Aerial 7T loudspeakers: Anyone else as impressed as I am?


I heard the Aerial 7T’s today at my dealer’s (Duane) store and was quite surprised at how GREAT they sounded. I had already known that Aerial is a great company. I listened to the Aerial 7B’s over 12 years ago, and I can still remember the essential characteristics of their sound. I mentioned the Aerial 7B’s in a review about a different speaker and and my impressions of them were as follows:

"Really a fine loudspeaker with true finesse and sweetness on the high end, and a very respectable soundstage. These seemed a little rolled off on the high end and possibly slightly lacking in sonic detail."

I listened to the newer model 7T speakers only briefly, and did NOT use any of my own program material, nor was I intimately familiar with any of the front end components or electronics. However, based on limited listening, my initial, preliminary, but still fairly strong impression is that the Aerial 7T seems to be a significant improvement over the 7B, which was already a great loudspeaker in its own right.

Specifically (to my ears only--others may disagree and that’s just fine):
1. No longer any discernible roll-off on the high end--but they didn’t overshoot the mark and make them strident or tinny or sibliant either. The high end now sounds more detailed and still smooth but not as soft as before--i.e., they seemed more resolving without sounding etched or grainy or even dry for that matter. Just about right in terms of tonality--at least as far as I could tell.
2. No more "slightly lacking in sonic detail" as far as I could hear. VERY detailed and MUCH quicker than the 7B (to my ears).
3. I honestly don’t remember the 7B soundstage that well except that it was at least good. The soundstage of the 7T sounded VERY holographic and sounded actually VERY similar (based on limited listening, from a standard position in in front of and between the speakers) to that of my beloved Intuitive Design Summits--that just WASN’T the case with the 7B’s.
4. The 7T has great bass, and based on what I heard, could be legitimately run by themselves, i.e. without a subwoofer or sub-bass unit. Nevertheless, I suspect they would still benefit greatly (as do my Intuitive Design Summits) from one (or two) well integrated and carefully tuned, high quality subwoofer(s).

I don’t hold myself out as an expert by any stretch of the imagination. These are first impressions but they’re fairly strong. I’d LOVE to know whether others who’ve heard these (relatively) new Aerial 7T loudspeakers were as impressed as I was.

NOTE: I’m NOT trying to trash the Aerial 7B’s. I still think they’re a great speaker. It’s just that the 7T loudspeakers seem like a SIGNIFICANT improvement, having essentially eliminated (what I perceived to be) the 7B’s weaknesses, and having managed to do so WITHOUT adding any new weaknesses (no new weaknesses that I could hear, anyway). This is a VERY impressive company, all the more so when one considers that they offer products at such competitive (by audiophile standards at least) price points.
mdhoover
I have been shopping for speakers for the past year. Unfortunately, my work has prevented me from listing to as many as I would like.
But I have listened to the 7T’s twice now and if I had to buy speakers right now, I would bring them home. They do so much very well. I loved the way they handle the highs and place the midrange right where it should be and with such a natural timbre in both. Also they deliver a strong punch in the bass without bashing you or over whelming you.
I think the real hold back so far has been the dealers showroom doesn’t seem to reveal the full capabilities of the speaker. I had hoped to have him either move them into a smaller room more in line with my space. His main showroom is twice the size of my room and a lot of glass. I discussed an in home demo but he has since sold them and not sure if and when he will bring in another pair. I did hear a glare on some music but think the glass was the culprit, but would want to be sure before I decide. I will be buying a center and 5T’s for the rears and hate to spend that much without being fully satisfied that these are the ones. At my age these will probably be my last speaker purchase so not rushing in. However as mentioned, they are at 5he top of my list for now. Although Focal sopras have a spot in there, but the local dealer only has the 3’s and I can only afford the 2’s. 
Additionall my correspondence with Michael at Aerial has been exceptional