I have the 7Ts. I am stunned by their performance. There is no criticism of this tremendously balanced speaker.
Upgrading Aerial Acoustics Model 7T
Hello,
I am thinking of upgrading my Aerial Acoustics Model 7T. Here the two speaker choices, not in any order, that I have so far
1. Rockport Atria-II
2. Magico S3 Mk II
My music room is relatively small (12' X 16' X 7'4") and it has acoustic treatments, primarily GIK Acoustics panels, on the walls/corners. My budget is 30K. I have listened to both Atria-II and Avior-II in a local dealer's hi-fi room and liked the Rockport house sound. I would have preferred the Avior-II if I had a little bigger room but for now I decided to shortlist Atria-II. I am going to listen to the Magico's shortly. I listen to all sorts of music but really love male/female vocals and Jazz. Currently I am using Parasound Pre and power amplifier to drive the Model 7Ts but I am planning to go pure Class A, balanced (both input and the circuit) instead of Class A/B design. Would love to hear your comments on my choice of speakers and any other brands that would suit my budget, room and listening preference.
Thanks.
I am thinking of upgrading my Aerial Acoustics Model 7T. Here the two speaker choices, not in any order, that I have so far
1. Rockport Atria-II
2. Magico S3 Mk II
My music room is relatively small (12' X 16' X 7'4") and it has acoustic treatments, primarily GIK Acoustics panels, on the walls/corners. My budget is 30K. I have listened to both Atria-II and Avior-II in a local dealer's hi-fi room and liked the Rockport house sound. I would have preferred the Avior-II if I had a little bigger room but for now I decided to shortlist Atria-II. I am going to listen to the Magico's shortly. I listen to all sorts of music but really love male/female vocals and Jazz. Currently I am using Parasound Pre and power amplifier to drive the Model 7Ts but I am planning to go pure Class A, balanced (both input and the circuit) instead of Class A/B design. Would love to hear your comments on my choice of speakers and any other brands that would suit my budget, room and listening preference.
Thanks.
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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! |
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. |
@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. |
@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. |
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. |
@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. |
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. |
@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. |
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 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. |