I am in the process of trying to find the right home entertainment system for my "mancave" The mancave is 15'6 wide by 22' long. I am planning on putting a 58" Panasonic Plasma in it and a Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver. I am unsure of what I want. I will be mainly using the sytem to watch tv, movies, and a gaming sytem. I will not use it that much to listen to CD's. I am not a audio geek and I never even heard of aperion audio until a friend told me about it. Now after reading the reviews I know I want to get a system from Aperion Audio. I want to be able to feel the movies, I have heard the demo's in the store from Bose V20's and I have been told that any system that Aperion has will blow that system away. Do I go with the 4 T's or the 5B's? Should I get a 8D or 10D? Will the 4 Satelite speakers for the rear be sufficient? I have a budget of $2,000 so what system do you guys recommend? Also, being in the basement even though I have accoustical ceiling tiles and my walls are insulated will son in the room above my mancave feel his walls shaking when I am watching Batman Dark Knight? Thanks in advance for any advice anyone wants to give.

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Aperion 5T's, 5C, 10D, 4B satellite's
Onkyo TX-SR607
Panasonic Plasma 58"
Playstation 3 Blu-Ray
Direct TV HD DVR

I wish I could help you out, but I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable about all the choices.

I will say that I think you should get a bigger subwoofer, if you want to feel things kick. I got the 8D and decided I wanted to try a bigger one almost immediately. On the other hand, if you want to let your son sleep... You might have to turn it off sometimes.

Other threads also suggest the 4Ts are better than the bookshelf speakers for the fronts. They probably look better too.

Still other threads suggest that if movies are your main thing, then you should get a good center speaker.

I watched Iron Man yesterday (Blu-ray) and the amount of sound in that movie from the surround was minimal (I was surprised and disappointed by that). I would say skimp on surrounds and get good front and center. Hunt for Red October (Blu-ray) had more and more interesting surround sound, so I guess it depends on how things are mixed.

Cheers!

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Speakers: Aperion 6T, 5DB, 6C, 12D
Receiver: Denon AVR-3808ci
Monitor: Panasonic TH-65PZ750U
DVD: Denon DVD-1920
Blu-ray: Playstation 3

Short answer?  Build your system over time.  For a dedicated room, and for the size of the room that you've got, you're going to want to cram in as much speaker as you can.

 

Satellites/Bookshelves will probably do fine because of your lack of music-focused listening, but you're really gonna want a 10 or 12D when all is said and done.

I have a 15x20 room with 5B's, and the sound is great.  But I have a 12D, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  

 

Regardless...no matter what you choose, anything will blow away anything that Bose has to offer.  I've had both, and it's no comparison.

 

 

Thanks for the advice, I really like to get the 12D from the customer reviews sounds like it is what I want. I did the customized room setup with the 5B's, 5C, 4S and the 12D and cost is $2159, add my Onyko receiver $400 it will cost the same as my 58" plasma. How much different in sound is the 4B's and 4C compared to the 5B and C. My dilemma is where to put the center channel, I am not going to mount my plasma on the wall since the other side of the room is a workshop and I have a nice 6 foot tv stand can I get away with putting the center channel speaker under the tv on a shelf its all open. Also, how does this sound when watching NFL my 10 yr old son and love to watch football. So if you turn the sub off does the system sound decent still? I am not sure if when the whole family is just watching American Idol or another tv show if we need the 12D on. So for so many questions but until a few days ago I thought BOSE was the only way to go, I feel like I have been living in a cave not knowing about Aperion. I am glad my friend told me. Now is setting up this bad boy easy enough for a Cave Man to do it or do I need to hire a prosfessional?

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Aperion 5T's, 5C, 10D, 4B satellite's
Onkyo TX-SR607
Panasonic Plasma 58"
Playstation 3 Blu-Ray
Direct TV HD DVR

- You're welcome to try it, but for that size of a room, I don't think 4C and 4B's all around are going to be enough speaker.

- These speakers sound great for sports, other TV, Idol, etc.  

- You may not NEED the sub on, but you'll want it on.

- Setup is easy.

 

I still recommend piecing your setup together.  If you want the 5B setup, go with the receiver, 2 5B's and the 12D to start with (2.1) setup.  Then add a center.  Then the surrounds.  I assume that the money you have budgeted for this isn't the only money you'll have ever.    You can set up the receiver to compensate (phantom center, etc).

 

Remember that "quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten" and that you should get what's best for your budget right now, but save these additions for when you've got some more cash, and you can use them to satisfy your upgrade bug.

 

Good luck.

 

 

I agree with PJ's advice on piecing it together. With that in mind, I would strongly recommend that you consider a AVR with a bit more power, such as the 7 or 8 series Onkyo. Aperions love to be driven with lots of power!

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Scottiemon

What do you think of this set up, 5B's up front with a 5C, 4B satellite for the surround and a the big monster 12D, that comes to a total of $2,159 I am sure that will blow away the Bose V20 system I was thinking about buying for $1,999. The only thing is I still need to buy a receiver, I was hoping to get one to fit my needs for around $500 or less. I like the 600 series of onkyo cause I can get it on amazon for $399.  It will be a long time before I have any more spare cash since I am building a house I will have a huge house payment. We just won't tell the wife I went $500 budget for now.

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Aperion 5T's, 5C, 10D, 4B satellite's
Onkyo TX-SR607
Panasonic Plasma 58"
Playstation 3 Blu-Ray
Direct TV HD DVR

that's a hard deal to pass up, and a perfect time since the models are switching over soon, and retailers are giving nice incentives.  If you go to http://reviews.cnet.com/best-value-av-receivers/?tag=centerColumnArea1.1, they have a nice comparison of mid-range receivers in their reviews section, and should help you decide what's best.

Hey David,

I've been following our thread but haven't written anything else yet since I think everybody has covered all the bases. I think one thing I want to add is to have you consider A and B stock. If you do I think you should call Jason Hicks up and see if there are any A-stock 5B's 5C coming in anytime soon. They usually know what will be coming in over the next week. If you are interested in cherry I would even consider going with B-stock. I have a "b-stock 6T and 6C" but you cannot see the problems on either without a magnifying glass. To be perfectly honest I never found the problem on the 6T even when looking really hard. The cherry wood helps to hide it. I can't say the same for the black gloss as I think it'll show the problems to a greater extent. If you go with B stock you can save up to 25% off. Then invest that money into a high receiver (7 or 8 series). The 606 is good, the 706 is better. Since you'll want some power for those speakers I think its best to spend the money up front and get a great receiver. If you want gloss black there's a pair of A stock 4B's for 10% off. Anyway I hope that helps.

Jason 

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Speakers: Aperion 6T's, 6C, 4B's, and 8D
Receivers: Onkyo 805 and Pioneer SX-1050
DVD player: Oppo 981HD
TT: Pioneer PL-71
Amp Selector: Niles DPS-1

I didn't even know anything about A or B stock? What is that? Speakers that has been returned or got scratched up while they were making them? I can deal with a few scratches I want them for the sound and if I can save some money and get the speakers and receiver I want that is much more important. I am not sure what color I want, my room color is painted 4 feet up on the wall broncos orange then on top of that to the ceiling is painted a light gray, a 7 foot stripe from top to bottom where my 58" plasma will sitting painted broncos navy so I am thinking cherry it really does not matter to me, its my MANCAVE.  Once everyone hears the system I am sure there breath will be taken away and they won't be worried if they were cherry, black or pink. Does anyone think the 12D is overpowering for my size of room or should I just go with the 10D? Will the 12D really shake the pictures off the wall? I want to feel the movie as well as see it.

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Aperion 5T's, 5C, 10D, 4B satellite's
Onkyo TX-SR607
Panasonic Plasma 58"
Playstation 3 Blu-Ray
Direct TV HD DVR

Hey David,

A stock are "open box" which means they are the speakers returned within 30days. They are in new condition meaning there is nothing wrong no scratches or anything. You can find them under open box under the store tab. If the speakers are returned with even the smallest, and I mean truely the smallest scratch, they are bumped down to B stock. For B stock you have to call Aperion as they don't post their B stock inventory on the web. I did all my dealings with Jason hicks as did Dan. Tell him what you'd like and he'll look for them in the shop. He won't sell anything with big scratches but small things for 25% off are a crazy deal. You can look at the forum gallery tab to see the gloss black vs. the cherry. I love the cherry as the wood in fantastic. All my furniture is cherry so it was a no-brainier for me. I have the 8D which is plenty loud for a NYC apartment, but I think you can't go wrong with a 12D. Two 12inch speakers can push a lot of air. All their A and B stock items come with the full 10yr warranty. I am pretty sure they also come with the 30 day trial as well but the only downside is you can't use a promotion on top of the open box items. 

Jason 

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Speakers: Aperion 6T's, 6C, 4B's, and 8D
Receivers: Onkyo 805 and Pioneer SX-1050
DVD player: Oppo 981HD
TT: Pioneer PL-71
Amp Selector: Niles DPS-1

PJ:

If you want the 5B setup, go with the receiver, 2 5B's and the 12D to start with (2.1) setup.  Then add a center.  Then the surrounds.

As someone who doesn't have a center speaker at all (yet), I would say add the center last. My receiver mixes the center into the left/right perfectly fine and I have not missed it. On the other hand, I think I would really have missed the surrounds as the "ambiance" they add to movies is huge, at least for some of the movies that seem to take good advantage of them.

Just my marginally informed two cents.

Cheers!

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Speakers: Aperion 6T, 5DB, 6C, 12D
Receiver: Denon AVR-3808ci
Monitor: Panasonic TH-65PZ750U
DVD: Denon DVD-1920
Blu-ray: Playstation 3

Figured I'd piggy back on this thread, as I've a related question:

Planning to order up an Intimus 5.0 system (5's for the front three, 4's for surrounds), but am not sure on the sub.  I'm in a 10'x20' room, but the HT area is set off in one half of the room -- the TV and front three speakers are set close to a corner against a longer (20') wall so that they're facing a couch againt the opposite wall ten feet away -- so half of this long skinny room is not oriented toward the speakers (or TV).  However, I'm not really sure how this impacts my sub needs.

Anyways, I'm leaning toward something in the Bravus 10D department -- right size and price.  Any thoughts on how it might work in this arrangement?  Any thoughts on how it compares to the SVS SB12-Plus? (that's the other model on my shortlist).  Thanks for your advice.

Dan

These guys liked our 8D better than the SVS SB12-Plus.  Check it out:

http://www.bestcovery.com/node/9580

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

My room setup is not too dissimilar to your own.  I purchased the Aperion 8D to partner a pair of 5Ts and a 5C and, ultimately, ended up sending the subwoofer back.  The 8D just did not reach the depths of bass that I feel are required for accurate HT sound reproduction--as evidenced by the specs and the rather poor frequency response.  Multiple attempts at changing the room position of the sub did not improve the anemic bass.  This was considerably more acceptable for music that, often, does not reach as low frequency as your average action flick.  For it's size, it is undoubtedly impressive but that is, essentially, the only reason to go for the 8D. 

I ended up picking up an Outlaw LFM-1 Plus for the same price as the Aperion and it absolutely smoked the 8D in every department--with the exception of looks where it definitely loses out to the 8D. 

I never tried the larger Aperion subs but imagine that they offer a marked performance improvement over the 8D.  If I was in your position, I would look for a different sub or purchase the 10D at a minimum.  Keep in mind that unlike fronts and centers, subwoofers are far easier to integrate into a home theater setup regardless of brand. 

Hope this helps.