a retailer. I wanted to hear these because Steve has the 10T's with his Theta Gear. But alas this is not going to happen.

My Theta Dealer since the 1980's believe's that the NEW B&W series is a phenomenal speaker at the price point. I have trusted him in the past with the Theta gear.

Another small reason I am willing to forego the 9's is that the B&W's have a higher sensitivity rating which means my Dreadnaught can still be used. I would love 5 Citadel Monoblocks, but can't swing it unless I win the lottery tonight (Oh shoot...gotta play tonight).

Thanks for all the input.

Not to through a monkey into the wrench but have you considered the 1027Be's. They use a
Beryllium tweeter but are more affordable then the Utopia line. Everything that has been said about them has been nothing but positive. It may be worth checking out.