Hello all. If anyone has heard these please place your opinions here. I would like to know how the compare to the 522's. Do the new crossovers make much of difference etc, etc. Thanks

Eric, I had the chance to listen to the new 6 series line at the HE show last weekend in NY.  I own a full 522 set-up, with PT's up front.

The new crossover makes a subtle, but noticible difference.  I haven't heard a 22 vs. 32 design side-by-side, but the demo room with the 632 fronts VAC center and 633 rears sounded smooth!!!  The added benefit of an easier to drive load is a plus as well (both for expense of amplification and choice of speaker wire).  The 633's alone on music were astounding!  I left thinking that a sub $1k speaker has no right to sound this good!  Just warm and smooth and musical.

I love the PT's and how well the deliver the bass without muddying the mid-range (which too many powered towers do).  If you can add a sub to the 633's, I can only imagine how good they would sound (the demo had a 2-channel 633 only with no sub).

The HT demo and 5.1 music demo (which I am not a fan of 5.1 encoded music) sounded good through the 6 series.  The HT demo was full of impact and presence.  The 5.1 music sounded great, but 5.1 encoded music w/ instruments coming from behind, I find distracting.  It still sounded good, perhaps just not 'correct' to me - the recording, not the speakers.

The 6 series is very full and full of warmth.  I really enjoyed them and almost brought a pair of 632's home (even though I have no where to use them).  The 5 series will also have this new crossover technology too, so that may add some smoothness to them and they are already an impressive speaker.

From what I heard with the 6 series, I think Aperion has taken another step in the right diretion and has raised the bar even higher in terms of value for today's speaker market.

I hope this helps?

Thanks Jim, I appreciate your observations. I am looking to perhaps upgrade my 522's. Do the new series compete better with your Totem speakers for music as opposed to the PT's ? Do the 632 bookshelves sound perceptibly deeper in bass than the 522D's? I am trying to integrate them with a Velodyne HGS-12. Thanks.

Eric, the 632's do go noticibly deeper than the 522's. Wether it is the 632 design or the integration of the new HD-x3 crossover, they are achieving a higher level of speaker quality in the 632 IMO. Paired with a good sub, I think the 632's are an audiophile contender!

So would you suggest trading in 522-PTs for the 633 if one is still in the 30-day trial period? I guess with the $200 saved with the 633s, one can add $200 more and get the S-8 sub...did the 633 towers look much more bulky than the 522s? It's a tad wider in the specs, but much deeper...cheers.

Sany, I would easily choose the 632 over a 522 for stereo listening, but choosing the 633 over the PT is different animal.

The 633's don't go as low as the PT's, and if you want a full range presentation, you will need to add a sub.  The seamless integration of bass with the built-in subs on the PT's will be work to acheive in a sub/633 system IMO.  Not that it can't be done, you're just going to have to work for it.  The 633's are bulkier, visually.  They are quite larger than the PT's. 

Having listened to both, I have no desire to switch out my PT's for the 633's.  If you have the space for the larger towers and a sub, it might be a worthwhile quest though?  I really LOVE the PT's and think they would be hard to beat!  Personally, I'd choose the PT's, but that's just me.

Thanks Jim. I saw at least one photo on this forum of the 633s next to the 522s and they are truly bigger, at least much deeper. Unless I pull out my tv more they would stick out quite far ahead of my thin DLP's screen which wouldn't look too nice. The low profile of the 522s is what attracts me. I can line up the grills with my screen easily. Their size is perfect, even to fit into the smallest room without looking bulky.

How did the 633s sound compared to the 522s in terms of brightness?

BR,

Sany.

Thanks for this Jim.  I think I will wait for the 632PT or whatever they will call it when it comes out.

The PT's are such an awesome speaker, I would hate to go back to a 'Sat/Sub' situation again when the low-mid / high-bass definition in the PT's is superior, I just don't think you would ever be able to tweak this in with a single subwoofer in conjunction with the 632's.

Although, with the money savings by trading in the PT's and with my new setup, I may be able to buy two 10's and tweak it in....

Matt, if they are working on a 633-PT, I am sure it will be sweet!  I agree with you in that the quality of the PT's would be hard to top with a sub/sat system.  Waiting on the 633-PT is probably your best bet!

Sany, the 632 seemed 'smoother' than the 522's.  This did seem evident in the highs as well.  I wouldn't categorize the 522 as 'bright', but the 632 seemed even sweeter in the highs than the 522.  This is probably due mostly to the new HD-X3 crossover, which will be implemented into the 5 line as well - the 532 (HD-X3) will replace the 522 (diArual).  So, I would imagine the 532 sounds a bit 'smoother/sweeter' than the 522 it replaces. 

Some of this 'smoothnes/sweetness' in the 632 is also attributable to the mating of the same tweeter with a 6.5" driver rather than a 5" driver in the 522/532 as well though.

Do we know if the HD-X3 is still a series crossover like the Di-aural or is it parallel?

Jim -

Whati s the timeline for the 532 to be introduced?

Thanks

Steve, I think it was 30-60 days from the date of the announcement at the HE show, so June at the latest, but don't quote me on that. 

I would contact Aperion directly to be sure.  (or maybe they'll chime in here?)

It would be nice to see some charts with side-by-side comparisons between Diaural and HD-X3 for the same or similar Aperion speaker in order to see what the improvements really look like. Ofcourse, this may be "company confidential" information for Aperion, which is understandable perhaps.

I think the same thing , Sany. Spec comparision between HD-X3 and Diaural would be nice.

According to Aperion the HD-X3 is still a series crossover design, like the DiAural. 

Also, there is no plan for a "powered tower" version of the new 633 tower.