Upgrading Aerial Acoustics Model 7T

I heard the Atria IIs at a local shop while comparing two network streamers and prefer my 7Ts; but this was not an apples to apples comparison. Different electronics, different room etc..

@Chilehed- Thanks for your reply. Aerial 7T indeed is a great speaker and I can easily live with that. The room is so important that sometimes these evaluation sessions at different rooms could be very misleading. I heard Atria II in a relatively bigger room, wonderfully treated, and with much more expensive electronics that I have. I thought Atria's presentation had more meat and the voice did sound relatively better than the Ariel 7Ts but again I have to listen them in my room before making a final decision. 
I took the liberty to view your room and the system. It is really wonderful. How do you like Pass Labs driving the 7Ts? Another question on the speaker placement. From the picture it seems that the Aerial 7Ts are relatively close to the wall behind them. Just curious, are you able to get full the depth with your current set up?
Thanks.

Hi @indranilsen,
 I heard the Atria's in a very nice room and they were driven by an Innuos streamer, DCS Bartok DAC and the smaller Gryphon integrated amp. I was actually surprised by how similar that system sounded to mine in terms of dynamics. I didn't sense any more "meat" with the Atria's but the sound stage was decidedly different. The Atria's presentation was very well defined but narrow while the 7Ts at home throw a slightly less etched but much wider image; depth was excellent and about the same. Again, with so many variables, (different room, different electronics) I'm not sure how useful this info is for you and yes, I'd think a home demo is a must given the Atria's are 2.5x the cost of the Aerials.
The 7Ts sound great when driven by the Pass but it is not significantly different than the Parasound A21 which I have heard driving the 7Ts many times. As a point of interest, the biggest game-changer for me was when I added the Backert preamp; putting that in my system was like getting hit with a bolt of lightening! Then, when I upgraded from the Bluesound internal DAC to the Benchmark was another significant and immediately noticeable step up.
In regards to my setup, the distance between the back of the speaker and front wall is about ~33 inches, the front of the speaker is ~4' from the front wall. When you ask if I am getting "full depth" I assume you are asking if I am satisfied with the bass response? And I would say yes, based on what I hear the 7Ts produce from well recorded tracks I am. 
Good luck.

@Chilehed- Thanks for your detailed response. In fact I listened to Atria-II with DCS Rossini Rossini DAC driven by Gryphon integrated amplifier in Goodwins High End audio showroom in Waltham-MA. Yes I will audition Atria -II in my room before making the final decision. 
On the speaker positioning topic and by depth I mean, are you getting the image way back on the wall behind the speakers being completely detached from them. The only way I get that in my room is leaving around 5' distance measured from the front of the speakers. But you are close and it should be good.

I also heard the Atria's at Goodwins but with a different DAC. The image in that room is compressed compared to what I hear at home. They had the speakers toed in quite a bit so was thinking that could have accounted for it? While there I was more interested in comparing the Innuous Zenith streamer to the Bluesound Vault.
If I listen to a reasonable recording in my room at home, my speakers disappear completely with very good image definition, depth and width. Is your room treated? I've done the basics but I have more work to do in that department. 

Please let me know if you upgrade and plan on selling your 7T’s. You can email me at jwincville at gmail if you want a quicker response.

Thanks!

What aspects would you most like to improve upon over the 7Ts?

@jwincville- I listened to the Rockport Atria-II speakers a few times in the last 2 weeks and I am still not very convinced that it is worth replacing the Aerial 7Ts. So I am not going for this upgrade immediately. If I change my mind I will definitely get in touch with you.
@soix- I love the sound-staging and the overall balance of Aerial 7Ts when it delivers music. I am looking for a better quality mid range reproduction (in addition to the balance, sound-staging) as part of the next speaker upgrade. Atria-II is better but I didn't feel the urge to move immediately and replace the Aerials. 

Meridian dsp 7200se, buy used and pocket the change. At least get a listen so you understand what you give up with passives. D&D, KII3, Genelec. Just demo any dsp active, I picked M because they've been doing it longest and used prices are a steal, but the sound is so room friendly I can't imagine anything sounding better.

FOR $30,000 CONSIDER ATC SCM150 ACTIVES.
USE REST OF MONEY YOU WILL GET SELLING YOUR OTHER EQUIPMENT ON MORE RECORDS!

You may want to wait for a while. Michael Kelly's 30T will be coming out. 

@steve59/@d2girls- Thanks for your suggestions. I have got zero experience with active speakers. I would try to audition them if they are available locally....
@luxmancl38-  I have recently spoken with Michael Kelly about his 20T replacement. It is still in the making and there is no date on the horizon. They would be likely priced at 40K which is beyond my current budget. But thanks for sharing this information.

@indranilsen - Just let me know.  I have been looking for a pair for a long time.  i am also looking for a 7CC, but those are even harder to find... 

@jwincville- There is a couple of Model 7Ts up for sale on the Audiogon site but the description says that they would be available only in late fall this year...Here is the link 
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9ahib-aerial-acoustics-7t-speaker-customer-trade-in-full-range
The center channel 7CC is indeed very rare in the used market.
I would let you know if there is a change in my speaker upgrade plan.

Those same speakers have been lister forever.  it is a fake ad.  it really suck too0, because I tried to put in an offer a while back and it was a scam...

@jwincville- That is really frustrating...

Yeah, I agree.  This is why I was so excited that you might be selling yours!  lol  

Again, please, please, please keep me at the top of your list if you decide to sell.  :)

That ad has been out for a while. He has a long feud w/Michael Kelly. He bashes Aerial all the time. 

Surely the staff here must know the ads on the 7T’s are bogus so why don’t they pull them? I’m also always checking for 7T’s and these ads have been up forever. Life’s too short to hold a grudge so hopefully this person will move on.

It's really surprising that someone would go to that level to vent out frustration against Michael Kelly who is a perfect gentleman all the way at least in my opinion.

It's really surprising that someone would go to that level to vent out frustration against Michael Kelly who is a perfect gentleman all the way at least in my opinion.

If he's a dealer does he have to keep on paying for it each month?

Interested in possibly purchasing your 7Ts.  I may be selling my 10ts as I just feel the need for a change. 

He doesn't have the speakers. He's just using the ad to get back at Michael. That ad has been out for about three years. Not realistic that those speakers would be available that long.

@luxmancl38- If that is the case then why wouldn't the Audiogon admin jump in and clean up those spurious ads? It is creating a very unhealthy environment and possibly hurting the image of this forum. 

@luxmancl38- If that is the case then why wouldn't the Audiogon admin jump in and clean up those spurious ads? It is creating a very unhealthy environment and possibly hurting the image of this forum. 

It is hard to beat aerial acoustics 7T, with any of the speakers you mentioned. 7T are the "best speakers no one has heard". I had auditioned quite a lot of speakers in 7Ts range (and higher range, up to 25K) and was blown away by 7T. I am glad I brought 7t. The only other speaker that came close to this was Audiosolutions Figaro L and XL (Unfortunately, not many have heard this too). I think, as long as your room size remains same, try not to change the speakers. May be change the amplifier to get a change. These speakers are keepers. You might regret it selling and spending > 3 times the cost of 7t. 
If your room size is big, may be Rockport Avior. 
Yes, the ad mentioned above is a spam. It has been there forever. Thank god, I saw a new ad for 7T and bought right away. Very hard to see 7t for sale on used market. That tells a lot. 

I was wondering about that 7t add and all the trash he talked about the speakers and Aerial. Kind of weird way to sell I speaker I thought LOL.

Look for used 20T V2, which might be even harder to find, but one of the best speakers I have heard.

I am happy as heck with the used 10Ts I found. Best money I ever spent in audio @ 1300 delivered!

What would you be selling your 7ts for?  

@steve432234- I have deferred the Aerial 7T upgrade plan. Not completely satisfied with the performance of my shortlisted speakers....

I have the 7Ts.  I am stunned by their performance.  There is no criticism of this tremendously balanced speaker.