Did anyone attending RMAF other than those who are queuing up to formally review the speaker hear the Aeris and have thoughts to share?
Legacy Audio AERIS: RMAF/listening impressions?
I made a trip to Legacy this past week to hear this speaker in a non-show environment which would also afford more time to listen and hear music that I took with me. I don't see alot in the way of RMAF postings here as yet and would like to hear people's impressions of this speaker as I thought it an amazing speaker with huge potential. I've started a section on my system thread for anyone that wants to add material or please put your thoughts and impressions here. Thanks!
Showing 38 responses by zephyr24069
Thanks for your response; I heard them at LA a few weeks ago (2 weeks) after RMAF over a 4 hour listening session and did not pick up on this so I wonder if it was a function of the room, time to properly tune with the processor to the room, etc.....The speaker had only about 150 hours or so on it when I heard according to what I was told so full break-in was quite a ways away (IMHO...big fan of proper break-in here). It will be interesting to hear them fully broken in which I will be doing in December as it's time for another trip to meet these speakers :-) |
Thanks for letting me know this....they tell me they have the RMAF pair that would be broken in fully by this week so since I happen to have a business trip to a client south of Chicago coming up on Wednesday and Thursday morning I am thinking of going back for a listening session on Thursday afternoon before I catch my flight home on Friday. How did you like what you heard? |
Had a chance yesterday to swing down to Legacy after client meetings up north and hear a broken in pair of the new production version of the AERIS with dual amps for bass in each tower. All I can say is 'Wow'...I heard things that I never heard out of Focus SE or Whisper in such a plentiful amount and a density of soundstage that I've only heard out of Helix but even more refined. These speakers pull you into the recordings and music in a way that would take a lot of writing to describe. AERIS is one hell of a speaker...it is definitely going to have to find a way into my room as soon as possible! |
My first trip to hear the AERIS after they had just returned from RMAF had the following equipment hooked up to the single amp version of the speaker; Coda Mono Amps, Coda Pre-amp and Oppo95 player with the Xilica XD-4080 processor in use. I had taken a large amount of discs with me to audition. The finish was the one displayed at RMAF with the ostrich leatherette finish which is still pictured as the lead-on for the AERIS annoucement on the website. This pair was sold in the last few weeks. Legacy told me that they have already sold at least 15 pairs that have shipped since RMAF and more are being built to fill current orders. In this past week when I heard the dual-amp version of AERIS, the following equipment was in use; Coda Stereo Amp, Code Pre-Amp, Ayon CD-07 (I used the USB input to the DAC from my MacBook Pro playing iTunes stored discs ripped with Apple Lossless encoding) and the Xilica XP-4080 processor. The finish was Black Oak. I inquired about Black Pearl as well; they are working on this however it would be available in the future as this is one finish that they have to send out the speaker cabinet for the high-end finish to be applied. They told me they are working on additional high-end veneer finishes as well. Nutreez: For the XD, I would ask Bill and Doug if they have anything underway. I would suggest hearing both the Whisper XD and the AERIS before you decide which to purchase. |
Saw the AERIS in Rosewood in pics from CES with a black front baffle; the result was startling and beautiful. Further, if that front baffle were black pearl, that combination would be fantastic. I think that's in their plans from what I understand so I have to wait a bit longer. Did anyone hear them at CES and willing to share some listening impressions??? |
Thank you very much for your comments; given I own a pair of the Focus SE, I am very familiar with the black pearl finish and its quality. I am looking at the geometry of the new Aeris cabinet sections and in Rosewood with a black pearl front baffle, it should be striking. I still am going back and forth regarding having the entire speaker done in black pearl. A friend I trust very much suggested that some of the gorgeous detail of the Aeris cabinet might get 'muffled' if the entire speaker is in black pearl. I hear what you are saying about Legacy craftsmanship; I've been to their place 3 times in the last year. I always enjoy my visits very much... |
Thanks Cobraman...I had the opportunity to travel to Legacy again last week and hang out to listen to a brand new pair that had been built the days preceding my visit and was able to observe Bill dialing them in. Of all the Legacy speakers I've owned since 2005 (there have been a LOT), the AERIS amazes me with its ability to sound good right off the line (literally). I've also been able to hear a pair late last year that had 200 hours on them and can tell you break in like anything else I've owned will make a difference. Given the various levels I've heard (day1, 50 hours or so, 200 hours), my gut tells me that these speakers will 'come out' at 350-500 hours extremely strong and impressive. The best part is, they already sound great on day1! Please let us know how your break in results come in and what you are hearing. I agree with you about the AMT and the new midrange and midbass drivers. They are all something special. The thing that stands out the most is the integrity, sound profile and accuracy to real-life instruments that the mids and highs on this speaker render. You can really hear the differences between different metals (for cymbals, guitar and bass strings, etc...) and other materials (drum heads, pipe organ metal versus wooden/reed pipes, etc....In addition, based upon hearing the Aeris dialed in on 2 different occasions, I can tell you the AMT tweeter assembly appears to never show a harsh edge; you can keep throwing more level at it and it does not ever seem to distort,...all you get is more detail. This is an extreme rarity even in the best speakers I've heard. If first impressions (or third and fourth also in my case) are accurate, and break-in simply reveals and refines more about what it can do and how it does it, the AERIS is to me one hell of a speaker and an entrant at a reasonable price that should make some pricier manufacturers sit up, take notice and get very nervous (IMHO). |
My trips there have been a nice side benefit from having major clients about 1-2 hours drive on I-55 in both directions. The folks at Legacy have always impressed me with how they truly care about and care for their customers. It's not often that you can have a real set of conversations with, and just sit down and enjoy music with a designer in this industry that spans several hours and is more like hanging out with a great audiophile friend and not being overtly business or audio show-like in nature. Bill, Doug and everyone else there has been incredibly good to deal with and have always bent over backwards to take care of the small as well as the big things with a truly positive attitude and enjoyment derived from their chosen line of work. Touring the shops and meeting all the people who do the various stages of construction from raw materials whose over the top quality is immediately obvious (such as their raw veneers) to walking into the finish shop and seeing Bill with a stain rag/brush in his hand going over every bit of finish on a speaker to make sure every speaker comes out as perfectly as possible is something you don't see every day. Bill is a vast warehouse of knowledge and experience having been a recording engineer for many years; he clearly loves what he does and puts his soul into constantly seeking a more musical and involving speaker. I will never claim extensive experience or expertise at any of this however based upon what I've seen and experienced I do believe firmly that Legacy is in a very small list of 'special firms' that one would choose to stick with over a life time with confidence and happiness at money and time well spent. |
That is a very touch question for two main reasons; they are both great speakers and a very reasonable price point relative to the market and the capabilities of each speaker and secondly, the real answer depends alot on what you like to listen to. People will need more data on your listening prefs, your system, your room, etc....to help answer this question... |
I've seen most of the internal structure of the AERIS while at Legacy this past Spring and they are built like all the other Legacy's I've owned as well as those (like Whisper and Helix) that I've seen in person; extremely strong construction, internal bracing, etc....there is no evidence of cabinet resonance affecting the sound or any other side effect of the large cabinet. In short, they are built beautifully and extremely strong. |
Putting the reviews aside I can tell you I've heard them in person with a wide variety of my own material in-hand on several trips to Legacy where they just let me listen for quite a few hours by myself and the AERIS were extremely impressive. The last/final design modifications with dual ICE amps in each tower (1 for each bass unit) and the downward-firing passive radiator with the latest EQs on the processor really blew me away. I read reviews as well and then put them aside and trust my own ears. My last trip was within this past week and over an above the fantastic sound and performance, I was able to see the 3 latest finishes (total black pearl all-around, rosewood with black pearl front baffle and Sapele Pommele/Cabernet) and can tell you the way they look is beyond simple description as well! Dragon_vibe: I may have seen your XD pair; they pointed out a pair of XD that were being readied to go "to a gentleman in Asia..." when I was in the shop looking at Aeris and Whisper finishes. The finished XD they pointed out were stunning. I don't know if they were the pair you ordered but the pair I saw were worth they wait; they were amazing! |
Legacy speakers I've owned over many models have always sounded best to me with lots of high grade copper so I definitely agree with what you have concluded. I am glad to hear your Whisper arrived....how do you like them overall? I got word my Aeris are being crated up this week so I am definitely looking forward later this month to receiving them an starting break-in...I'll keep you posted on the results. |
I remember the Focus 20/20 and HDs with the Rotels separates at AudioETC; I hope they moved up from the old Rotel 1000W monos as that would be the bad pairing I remember as well. They should grab the new Focus SE AMT and the AERIS and move them into the room with the high-end Classe monos :-) It's still a great shop and they took very good care of me back a few years ago however as you and others have said, they have to rethink their equipment pairing strategies. My AERIS pair are on an ESTES Long-Haul truck as we speak; they'll arrive in the depot tonight so I could have them on Tuesday morning at the latest if all goes as planned. I will be somewhat sorry to see my Focus SEs leave but it's been just short of 3 great years with them so I am looking forward to the AERIS arriving very much. I'll keep everyone posted on what I hear as I break them in.... |
Ctsooner...if you are listening at AudioETC in Orange CT, I knew them well and bought some great Classe gear from them when I was living in central CT. They are a great shop; I am glad to hear they are still in business. What Classe gear was driving the Legacy's? For the FocusSEs without any correction (-2db high-end trim switch) or with the Aeris or Whisper without any contouring of the high-end with the processor, the Classe's very revealing high-end may have needed a bit of tweaking with those rooms and the new tweeters. Would like to know more.... |
Unfortunately I moved out of Manchester CT back in 2007 or you guys would be more than welcome to drive on over! I'm in the northwest corner of SC so if you are ever on your way down Route 85, let me know in advance and we can do some listening! I was never able to find that audio club when I lived in CT either; bit of a mystery to me at the time as well... I'm boxing up the Focus SEs today; they will definitely be missed! In all my listening opportunities for Aeris, I kept what I received from the SEs uppermost in my mind when giving feedback about how Aeris should represent itself in the bass and sub-bass frequency regions.... I am getting the new exotic finish, Sapelle Pommele cabinet with Cabernet stain and high-gloss finish with a Black Pearl front baffle. I saw a number of Aeris finishes in person over the last 10 months or so and this one stands out from all the rest. I am really looking forward to this and will let you guys know about the break-in cycle. I expect to find 275-350 being the first major point at which the speaker really comes out fully as with all my trials over the past few generations of speakers.... |
That would have been about the time they were getting finished and ready for crating up. They are amazing to behold to say the least! For the proc, for now, I have set them at "Aeris_Normal" (P01) and will also try "Aeris_Studio" (P02, Legacy other room tune at their facility) and start to explore the XConsole software for MAC, grab a mic and get the processor hooked into my Ethernet/WiFi network. I am going to try to dial the bass levels and other things into my room but slowly as they already sound great here and have alot of time before break-in is achieved. This will give me quite a bit of time to get used to them, the processor and the determine exactly what changes are necessary (and avoid those that are not!) to get them fully matched to this room. |
Will do once i get the area re-organized and grab a new flashgun. The AMIT is very clean and "right" when it comes to how it renders each frequency. The midrange driver is another new star in the Legacy family; same comment for that. Tonal color and ambients are amazing right OOTB. The other thing which hit me hard right away is how the speaker energizes the entire room and the soundfield wrapped around me even though this is only 2-channel. Another key improvement is from the open baffle top-end of the speaker; the omni-directional radiating pattern does wonders for image depth, precision, etc.....overall, absolutely AMAZING first 2 days!!! |
TMS: That would have been about the time they were ready to go so I have no doubt it could have been them. CTSooner: Thank you.....agreed on the mid/high drivers; they are amazing. The bass and sub-bass drivers I know from the Focus SEs and once they break in after 350+ hours, they will be ready to unleash the bass I had for the past 2 1/2 years. Roxito: I cannot speak for tube amps not supported bass, etc....but I can tell you these drivers are capable of 'pits of hell' bass as a friend of mine used to call it. I'll keep everyone posted on how these mature but based on the first 2 days and throwing some great full range stuff at them already I can tell you I have sub-bass all the way up to sweet highs and mids here already! |
Ctsooner....i hear what you are saying and am one of those guys too when it comes to manufacturers that give the best customer service as well as build/sound quality in addition to quality audio dealers and loyalty to same. I've been to a few dealers in various cities and states that despite what one drives in, looks like, can really spend, etc...(or even sounds like if the initial contact is via phone) seem to treat their customers like we are not worth their time and if we don't go bonkers over their latest darling system or manufacturer choices, that we are simply kicking tires otherwise. I say stay strong and keep looking for the good guys wherever they may be, then support them without question from that point onward! Cobraman: Great to hear from you; hope you are enjoying the Aeris as well; let me know how you like them now that they must have a good amount of hours on them! |
Cobraman: I definitely hear what you are saying. My personal opinion is that AERIS is a wake-up call to the high-end audio industry. I think properly staged and cabled, it will make a lot of higher-end ($$$) contenders sit up and take notice (and lose a lot of sleep which is overdue given their much higher prices!!!). Legacy's best work to date without a doubt; more is reported to be on the way as well... |
When I bought my Legacy 20/20s, then HDs, Victoria LEs, Silver Screen IIs then HDs, etc... I lived in Hartford CT but dealt with Music Direct in Chicago; they rep'ed Edge, Esoteric, Audioquest, Shunyata and Legacy at the time to working with them was better for me economically. When I moved to the Greenville SC the dealer network was reducing down in scope so I started to work directly with Legacy. The dealer I liked in Orange CT was a good source for Classe gear so I worked with them on the SSP-600 and CP-700 I wanted but MD helped me put together the rest of what I wanted as they offered those brands. |
Legacy built me a version AERIS with a 6-way binding post terminal plate option. Not only does it give me the flexibility to move up to 4-channels and 6-channels of amplification in the future to externally power the bass and sub-bass portions of this speaker, it allowed me to externally jumper these sections "now" with SOTA 5-ribbon jumpers matching my existing speaker cables from David Elrod. The difference is NOT subtle at all. The result is so good, I get to hear what the 500 watt ICE amps are truly capable of (even with stock power cords) and frankly given how the bass and sub-bass now plummet and impact all parts of the anatomy and the house I may not ever go to the expense of additional amplification as it would be a vanity purchase only given what I now hearing! |
I'll have to catch up with some listening to the latest Vandys. I'd love to hear them side by side as well. The AERIS in exotic finish weighs in around that price point; the Whisper is a bit more than that but please check with Legacy for official pricing. I've updated my system pics again and continue to be very happy with what I'm hearing... |
francisgr: your VTLs with all that power will have no issue driving the AERIS; all of Legacy speakers are easy loads to drive being highly efficient. I know guys who believe it or not have used low-wattage SET amps to drive Focus 20/20, etc...with great results but I would advocate something with a bit more horsepower for the reason audiotroy mentioned regarding dynamics and bass control. That stated, again, your VTLs will serve you very well in this regard as will others (Manley, Ayon, Wall Audio, etc...). Several of us have not just heard AERIS, we’ve owned them over varying to long periods of time. You are looking at a great speaker!!! Cobraman: Great to hear from you again! Hope all is well with you! FYI all, there is another thread which has come up regarding AERIS and amplification. Will be interesting to see the parallels... https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/legacy-aeris-and-amplification |