Aerial 10T and Aerial 9

Weiserb nailed it. The 9's are really nice sounding speakers, provided you give them plenty of good current. The 10t's are a great bargin and have certainly stood the test of time, as have other Michael Kelly speakers (e.g., ADS speakers). The 9's use improved drivers and the four woofers provide tighter, more dynamic low frequencies than the single driver used by the 10t. The narrow front baffle of the 9 images very well and coherently, although the small novalith head on the 10t did a good job there also. If your budget only goes to $2K, the 10t with sound anchors will be hard to beat (although some would say try Vandersteen), if you can swing $5-6K, you should be able to find used 9's if you are patient. Another benefit is that you will not find many companies with customer support equal to Aerial.

Never heard the 10t but the 9s are super even out of the box. I prefer their sound to the Wilson Sophia 3 next door shop.

I have owned 10ts for almost a decade, loved them so much I was sad to see them go. I got a great deal on a pair of model 9's. If you like to play music loud, have a large room and a very powerful amp they are the best buy out there.

The model 9 is an amazing speaker which tops the 10ts in a few areas. while they also like high power they are a little more efficient to drive. They also play music with greater dynamic range even at lower volumes. They took a few months to break in and I originally thought they lacked low end compared to the 10ts. The reality is they have much better controlled base. better soundstage, dynamics. and a very coheasive top to bottom sound. Bottom line they are a much better speaker. Not a cheap speaker as these sell for $ 5000-7000 used. If you have the money get them they are a good value for a great speaker. contact me if I can add any additional info

Thanks for the responses. I am not sure which version yet but the price is right in the range for the 10Ts. I am indeed trying to do Champagne on a beer budget. I think the 10T will probably be my choice, but I suppose the asking price for the 9s is actually around $4.5k. So the price differential is less than 2x. But still, the difference between them is quite significant.

The 10T is an incredible bargain at it's current used price. They were made for about 10 years, and some significant changes were made without changing the model number, make sure which version you are getting.

Bought my 10T's new about 11 years ago. Thought about upgrading several times but could never justify it. Get the set up and amplification right and you have a speaker that will give you champaign performance for a beer budget.

Never tried the 9's but I find it hard to beleive they are 2.5 times better than the 10T's. $2500-3500 should get you a decent pair. Hold out for the last gen Sound Anchor stands. Good luck.