Hello everyone I am very new to the home theater thing but I've never been one to just buy something "blaaa" so after months of research and the ole wife approval :) I pulled the trigger on the following today:

And I just CAN'T WAIT to get them!

I still have not purchased the AV Receiver and so far I'm leaning towards an HK AVR 347... I've seen a lot of fuss over the new Onkyo box and almost pulled the trigger on that last week however I only have so much $ budgeted so I can't go that high end just yet.  Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Rob

Hi Rob, welcome to the forum.

Since you are going with high quality speakers, I would suggest buying an AVR that adequately supplies power to these Aperions and really brings out their sonic quality.

I think you will be happy with your choice in speakers.

With the HK 347 you will have no headroom and it’s power rating is only 55 WPC which is on the lowest end of recommended power for the Aperions.

I think you will be disappointed with the 55 W output. I would suggest at least 100 WPC. HK seems a bit pricey per Watt anyway.

That S-12 Sub would be a mismatch with the HK-347’s capability of driving the other speakers.

I have an Onkyo TX-SR805 with 130 WPC and use about 80% of its power when playing movies, less using other inputs but I have the headroom if I want to use it.  

Hello Jack, Thanks for the info.   That is the exact Onkyo that doesn't seem to be in stock like "anywhere" :)  I was also concerned about the low wattage and go figure... it was probably a blessing in disguise I went to buy the AVR 347 earlier today (before seeing your post) and it lept in price by $250 on amazon from $550 to $799.  

I'll definately be battling between that model Onkyo and a Pioneer Elite but overall the Onkyo seems like the biggest bang for the buck right now especially with the newest HDMI support and furthermore THX Ultra 2 cert at < $1000... is that for real?

I am a little confused about the power ratings on amps however... I have been reading that a lot of manufacturers will rate an amp at X Wattage / Channel but post that rating based on one channel's max load... one of the things I read about the HK's were that they were "high current" and that they rate their amps in a true per channel fashion... I'm very new to this and a lot of this stuff has been confusing especially with the vast variety of choices and every manufacturer seems to have some other bell and whistle feature that the others don't have etc etc to further make the choice harder...argh.

After reading your post I'm happy the price went up and I didn't make a mistake.
 

Hi Rob,

Looks like the new Onkyo’s are a bit hard to find. I am glad that I got my 805 and it is up and running.

2 Intimus 632’s front

1 532 center

2 534-SS surround

2 422 rear surround

It has a lot more clarity than my 4 year old Sony and a lot more individual speaker adjustments. For the price I think the 805 is a great purchase.

The sound fields give quite a variety of listening environments of which all I have enjoyed because of their different traits, although I have only scratched the surface.

About power?

I have read somewhere that in order to be THX certified the power ratings must be accurate. I think it was on the AVS forum. The 805 is THX ultra 2 certified.

I can tell you that this 805 pumps out clean power to all my speakers. My Sony STR-DE997 with 110 WPC would lack detail at about 85% of full volume. This 805 keeps going without distortion up to the point where I can’t take it anymore without ear protection. I tried that and only got to within 5 db of max output before my neighbor knocked on the door. Ok, it was just a test and he understood. He did wonder why I was wearing ear protection.

I like having a buffer zone where I can pass a Honda Civic super muffler doing 80 and pass him in 2 seconds.

You have a lot to choose from out there. I think you can do better than the HK.

Jack

Jack, done deal.   Thanks again for the detailed info.  That is quite a system you have there!

I looked this morning and found a Onkyo TX-SR805 at my local Circuit City instock and it's going to be waiting for me at lunch to pick up!  What you said makes perfect sense about the THX ratings, it is actually a rating that means something other than some of those other selling buzz words that really don't mean much after the purchase. 

As I said in my first post I really put a dent in the savings to get the speakers... the Onkyo is definately a bit more than I really wanted to spend overall but as I have NO receiver at all now it wouldn't make sense to pair up these speakers with some underpowered, underfeatured amp and then buy again shortly after...just pay for it up front.

Totally off topic but:

Funny how things work....

A few months ago my wife and I had no home theater save an old 16x9 HDTV (upgrade next year).... I buy her this Archos portable video player and it opened up a big can of worms... next thing I know I built this 2 terrabyte media center PC spent 2 months ripping movies to it..... then ... oh my... we need a sound system for all this! 

Next thing you know I am shopping for entry level speakers and while reading customer reviews on Amazon someone mentioned Aperion in the reviews... something along the lines of "If this tower were $300 it would be worth it... but at this price you would be much better suited to get an Aperion set of towers...." and I just stumbled onto Aperion by chance and now I'll have these speakers and a very capable THX Ultra 2 receiver.   My goodness, I didn't know speakers could be that beautiful, wife agrees.   I can't wait to see if they are that moving in person!   The center, sub, and surrounds arrive tomorrow!  Drool.  Then the towers are scheduled for Friday delivery, very impressed with how quickly Aperion works.  The human factor in their emails are very nice too instead of bla bla bla thank you for your order... they actually understand that you are EXCITED to get the end product, something like this is rare in this day and age.

My experience has been similar to yours Rob.  I got my HDTV two years ago and promised my wife I'd take my time in upgrading the rest of my equipment.  Well....two years passed and I finally said it's time.  I "stumbled" onto Aperion in a similar fashion as you did and can't be more pleased.  While waiting for the new line of Onkyos to arrive I auditioned a pair of 533-PT's which, while very good for music didn't really have the "punch" for my HT needs so off they went back to Aperion.  As I was very impressed by by the sound and build quality of the PT's the return was followed by an immediate order of the following:

533-T x2

533-VAC

534-SS x2

Outlaw LFM-1Plus Sub

Onkyo TX-SR805

I to had a budget...."had" being the operative word.  Initially I started looking at the entry level 5.1 speakers (Cambridge, Paradigm and several others) that are out there thinking I'd get by with $700-$900 plus another $500-$800 for the AVR.  Well, that $900 soon was at $1200 and climbing.  While not cheap, I think the Aperions sit in a real sweet spot where you get significantly more bang for the buck (and good looks to boot) over the lesser offerings while to get something just a little better you'd have to spend a lot more.  Luckily my wife has been very understanding regarding three things.  The "budget" only makes sense if you don't have to turn around in two years and upgrade what you bought the first round, 534-SS's look good mounted on our walls (much better than some plastic cubes or "contemporary" style with metal brackets and wires hanging out), and a big black subwoofer is acceptible (just as long as it's in a corner with a plant on top).  I would have really liked to go with the Aperion S-12, I'm sure it's a fine sub and would have matched the rest of the speakers but the sales price and reviews on the Outlaw was something I couldn't pass up....so I'll live with the black monolith.

Overall, though I doubled my original budget I'm exceptionally satisfied with my choices.  As you can see, the speakers are absolutely gorgeous (they are even better in person, perfect satin smooth cherrywood), they sound terrific, and Aperion's service has been everything I'd hoped for.  The Onkyo, while more expensive than I had originally intended also gives me everything I need.  Like Jack I've had mine running at insane volumes with absolutely terrific sound that'll knock your socks off and no distortion.  I spent almost an entire day playing old CD's of mine and the difference between this and my old system (Yamaha AVR and Polk speakers) is night and day and in a word spectacular.  BTW, I highly recommend that the first DVD you watch be Captain and Commander.  It'll demonstrate everything you need to know about your system in just the first 10 minutes. 

You're going to love your setup once you have it running...oh, and don't forget Aperion's upgrade policy.  If you decide you might like some 633-T's in the next year you get full credit for the purchase price of the 533-Ts you've got.  Maybe in a few months...after the credit card bill is paid....and my wife isn't looking.....hummmmmm.  I can just see it now...honey, is it just my imagination or have our speakers grown some? 

You are smack on kjmason, very similar!  Only thing is my TV is from circa 2000 so I'm so in the doghouse getting an upgrade on that for some time.... no DVI or HDMI inputs heheh.  So the upconverting I can not enjoy until the TV is upgraded next year.... nothing but Kitchenaid Mixers, plates, pots & pans, and jewelry for me until then LOL!!!!

I am very glad my wife is like your's, she is actually the one who talked me out of the Polk when she saw me starting to cave towards buying those instead of the Aperions... she said to me (and it was quite wise because she is 11 years younger than me) "If you can save that $400 on buying the Polk... are you going to feel like you wished you spent that $400 in 2 months????"  I was saved.  All that anxiety leading up to pushing that checkout button was relieved in one sentence. 

I hear you about the upgrade within a year too, that's the main reason I bought the 12" up-front because you can't upgrade the subs hehe... I did want the 633-T towers :)  But hey if these 533T's do the job I think I'll be quite happy... if it ain't broke....

Soooo off to Circuit City I went at lunch riding this HIGH of customer service from Aperion.... 2 boxes are ALREADY at my house (per a call from the Mrs.) and I ordered yesterday!  I get to Circuit City to pick up my web-order and do a little browsing hoping to find some decent speaker stands... I pass by probably 12 employees in the process all doing their own thing... one guy was jamming out to Anthrax and it sounded like crud on the speakers he was listening to... but I digress... my thought was not one single person even said "can I help you?", Not one.   So I grab my bud from work and head over to the customer merch pickup area and the same guy is standing there waiting that was there when we walked in!  I ask him if he's been helped yet... he says "One guy went to get my TV, he never came back, another kid went in to find him..."   20 minutes later his TV rolls up.   I'm fuming mad at this point, but "hey" the TX-SR805 is waiting for me somewhere and ya can't find it online anywhere so shut up Rob and wait I'm thinking.... then finally a big fat lady walks around doesn't even look at me and says "Are you next?"   I swallow my pride and say yes.... Don't even tell me it's not instock.   Another guy comes strolling up with my Onk and I just didn't care anymore ...put it in my truck!   Then the lady behind me starts screaming about her 1year extended warranty not being honored!  I'm like Wait I just paid for a 3 year Extended warranty!  Damn... Customer Service is just NON-EXISTENT at these places.

The guy plops my receiver in my truck... no "Thanks for Shopping at Circuit City", no "Thanks for spending $1000."  Just a PLOP and cya.

Most people would just call this whining on my part... but shouldn't you EXPECT to at least be looked at IN THE EYE when you hand over $1000???

I felt like I bought a bag of cow manure.  I swear if it wasn't so hard to get one of these now I would have walked.

Anyhow can't wait to set it all up on Friday! 

Keep on rockin.

I will not deal with CC or BB for the reasons you sited. They act like they are doing you a favor by taking your money and resent your cutting into their BS time. At least when you buy online you don’t expect a hug or a handshake.

I bought my 805 from Jr.com. Before I even got the thing I had 3 e-mails thanking me for the purchase, e-mail receipt, order confirmation and tracking.

Rest assured you did not buy a bag of cow pies. You bought one hot, heavy and great sounding AVR that will make your Aperion’s sing.

Jack

Pretty sad when a company that has the face-to-face opportunity to treat you like a valued customer instead gets beat out by a mail-order company. 

Here's an idea for you Rob.  Set up the 805 you got from CC.  Order another from J&R (currently $899 but out of stock).  When the J&R one comes in return the other to CC (tell them the blue light clashes with your pillows or something) and then, after you have your money back in hand write to the CC regional manager and tell him what you did and why.  You might enjoy that almost as much as you'll enjoy your new 805 and speakers, I know I would.

You hit the nail on the head....hehehehe that's exactly what I was telling my co-worker today!!! I'll use this sucker long enough to take it back after getting it online. :)

When I unpacked the 805 I couldn't believe what a beast it was... the pictures didn't do it justice.  Worth every penny.

OMG does this sound great!  It took me a while to tweak the sub so it wasn't overwhelming ... found a nice balance.   I can't wait to receive the towers on Friday to see if they fill some midrange.    Right now I'm just using the 532's as the fronts and the center channel but omg I never dreamed these bookshelf speakers would sing like this.

My mother had our 2 kids today and when she returned I was watching the opening scene in Blade... the part with the techno club.... the bass was kicking...both her hands were over her ears LOL!!!
 

They are so beautiful.
 

Congrats on the purchase! I got my setup last week but am waiting for a stand for the 634VAC so it does not sound right just yet. Also waiting for that warmth I keep hearing about in the mid range to start showing through after burn-in. Very happy with the rig though, excellent detail and imaging. Seems to be a bit of a dip in the 30-40hz range but I'm still testing and adjusting. The speakers seem to be very revealing and/or unforgivving of poor recordings.

 The opening scene of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith is spectacular!

Thanks! Tomorrow is the big day.... 533-T's in the house :)

I so want to skip work.

One thing my wife and I both noticed is that we need to get the center channel down lower... we have one of those 16x9 TV ent centers that have a cabinet on each side of the tv with a shelf unit that goes over the top of the TV... the center is sitting there now.   Since my TV is quite old it's not on a stand... so I'm looking for a good center channel stand to place in front of the TV... does that sound feasible?

Hey Rob,

I would first try angling the 533-VAC down to the listening area, which can give acceptable results. I have my center on the bottom shelf of my TV stand and it is angled up which gives good results.

You may not like the appearance of the Center sitting on a stand in front of the TV.

Jack

I'll give that a go Jack, (agreed on the looks dept too.)  Thanks.

I will be resetting everything up today all my audio cabling will be delivered today so I can put all the components where I want them nicely... and of course the biggest delivery I've been waiting for the pair of 533-T :)

Once I have it all setup I'll pop off a pic :)