I normally won't buy any audio without being able to audition the product. But because that was impossible with Aperion and because of the liberal return policy, I decided to order. But I always thought I would return it because lately, I usually wind up disappointed with the products that I buy. I ordered only the Center to see how it would sound with my classic DCM Time Windows as my fronts.

I purposely ordered within a timeframe so that the speaker would show up on my day off. As I tracked the delivery during the week, I thought there was no way it would show up on time. But it showed up exactly as promised (the delivery truck must have been driven 24 hours a day unless it actually shipped some of the way by air).

It was packed beautifully. I can't believe the speaker came wrapped with a fancy soft cloth bag. I feel guilty not finding another use for that bag - I think maybe my daughter should make a dress out of it. And it came with a large cleaning cloth which I now use to clean my TV screen. The finish was absolutely perfect and furniture grade. It's a shame this is going into a cabinet where you can't see how beautiful this speaker is. Hmm...no excuse to send it back yet.

So I hook it up to my Pioneer SC55 receiver and run the MCACC and start playing movie segments and multi-track audio. Sounds pretty fine! And it sounds remarkably good with my DCM Time Windows. Not exactly the same....but close enough for music and extremely close for TV/movies where it's mostly dialogue in the center. It sometimes exhibits a slight bit of tubbiness, but that probably has more to do with the source audio and cabinet that it's in than the speaker itself. Most of the time I hear crisp, clean, but fully resonant dialogue that sounds like I'm listening to the live recording session on a near field monitor. So far, I've been really enjoying this extra channel of sound and the Aperion has given me nothing to complain about. So...did it blow me away by being the greatest audio I've ever heard? No. But do I expect to find anything better in its price range? Pretty slim chance. And of course, I kept it....because it puts a smile on my face when I listen to it.

So now I have to deal with the surrounds. So do I keep the DCM Time Windows in the front and buy new surrounds or do I use the Time Windows as surrounds and buy new fronts? One of the Aperion managers spends time on some online forums where I posted this exact question. And he wrote that I should keep the Time Windows in the front (in spite of the fact that Aperion would make more money if I bought new fronts instead of buying new surrounds). So that really gives me a lot of confidence in the honesty and credibility of Aperion. While every company wants to make the most money it can, it leads me to believe that these are true audio guys (and gals) at heart and what they're into most is spreading the gospel of great audio. These are the kinds of people I don't mind sending my money to.

Intro:
I had been running the Verus Forte Center for about a month before deciding to upgrade to the Verus Grand Center. The VFC was a very competent little center channel that really did a great job and enhanced my listening experience. But it is nothing compared to the Verus Grand Center!

Setup:
Currently, I’m running a pair of Verus Grand Bookshelves as my main left and right speakers in my living room. I have them paired with a HSU VTF-15H subwoofer for the low end (crossed over at 80hz) and these are mated to a Marantz 6005 receiver. My listening area is about 13ft by 13ft, but the room is about 21 feet long by 13 feet wide. The VGC is added to this, and crossed over at 80hz as well.

Listening Impressions:
I pulled the Verus Forte Center out of my entertainment center and politely thanked it for its role in providing a great music and movie experience for the last month. Then I unpacked the Verus Grand Center and hooked it up to my system. I did a quick level calibration with my SPL meter to make sure that things were set right and then sat down for a listen. I was shocked. The VGC sounded way better right out of the box than the VFC sounded after over 100 hours of break-in! It sounded much bigger, voices were more natural, and somehow my sub seemed to blend much more seamlessly with my entire system!

With a center as big as the VGC, it shouldn’t surprise me that it sounds big as well! All of the music and movies that I watch really sound like they are right there in the room with me, it’s pretty amazing!

The VGC really presents clean and natural sounding vocals and dialogue as well. With music, it often sounds as if the singer is right there in the room with me! Dialogue in movies is superb as well, and it is very rare now that I miss something that is said and have to rewind.

The coolest thing that I noticed with the VGC was how it seemed to allow my subwoofer to blend better with the rest of my system. I don’t completely understand how it accomplished this, but I didn’t change any other settings in my receiver, I just adjusted the volume of the center with my SPL meter to make sure that it matched the rest of the speakers. Anyway, kick drums and other bass notes sounded much more grounded in the center of my soundstage than they ever had before. My sub is located near my right speaker, so oftentimes I was hearing low notes and instruments from the right side of the room instead of in the center where they should have been. After adding the VGC, those low sounds are now very well grounded in the center where they should be, and sometimes even to the left of the center if the music called for it!

I think it goes without saying that the clarity and detail that the VGC provides is beyond my expectations. There really is no flaw with this center speaker!

Conclusion:
If you are looking for the ultimate home theater experience, the Verus Grand Center should be on your shopping list. There are no shortcomings with this speaker in my opinion. It sounds big, clean, detailed, and I am utterly amazed at what it has done to improve my home theater system. If you have the cash, don’t stop at the Verus Forte Center, get this guy! Well done Aperion!

I got the Verus Grand Center along with 2x Verus Grand Bookshelves and an SVS sub to make a 3.1 system for our living room. Looks really counted given that it was in such a public room and it came down to the Aperion Verus' and B&W CM series for more than 2x the cost. I am so glad I gave the Aperion's a shot because not only do they look just as good as the B&W's but they sound better!

In particular this is due to the Verus Grand Center. The finish is amazing. The lines are beautiful. And the sound is incredibly crisp and clear. My parents were in town this weekend and were incredibly impressed with the clarity of dialogue from Hugo (and they are coming from a very high-end M&K system which they bought primarily because of the center channel). I actually like the size of it too - it gives a commanding presence but because of the rounded lines looks more like a piece of furniture than another boxy speaker.

Overall my new speakers have been a huge hit, but the Verus Grand Center has been the definite highlight of all the components.

After auditioning my Verus Grand Tower (VGT) speakers and seeing how amazing they sounded, I decided to order the Verus Grand Center (VGC) speaker simply out of curiosity to see if it was as every bit great as the towers. Also, my current Infinity center channel sounded so anemic when sounds would transition between the VGTs and my center...totally distracting!!

When I got my package, I was utterly surprised at the size of the box. The VGC also came wrapped in velvet, gorgeous piano black finish, and this thing is heavy!! The design of it is also magnificent!! Same curves as the VGTs; just a beautiful piece. My only regret is that its huge... It does not fit in front of my big screen on the TV stand. Did I say its HUGE!!

So I just placed it on a couple of speaker stands I had from my previous Infinity speaker set; I really need to find a permanent solution, somewhere to put it, I may have to buy a new TV stand/cabinet all together. sigh

I decided to played some music through it first. I was utterly surprised at how great it sounded!! It was very similar to the VGT, but with slightly less bass, but still bounds and leaps above my old Infinity center which compared to the VGC sounds hollow and tinny. Music sounded great through the VGC...typically, center channels do not handle music well in terms of the full dynamic range of music; the VGC did amazing!!!

When I watched a few movies through it, one was Cowboys and Aliens, the voices sounded natural and authentic; had weight behind the voice...unlike with my previous speaker it sounded small even though it had two 5.25 drivers. For the first time, the action sounds coming from the speakers (VGT and VGC) had me jumping out of my seat!!!! Totally adds a new dimension to movie watching!!

I was so impressed with the Verus Grand Center that I just couldn't wait and ordered a set of Verus Surround speakers...

I highly recommend the Verus Grand Center channel speaker, but be forewarned, its huge!!!
Although, I now see, with size, comes great sound... :P

Starting out with only thoughts of making sure I upgrade to a timbre matched center I didn’t think much about it. I figured that if the new VG center was as good as the 6C I would be more than happy with it.

The new Verus Grand Center has the same beautiful shape and lines of the rest of the Verus line. The one new functional use for the shape of the VGC is the ability to angle the speaker for optional positioning. The included feet allowing you to angle up or down for matching your listening position and placement.

After doing a large majority of my listening just on the VGTs I decided to make sure to do some VGC listening. At first I didn’t hear any major differences between 6C and the VGC. I started with an A/B comparison between the 6C and the VGC. This really pointed out a few major differences to me.

The VGC really benefits from the new Aperion tweeter. Dialog is very detailed and accurate. I found that it presents no listening fatigue at all. The mids definitely benefit from the new tweeter and mid driver. I feel that the mids are now more open and less congested.

When presented with complex passages with dialog and special effects the VGT presents every detail without effort. This was a very welcome addition to my movie watching experience. --- Now to upgrade my surrounds.

Aperion offers yet another wonderful product at an affordable price. The new Verus line will definitely be in my home for some time.