Aerial Acoustics Owners Thread - Page 8

Hi Tony,

I'll put out a couple of other points to consider.

Although you may only listen to music 25% of the time, if you are like me, you are probably much more critical of the sound when listening to music than watching a movie/tv. Take away the screen as a distraction and most of us instantly become more critical of the sound. If that is true for you, it will put more importance on getting the sub/sat integration right if you are inclined to go with a Model LR3 for the front left/right. Don't get me wrong, the LR3 is a great product, but it does require a subwoofer to capture the lowest octave and about a half. Properly integrated it will sound fantastic. But if you end up going with a Model 6 or above, you can defeat the subwoofers for music listening or at least push the crossover point down to ~40Hz to help ease with the integration issue. It is usually easier to get really high quality music reporduction by using a speaker specifically designed for it in the front left/right positions.

The Model 6 was designed for placement close to a rear wall and will sound properly balanced in thsoe applications. The Model 7B was designed for in-room placement and tends to be at its best when it is at least a few feet away from the rear wall. Of course every room is different and these are just general guidelines.

The Model CC3B is a great center channel with exceptional range and dialog clarity. If you never heard the Model CC5, I think you would be forgiven for calling the Model CC3B one of the best center channels available today. However, the CC5 is that much better. We have had many customers upgrade from the CC3B to the CC5 and in every case, they have reported that it was a significant improvement to their system. It is not that the CC3B is lacking , just that the CC5 is that much better overall. So if you can fit the CC5, I would suggest you strongly consider it. If you can't fit it, then go for the CC3B and enjoy!

Hope this helps.

Andrew Clark
Aerial Acoustics

Well I'm just about to purchase a pair of the 9's in rose walnut. I have been reading about these speakers for a while, the closest Dealer we have to where I live is about 200 miles away. A while back I sold my B&W 802D's. I think these may be just the ticket. I have a very Dear Friend that happens to be a Aerial Dealer for many years. We hook up at the CES Show in Las Vegas every other year. He goes every year, but I go every other year. He had been trying to get me to try some Aerial's in my home, but He is just too far away. So I decided all the praise by other Aerial Owners can't be wrong, at least I hope not for what these cost. Wish me luck cause I have been a B&W Fan for years. Give me some hints on set up. I was wondering does Aerial make a replacement for the spike in the stands that a guy could still use the stands but move them around on carpet. B&W make a round polished steel ball for their stands, same thread as their spikes, sure makes it easy to move them Big suckers around.

Glenee,

Welcome to the club! I'd be curious to hear how they compare to B&W.

200 miles is not far. I drove 1200 miles for mine.

Glenee...congrats.

That's a lot of faith to put in other people to buy expensive speakers without auditioning them. I think the B&W's have a more forward presentation than the Aerials, but I've never A/B'ed them...which would be the ultimate test drive. They're both darn clean, minimally resonant, fine loudspeakers...both of which I have enjoyed auditioning. But in my mind, there is a tad difference in presentation. I'd call the Aerials a bit smoother throughout the FR, the B&W's a little more revealing at the top end. But my ears differ from others (and yours).

I guess you'll be educating us, shortly! Tell us what you think.

Concerning the spikes...you might have to search the after-market accessory sites for those roller devices. Perhaps Andrew has an idea on it. I wonder if manufacturers of heavy loudspeakers delight in giving bad backs to us weaklings.

Good wishes.

Mudslide
I have heard the 6's and they were awesome in a small listening room. I'm Hoping the 9's are just more of it. It was either the B&W 803D's or Aerial 9's. I have already done the B&W's so I thought let's try something new. You know this Hobby is a sickness and I just love it.

These speakers will be going into a 15X24 Room with a cathedral ceiling going from 10 to 22 feet on the sides. With a large opening on the right side and large opening in the back of the room extending into another room with another 15 feet to back wall in that room. They will be positioned about 42 inches from the wall behind them and about 36 inches off each side wall, from this position only Toe In is a option. I had no Bass problems in this room with the 802D's or any other speakers. I have fully carpeted Room and cloth couchs and chairs. I have read on some reviews and other forums that they can get a little Boomy and possibly bleed into the midrange as being the only Drawback. If you have any suggestions or tips Please Post.

Bing, Your review of the speakers you have and the sound after you got them home was a Big decision helper in the choice. I hope you are still just as pleased with them as you were when you wrote that review. By the Way what a DEAL.

I have to say that if these were reported as "boomy", it was the room or the setup and definitely not the speakers.

It sounds like your room and proposed positioning will be perfect for them, Glenee.

Thanks Mudslide

Well I have had the speakers about a week now. They have the best Low end I have heard since I owned Infinity 4.5 Reference standards Bi-Amp with Crown DC300A's. I like my low end nice and taunt. Hit the note and get out of here, No lingering unless it's suppose to be there. This is something that the 802D's have never been able to do. Please don't even think of room acoustics. They were in the same room, same place, same electronics. I would never knock the B&W 802D for anything it is a great speaker, but it is like some of the members have pointed out it has a more in your face presentation than the Aerial 9's. I think I would describe the presentation difference of the two as something like this. The B&W 802D's would have a presentation like a live concert. The Aerial 9's would have a presentation of a smokey old bar at about 1 AM with a 3 piece band on stage. Both of these speakers have very good definition and sound stage. The 802D's show you the picture all in one frame and the Aerial 9 show it to you in pieces and then you put the picture together in your mind. The layers of information revealed by the Aerial's is the BEST I HAVE EVER HEARED. It can seperate information located in the same octave. The other astounding thing about the Aerial's was you could slowly increase volume to very High level's and nothing changed in information and presentation. The aerial 9's required the least amount of adjustment on the spectrum analyzer of any speaker I have owned, these baby's are flat. Hint: I Like That ! If you were wanting a speaker that gives up only what it is fed (GOOD and BAD) these would have to be given some serious consideration. They are the most likley speaker to grow around I have ever heard. I could change Amps, Pre's, Media devices on the 802D's and it was a very small change hardly noticeable. The Aerial 9's you will notice immediately and can taylor to fit. Just a wonderful Speaker and My Hat goes off to Michael and all the staff at Aerial.
I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY PURCHASE.

Equipment Used:

Amps = My Amps 500 watt monoblocks.
Pre = My Pre latest with all new stuff.
CDP= Mine
Interconnects= Mine
Speaker Wire= Mine

Maybe this will help some Audio Members in their search.

GLENEE

Very nice review, Glenee! I'm glad you're stoked with your new Aerials.

Told ya!

I get it..........you like them flat with a bottom end that is nice and taut. Congrats on your purchase!!! My wife was out last night so I had an opportunity to turn them up. You're right Glenee, they sound totally unflustered when driven.

You have given me something to think about: pro amps.

I am not running Pro-Amps now. I dig the 12 volt triggers and the looks of the General Home Audio. If you just want to mess around with a Pro-Amp setup. Try a Crown K-1 or K-2. They are not manufactured by Crown anymore but are found on Ebay under musical instruments and sometimes on Audiogon. Used them on the 802d's and some Big KEF's for a while. Not Bad at All. When you set the SPL use the output knobs on the front of the Amp to set left and right and center if you have 2. Do your EQ and then use Pre\\Proccesor from there. You know I see alot of people on these boards that don't know how to use EQ properly, when adjusting EQ only decrease never increase. General Basic's.
Thanks Again,
Glenee

Finally, I have ordered a pair of 20T V2. It will replace my existing 20Ts.

Why are you replacing them?

Greetings everyone!

I am not an aerial owner(wannabe) but my girlfriend is. She has a LR5/CC5 setup with an onkyo 876 running it. My question is...she wants more power in the front. Would she be better off with a 2 channel amp to power the fronts or a 3 channel to match power to the fronts and center? Thank for your help in advance!!

3 channels no question. The CC5 is virtually the same as the LR5. She could go for a 3ch amp or 3 matching monoblocks. Both speakers are reportedly current hungry so pick a big amp.

Because the V2 are better. I live in Europe and the cost difference between sending my original pair to the USA for upgrade vs. selling my existing pair and buying a new pair was not that big.

Armand, Let us know what you think when you get them. They have to be a wonderful speaker.
Glen

I agree with Bing 100%. When that CC5 tries to hit the same output as the left, right it will lose noticable clarity. You will hear and in a not so pleasent manner.

Glenee:

I didn't see it, but do you have the CC5? If so, did you get the 3rd monoblock you were considering for your center speaker? If you're using a different type of amp for the center, I wonder if that could be the reason why the CC5 loses clarity as the output increases? Also, do you feel that your amps fit nicely with the Aerials?

I owned the LR5's and CC5 about 7 years ago and it was powered by a Theta Dreadnaught. I have to say that was one of the best sounding systems I've owned. The Revel system and the B&W system were excellent speakers, but there was something about the LR5's and CC5 that together were sonically seamless and I remember them being forceful with amazing bass, power with good vocals being full-bodied and realistic and clear. The Theta was very musical and warm sounding to me and maybe wasn't as powerful as it could have been, but I had a somewhat small home theater room at the time and never played that system as loud as I do now. Looking back, that combo could have leaned towards being more "dark" sounding than "bright" but the Theta did sound very warm in my system which benefitted vocals, but a more powerful amp might have given it a boost in the dynamics.

Even though my Paradigm Signature C5 is a great center speaker, it would be a close call with that CC5. Actually, if it was a match between the front 3 speakers, Paradigm Signature vs Aerial LR/CR, that would be tough and I'd have to lean towards the Aerials on this one.

However, I have a different amp for the Paradigms which I think is competent but in no way makes those speakes "shine". The Theta Dreadnaught really made the Aerials sound great. Are there any amps out there that can bring out the magic of the Aerials in the way that the Dreadnaught did for me? Also, my cable, interconnects, etc. were different as well.

I really miss the Aerial LR5, CC5 trio. brings back good memories. It does concern me about the dynamic abilities Glenee mentioned about the CC5. I didn't really notice any restrictions compared to the LR5's but with the 9's, that's a speaker that I haven't heard anything about, but I've been away from Aerial for years now. Are the LR5/CC5's still a very popular combo for Aerial?

Has anything change with the LR5, CC5 driver's, construction, etc since 2001? Also, is the Theta still the amp of choice for those speakers as well? I cannot remember what I used for surrounds back then, but I'm thinking the 7B's and the bass I was getting from the front 3 was more than enough for my listening area so I know I didn't have a sub with that setup.

Glenee, hope you enjoy your Aerials as much as I did and I hope your amps really bring out the very best in them as well.

Jimmy, The amps that I am running now do a real good job, I say that with this hesitation I have not heard them on any other Amps. I am running a B&W HTM3S at the moment, but I am looking for a Aerial center. I don't think I can swing the CC5 because of the size of the speaker and where I've got to put it. I will most likely go with the CC3B. When I was running the 802D's with the MacIntosh MC501's and the present CC, I was running it on a 100 watt Amp, When I would have it pump up on a good movie the center would screach and just sound like $hit. So I put a Crown K1 on it and all that stuff went away. It dosent screach or anything on the Amp that I have on it now, but it's 200 watts and a little more. My thinking is that when you set up a HT enviorment you should have at least the same Power if not more to the center channel for the peaks you see on Movies Surround Sound's just like peaks in Music. I truly think this is where a lot of people miss the boat. They buy a center channel speaker that is far less than there L&R or they buy a close match and then under power it. That's the reason I would like to have all the same Amps on L,R, and Center at least power wise on the same load. It just seems to be a shame to buy that fantastic center and then hinder it by the Amp. Seems kind of counter productive. Those Theta you speak of, they sound like you enjoyed very much with the Aerial's, more than one Aerial owner has told me it's like a match made in heaven.

Glenee:

When I had my Aerial LR5's and CC5, I was using the original Theta Dreadnaught and I was probably more into music than home theater at the time, so the warmth I got from that amp was fine with me but at times I could see where it could lack some dynamics, especially in the CC5. I remember that the Aerials were not as easy to drive as the Paradigm Signatures that I had but I feel that your monoblocks might be very synergistic with the warmer sounding Aerials, even the CC3

With the CC5 Aerial center and the C5 Paradigm center, I can see where the traits of these monoblocks would really enhance home theater, especially in the center channel. With their balanced design, low noise floor, dyanmic ease, clarity, etc, that's pretty much what you'd love to have powering your center speaker. Most of my information of amps has come from reviews and reading what current owners have had to say about them.

I like the flexibility issue. I've seen amps that are 7 x 325 wpc but it seems like a waste when your surround speakers are the size of shoeboxes. I like the idea of having 3 monoblocks up front and then having a 5 channel amp at lesser power for the surorunds plus I just read somewhere that some of these amps we've talked about really need 200-300 hours of play before they really start to sing. So, I'm ok taking a chance to see how these monoblocks mate with speakers like Aerial and Paradigm.

In my opinion, with Aerial being the more warmer/darker of thse two speakers, the monoblocks might be a better fit. Also, I believe that the LR5's were a more difficult load to drive than those Paradigm's. It will be interesting. Any time I go through a transition phase in my life and re adjust my living arrangements and therefore, my home theater system, it makes me downsize, but at the same time, less equipment, but better quality. Instead of 4 subwoofers that I had, I decided to go to duals subs that were better, but finally ended up with one great sub. Also, I think I will focus on the front 3 speakers and just use my "generic" surrounds for now because even the Paradigm ADP's list for $3500 or so and I'd rather put that money towards the front 3 amp/speaker setup and then expand as time/finances permit.

There are threads on AVS that I have not visited in months because I was focused on what I had on hand so I've learned alot in the past few weeks and there are so many options one can go with. I've had the B&W, Revel, Aerial and now the Paradigm Signatures and there always seems to be good deals to be found on audiogon, so I'm really looking forward to getting settled and seeing where I end up! Aerial is a company/brand that I'd like to explore again with a different front end.

Jimmy, I don't know if great minds think alike, hell I don't think I have a great mind. But the way you are thinking is the same way I'm thinking.
Glen

I want to know if they plan on upgrading the CC3B to match the new Model 7C? The new midrage would do great things for the CC in a HT system as well as ensuring the LCR continuity... just my thoughts...

Hi Jrunr,

The product you describe is the Model CC5 which uses the same midrange as the Model 9. It is an amazing center channel that is highly regarded for its natural presentation, dialog intelligability and effortless dynamics.

Best Regards,

Andrew

Hi all,

Aerial owner here (10t + CC3). I moved to Europe a few months ago and my primary amp (Aragon 8008st) has been giving me problems since the relocation. I am trying to get it repaired but the problem is intermittent, thus I am not sure I can get it repaired (you know the whole it works fine for us, we can not find a problem).

If I can not have the 8008st properly repaired, I need to find an alternative amp. What would you guys (other AA owners) suggest? I have seen several people use Bryston 4bsst, Theta Digital Dread II, but I have not seen many Krell, Levinson, Classe, or Proceed used. One important item to me is getting that low end slam that I had with my 8008st.

Oh, one last thing, I am using a Naim AV2 and CD5. Has anyone used a Naim NAP 250.2 to drive AA? Just curious.

Thanks

I recently purchased a pair of Aerial Model 6 speakers as part of a 2.0 music/movie system in a small room. While they were considerably more expensive than my previous speakers, I feel their performance easily justifies the price.

Bob

I have the aerial 7B's, I tried the 9's, but they seemed to loose the sweetness on top that the 7b's give me, it could have been my amp, at the time I used a sim auroa amp, I am using a parasound with the 7b's wich I enjoy, did aerial change the tweeters on the 9's ?, also, are they changing the tweeters on the new 7c ?

The CC5 is just so damn massive! Not only will it take up a huge area, it will also require massive amounts of power to really make it sing. My living room is not that big, and I will only be sitting about 13 ft from the speakers (and i am on the back wall)

This is why i am wondering about the new 7C...