Reasoning:
After our move the speaker I had enjoyed so much over the years was missing
detail in various movies I like to watch. Increased size of the room of our
home theater left us with turning the volume up more than I liked to get the voices
distinguishable. Due to the remote location I live it makes very difficult to go and
audition any home theater equipment. I work remote and prefer solitude but it
as trade offs. It was a tuff decision to order new speakers as I hate to remove
components if they working properly. I read over the forums looking only at
speaker reviews for several weeks. As the Klipsch are bright I decided to see if
I would enjoy a softer speaker. Axiom, SVS, Aperion were on my list, I read that
the Axiom were bright similar to the Klipsch so they were crossed off. Still contemplating
ordering the SVS and I may call this coming Monday. I have been using SVS for subs exclusively
for 10 years.
Ordering:
Ordering from Aperion was very easy experience. Spoke in length with customer service for almost
40 minutes. Gentleman was very knowledgeable even on my questions that were outside the scope
of the products they sell. I would recommend Aperion on the ordering, no pressure easy going experience.
Being in a remote support I listen to the tone, attitude and pauses from questions. I read many are put
off on the wait but I do not have an issue with waiting. Order was placed January 2nd, arrival January 23rd
with a loud thud from Fedex on the front steps. There was no mistaking it was the VGC.
Thankfully it was very well packaged and survived the trip.
Hook Up:
Based on my previous post and pictures this is aseptically stunning compared to my matte Klipsch RFII.
I was not sure about the shape as it was new to me but it lends itself to ease of movement when paired
to the supports. Spending time with the rubber supports I really appreciate the design.
You’re able to move the VGC upwards or downwards easily to position the sweet spot. While the grill is off I really liked
the design, extremely sturdy steel and fits perfectly.
After setting the new VGC on the salamander I connected to my new AVR-4520ci which had arrived back on January 8th.
On a side note the 4520 over the 4806 really helped fine tune the RFII Center and bring out better tonal details
which I thought would make the decision much harder. The dilemma is how to give the VGC a fair shake with
speakers that are bright and play much louder. With no Audessy setup the VGC appear flat and completely
over powered by the Klipsch, only a curious test on my part. The full Audessy setup greatly improved the balance between the speakers.
The front Klipsch RFII towers with set -6.0db, rear sides and surrounds with untouched. SVS Subwoofer was set to
the 75db requirement and left untouched. I went with this setup for several days but the system was still not seamless.
After watching several movies I decided on the following.
Fronts -6.5db
Center +0.5db
Surround R/L -4.0db
Surround Back R/L -30db
This provided an amazing improvement and surprising really hides that I have a completely different center in the front.
It’s interesting that it does take time to start to hear the nuances between the two
centers. I find that I actually like to play the VGC louder than I did with the RFII. I find the voice detail
improved, softer and more compelling. I worried how the sweet spot would be verse the horn but I do
not hear any issue between the 5 seating positions. Seems the sound stage it very wide and immersive.
I’m starting to enjoy the sound which is very detailed and open and I do not miss the brightness I get from the RFII.
Second part of my test included my wife who unbeknownst to her was taking part in my fiendish experiments.
My HT room is fully painted and quite dark and she has not noticed the change even though it sights
completely open under the screen. She enjoys movies and watching top 100 on dish. She noticed pretty quickly
that she like the changes that the 4520 had brought. I had not told her about the change in center and she only
noticed the improved sound after the VGC had gone in. She had remarked several times yesterday and today how good it sounded.
Downside:
Feel it’s soon to really convey my thoughts on the VGC. I have moved the crossover the 40 to see
if that would help with the break in. Time will tell on the bass side as I’m hoping for improved bass over the RFII as a side benefit to the upgrade.
Ongoing Review:
In hind sight I wish I had ordered the fronts. I’m extremely picky and rarely upgrade. Having owned two businesses
in the past I hated for Aperion to have to pay for shipping both ways if I did not like the product. I will post my experience with
hd audion, ps3 and other audio sources shortly. If there is anything you would like to see or hear that I have left out please ask.
Parting picture of the VGC at night, ISO 100 Shutter F16 which gave me closest to what my eyes perceived.
Edited by kromc5 - 1/27/13 at 3:06pm
After our move the speaker I had enjoyed so much over the years was missing
detail in various movies I like to watch. Increased size of the room of our
home theater left us with turning the volume up more than I liked to get the voices
distinguishable. Due to the remote location I live it makes very difficult to go and
audition any home theater equipment. I work remote and prefer solitude but it
as trade offs. It was a tuff decision to order new speakers as I hate to remove
components if they working properly. I read over the forums looking only at
speaker reviews for several weeks. As the Klipsch are bright I decided to see if
I would enjoy a softer speaker. Axiom, SVS, Aperion were on my list, I read that
the Axiom were bright similar to the Klipsch so they were crossed off. Still contemplating
ordering the SVS and I may call this coming Monday. I have been using SVS for subs exclusively
for 10 years.
Ordering:
Ordering from Aperion was very easy experience. Spoke in length with customer service for almost
40 minutes. Gentleman was very knowledgeable even on my questions that were outside the scope
of the products they sell. I would recommend Aperion on the ordering, no pressure easy going experience.
Being in a remote support I listen to the tone, attitude and pauses from questions. I read many are put
off on the wait but I do not have an issue with waiting. Order was placed January 2nd, arrival January 23rd
with a loud thud from Fedex on the front steps. There was no mistaking it was the VGC.
Thankfully it was very well packaged and survived the trip.
Hook Up:
Based on my previous post and pictures this is aseptically stunning compared to my matte Klipsch RFII.
I was not sure about the shape as it was new to me but it lends itself to ease of movement when paired
to the supports. Spending time with the rubber supports I really appreciate the design.
You’re able to move the VGC upwards or downwards easily to position the sweet spot. While the grill is off I really liked
the design, extremely sturdy steel and fits perfectly.
After setting the new VGC on the salamander I connected to my new AVR-4520ci which had arrived back on January 8th.
On a side note the 4520 over the 4806 really helped fine tune the RFII Center and bring out better tonal details
which I thought would make the decision much harder. The dilemma is how to give the VGC a fair shake with
speakers that are bright and play much louder. With no Audessy setup the VGC appear flat and completely
over powered by the Klipsch, only a curious test on my part. The full Audessy setup greatly improved the balance between the speakers.
The front Klipsch RFII towers with set -6.0db, rear sides and surrounds with untouched. SVS Subwoofer was set to
the 75db requirement and left untouched. I went with this setup for several days but the system was still not seamless.
After watching several movies I decided on the following.
Fronts -6.5db
Center +0.5db
Surround R/L -4.0db
Surround Back R/L -30db
This provided an amazing improvement and surprising really hides that I have a completely different center in the front.
It’s interesting that it does take time to start to hear the nuances between the two
centers. I find that I actually like to play the VGC louder than I did with the RFII. I find the voice detail
improved, softer and more compelling. I worried how the sweet spot would be verse the horn but I do
not hear any issue between the 5 seating positions. Seems the sound stage it very wide and immersive.
I’m starting to enjoy the sound which is very detailed and open and I do not miss the brightness I get from the RFII.
Second part of my test included my wife who unbeknownst to her was taking part in my fiendish experiments.
My HT room is fully painted and quite dark and she has not noticed the change even though it sights
completely open under the screen. She enjoys movies and watching top 100 on dish. She noticed pretty quickly
that she like the changes that the 4520 had brought. I had not told her about the change in center and she only
noticed the improved sound after the VGC had gone in. She had remarked several times yesterday and today how good it sounded.
Downside:
Feel it’s soon to really convey my thoughts on the VGC. I have moved the crossover the 40 to see
if that would help with the break in. Time will tell on the bass side as I’m hoping for improved bass over the RFII as a side benefit to the upgrade.
Ongoing Review:
In hind sight I wish I had ordered the fronts. I’m extremely picky and rarely upgrade. Having owned two businesses
in the past I hated for Aperion to have to pay for shipping both ways if I did not like the product. I will post my experience with
hd audion, ps3 and other audio sources shortly. If there is anything you would like to see or hear that I have left out please ask.
Parting picture of the VGC at night, ISO 100 Shutter F16 which gave me closest to what my eyes perceived.
Edited by kromc5 - 1/27/13 at 3:06pm
It is a good center though so i don't think I would be too disappointed.
