2. speakers
  3. 1326255502

About to buy Aerial 9s, BUT want to ask first...

Hi folks, I have auditioned the Aerial 9s and the newer 7t. Although they are quite different, I LOVE both of them. I am leaning to the 9, largely because they can easily be found used at my target price of around $5k. I have three other speakers on my short list: Revel Ultima Studios, Dali Helicon 800MKII, and Coincident Total Victory II. QUESTION: Can I just go ahead and pull the trigger and buy the Aerial 9s? Or do I really need to listen to Dali and Revel first? Note that I am in Boise and would have to fly somewhere to listen to Revel and Dali. (I heard the Aerial's in Portland, Oregon)
I do realize the final preference will be a matter of my own taste... and to be honest I am just trying to justify a quikc buy. You guys need to slap my hand and tell me to listen to the others first if that is what you think. BTW, smallish room with tube amps (from flea power SET to 100WPC el-34). Almost exclusively spin vinyl. Please do not suggest the Revel Salon or the Aerial 20T or other speakers in the $8K plus range used. I am not going to spend that much this year.
128x128tojohndillonesq
mitch2
3,961 posts
 
I have had Aerial 9's over 6 years. NOTHING else has been consistent in my system over that time period. They are not perfect, but they can be made to sound nearly so at the price point, and with good strong amplification. One issue you have is your power. The Aerials like a lot of good solid power. I have tried 100-200wpc SS amps, which did not fully flesh them out (either the Herron M1s or Clayton M200s). They sound great with the McCormack DNA500, Cary 500MBs, and my current Clayton M300s. They sounded very good with the hybrid Lamm M1.1s, but the Lamms did reach a point where they would run out of steam (at a quite loud level). I am not sure what your 100wpc tube amp would do. Maybe consider bi-amping them (I have no experience with that). My advice is to try them with your amps before buying.

All that said, I would be very interested in your comparative impressions between the 7T and 9, either here or off-line. Thanks.
teajay
1,690 posts
 
Hi Tojohndillonesq,

I just got through with my review of the 7T for my website hometheaterreview.com. The review will be posted sometime next week. I have never listened to the Aerial 9s, however the T7s were one of the finest and musical speakers, regardless of price, I have ever listened to. For example I reviewed the Audio Physic Avantera that sells for $27000.00 which is another great speaker, but honestly I liked the 7T just as much. A friend that came over to hear them when I had them in for review had just got the Magico Q-3s and was so impressed with what he heard that he sold off the Q-3s and purchased the 7Ts.

The 7T is a very easy load to drive, both in impedance and sensitivity, therefore you could use the amps that you mentioned with no concern at all. If you want to discuss with me more of the details of my take on the 7T E-mail your phone number and it would be a pleasure to talk with you.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Aerial 9 isn't for tube amps in any room.
Aerial 9 isn't for small rooms either.
I have Aerial 10t(not tube friendly either) that are in 15'x20' with listening distance 6' and 6' appart. They're driven by 500Wpc of class D amps and I listen to them for a very long period of time equivalent to changing 7...8 vinyls in a row.
I also have Totem Forrest(will sell for dirt cheap) that are IMHO designed to be a perfect match to any tube amp >=40Wpc due to their stable 8Ohm impedance.
mitch2
3,961 posts
 
Aerial 9 isn't for tube amps in any room.
Aerial 9 isn't for small rooms either.
Marakanetz makes a couple of good points. I suspect a 100wpc tube amp could sound "good" with the Aerials but it may not sufficiently control the bass, leading in the best case to a fat or ripe bass and, in the worst case, to a boomy bass that overides the mids. My room is relatively large with 9-foot ceilings and the 100-200wpc SS amps I mentioned both didn't properly control the bass and didn't facilitate the level of dynamics these speakers are capable of. The only reason the (hybrid, but basically solid state) Lamm M1.1s sounded great (up to their power limit) is that they are exceptionally over built amps (for 100wpc) and even they resulted in a slightly fat bass. In summary, and IMO, the full sound quality of the Aerial 9s can only be realized with plenty of breathing room and lots of power. They can sound good in suboptimal set-ups, but you will not achieve all that thay are capable of.
tojohndillonesq's avatar
tojohndillonesq OP
16 posts
 
OK guys, thanks for the input. I got two things from this 1) Feed the Aerial 9 at least 200WPC. 2) Even with the right power, do not put the aerial 9 in a room that is 12' x 20' with nine foot ceilings. (Pause for a moment while I emotionally adjust to this bad news.... Ok... bitter pill swallowed.) I also listened to the 7T, in a MUCH smaller room, using it essentially as a nearfield monitor. Problem is, they are so new that they are still 50% more than the model nine on the used market.

No comments on Victory II or Dali 800 for a small room?
More to discover