WOW Aerial 10T vs. B&W 801II/III


Not sure if there is anyone out there that has had the luxury of comparing these two speakers, but WOW!

I have been a HUGE B&W fan for years, owned 801F, 801-80's, 801II, 801II with NorthCreeks, 801III and even the 802Nautilus! I happen to prefer the 801II (with or without the NorthCreeks) over all the other B&Ws mentioned above.

UNTIL TODAY, when I purchased a set of 10T's! They are awesome! The bass is very tight and extremely deep! Mids are detailed and the soundstage is far better than that of the 801's!

Has anyone else listened to these differences?

Am I nuts?

Dan
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Thanks for the responses! I actually think the bottom end of the 10T is greater, more defined, deeper than that of the 801II. Is this possible? I just purchased the CC3B and will now be set for Music/Theater. One thing I left off, the 10T's look so much better than the 801s!

Thanks!

Dan
Very interesting and encouraging that Weiserb is using the VTL S-150 to drive his 10T's. I have a pair of ARC VT-150's, (160 watt tube monos) which have massive power-supply capacitance. I love the 10T's, but I have heard that the 10T's require large SS amps for best results. Any advice or experiences in hearing the 10T's with both tube and SS amps? Thanks!
Dem -

I am currently using a pair of SS Citation Audio 7.1, a Madrigal production amplifier. A very high current amp, 70 ampers, this amp is rated at 150x4 into 8 or 240x4 into 4, or the way I have it set, 2x450 into 8. I am running TWO of these amps, biamping each Aerial 10T so basically, running 450x2 into 8 to each speaker! PLENTY of power, actually much warmer than one would expect from SS. This week I am going to attempt to run them with a very powerful tube amp. The amp has both, 8 ohms and a 4 ohm option. I had used it before with the 801II into 8 ohms, so I will change it to 4 and see if it can push the 10Ts.

I will check in later...................

Dan
To see Weiserb using A VTL 150 shocked me. THe Aerial folks told me not to consider anything less than a pair of VTL 185 or 250 monos. I called them because one of the shows where the 10-Ts did so well was based on VTL amps. The fact that the manufacturer uses tube gear kind of kills the need for SS myth i would say. High current, however is a must for the best performance regardless of the amp type. I have to admit, after a long arduous struggle a pair of Dunlavys won out over the 10-Ts due to the Dunlavy being a much more open speaker. But between the 10-T and the 801 there was never a contest, the Aerials slaughtered them.
Thanks Dan,
I look forward to learning of your results. Your Citations must really control the 10T's. I have never tried a less efficient speaker with the VT-150's. Each VT-150 mono amp has 420 joules of power supply energy storage for a total of 840 joules ( compared to a "stereo" total of 325 joules in the widely-used VT130SE or 674 total joules in a VT200). According to ARC, this massive power supply provides extreme dynamic stability during large musical transients, thus sounding more powerful than it is rated. I am hoping these amps will handle a speaker like the 10T or Magnepan 3.6.