Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

[MarkICAN]

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers



Over the last three weeks I’ve been trying out the new Aperion Audio theatrus T80s. Prior to my current set up we had Aperion speakers. So when news of the new Theatrus line was announced I got curious...especially with some of the novel features: specifically being able to switch between free field/AT screen and the on/in-wall option. 

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

The speakers showed up three days after placing the order. Got them installed quickly and began the process of trying them out. Took my current MultEQ-X profile and re-ran the three front speakers, also did a quick EQ. Pretty impressive out of the box!. However, it became immediately apparent that there was some localization happening.





Obviously every space is going to be different and mine certainly is. Having them sitting on the deck wasn’t right so I made some temporary stands. Bringing all three tweeters into the same plane. Completely changed the way it sounded (for the better!)

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Before I get into all of the positives I’ll point out the only real negative we found. May not be a big deal to you. With the center speaker flipped on its side It displayed poor off axis response . Long story short, did some measurements. 10 feet back from the center speaker, 40 inches out to the left or right led to a -4DB to -5DB drop. Most notably in blocks from 3k to 6K and 4k to 8K. I bring this up because that’s narrow (at least in my opinion). This is an attribute of the AMT Ribbon tweeter I believe. If you plan on placing it underneath let’s say a TV on its side, sitting directly in the middle may be acceptable.. Add more seating and it probably will make a difference. Again this is my opinion, and in my theatre.




Flipped the center speaker back into its upright position, centered the tweeter. Obviously this pushes the speaker to one side, I found no audible difference in doing this. Also they’re all behind the screens, so it doesn’t really matter how it looks. Remeasured center at 11 1/2 feet, gain at 80DB now measures past 40 inches in both directions while staying at 80DB.




I have spoken with Dallas from Aperion about this. The size and depth may be different though the Theatrus Speaker Line, however the bezel that holds the tweeter and soft-dome mid-range drivers is the same. My immediate thought was: why not offer a version with the AMT ribbon tweeter flipped? That way if you needed the speaker on its side one would get the full dispersion. Maybe soon?

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Next my buddy Paul came over to help set up a series of profiles with the speakers at different heights, different orientations. The nice thing about this approach is that we were able to test them on the deck, 3”, 5” and 8” up. Tweeters oriented inwards VS outward. Having them facing straight VS toe-in (all in a single afternoon). In the end it sounded amazing with the speakers on 8 inch stands, Twitter/mid range array outwards and toed-in.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Once the right height and orientation had been figured out, Paul helped with finalizing the toe-in. We got it spot on: 80DB across both main seats, about 80 inches. Directly in between the two main seats is center of my system. So whether you’re sitting in the left or right seat it sounds the same. Also if you’re in either seat you can hear the opposing speaker quite clearly. I used to get this level of quality before but not to this degree. Both with music and movies. I’m sure a big part of that is having a silk dome tweeters and wave guide versus the design of these speakers. So in my particular situation these perform better in the overall seat to seat consistency. While maintaining a massive soundstage!

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Sound


At this point I’ve had four friends come over to do an A-B test, with my current set up and the Aperion Theatrus T80’s. Two of these friends aren’t in the sound industry, Mike owns Concord Car Stereo, is also a 2 channel enthusiast. John Dewey, owns HIGH PERFORMANCE A / V.




All four of them said the same things. Obviously in different ways, however there was an unanimous consensus. A larger soundstage and more cohesive across the soundstage. More detail, especially in the mid/higher frequencies. Dialogue was clearer. When John was done listening to both, he said it was like a veil had been lifted. Actually both John and Mike had a lot more to say about subtle details. In the end all four (and myself) feel the T80’S are considerably better. Obviously this is in my space, every room is different. I paid for the speakers and plan on keeping them now. As many of you know the home theater hobby soon reaches a point of diminishing return. After ordering these speakers I figured they could or would be better in some areas. However in this space they make a big difference. I’m pleasantly surprised!




Auto correction and EQ-calibration


Using Audyssy’s MulEQ-X (with a lot of trial and error) has become a great tool. I get great results from it. Again though trial and error now use the same 12 mic pattern. I also liked the fact that it can be used in conjunction with REW. I typically run a five mic average using a mic jig, so the microphone is always in the same positions. EQ it in REW, then dump the file back into MultEQ-X and re-verify. Always leave any of the changes as "Reference Only". This way you can toggle back-and-forth making sure there’s nothing off. I bring the aforementioned calibration process up because we’re able to get repeatable and consistent results, not because I think it will work for everyone.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

One thing I did notice right off the bat was these speakers seem quite agreeable at taking whatever you throw at them. Screenshot below shows 5 mic pattern after multEQ-X.  I’m sure if you’re using Dirac or any of the other auto corrections you’d get the same if not better results.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Five mic average after multEQ-X, Would have stacked on top of each other if I had played around with the gains a little bit.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Here’s a quick before and after, with my normal amount of EQ using REW. Typically 5 to 7 Q’s. I find this gives the best overall results.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Just for the fun of it I did something I wouldn’t recommend, however it showed that these speakers can easily be calibrated (may or may not be important to you). We started off by increasing the amount that REW would EQ. Then spent about an hour working on all three speakers adding a few more and playing around with the gains.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

As stated before I am extremely happy and plan on replacing the rest of my speakers with the T65s. The full-size ones will certainly fit as rears. I need to talk with Dallas and see if I can get a slim and also in wall version of the T65s to test. This is what I would use for the side surrounds, maybe?

[David Vaughn]

Awesome recap and extremely well done. I love your mic setup...did you make that yourself?

[Paul Heroy]

Nice stuff, Mark.

The orientation issue was one of the first things I wondered about with the AMTs there, so it was nice to see you experiment and confirm what anyone with familiarity with them would expect. And given that it seems a bit odd that Aperion didn't plan for that right off the bat and offer a C speaker with a rotated AMT option. I see that they have Slim & In-Wall versions though.

I'm also curious about the spec sheet. 94 dB is pretty efficient so it's surprising to see the power recommendation start at 350 watts. You didn't mention amp details but I'm guessing you aren't running that much to them. 

Anyway, looks like a very nice setup and you have the ability to set them up properly so a very good match - enjoy!

[MarkICAN]

Awesome recap and extremely well done. I love your mic setup...did you make that yourself?

Yes sir, funny you ask I was just talking to Craig about that.  I have a few. The one you see matches my current mic position for MultEQ-X. Specifically position 1, 2 and 6, Basically exactly where the Audyssey mic gets placed. The outer two are directly in between 3, 4 and 5. And most important, at least I have found that they are approximately if not exactly the same height I do my MultEQ-X measurement.

[David Vaughn]

Yes sir, funny you ask I was just talking to Craig about that.  I have a few. The one you see matches my current mic position for MultEQ-X. Specifically position 1, 2 and 6, Basically exactly where the Audyssey mic gets placed. The outer two are directly in between 3, 4 and 5. And most important, at least I have found that they are approximately if not exactly the same height I do my MultEQ-X measurement.

Mark,

Is that copper wire that's used to hold the mic with electrical tape at the top? Had to tell from the picture. It's freaking ingenious though...would love to see a bunch of closeups and how you determined where to place each of the mic positions. 

[MarkICAN]

Nice stuff, Mark.

The orientation issue was one of the first things I wondered about with the AMTs there, so it was nice to see you experiment and confirm what anyone with familiarity with them would expect. And given that it seems a bit odd that Aperion didn't plan for that right off the bat and offer a C speaker with a rotated AMT option. I see that they have Slim & In-Wall versions though.

I'm also curious about the spec sheet. 94 dB is pretty efficient so it's surprising to see the power recommendation start at 350 watts. You didn't mention amp details but I'm guessing you aren't running that much to them.

Anyway, looks like a very nice setup and you have the ability to set them up properly so a very good match - enjoy!

Before I purchased these I had been talking to Dallas for a few months about getting for some kind of spec sheet with measurements. Long story short never got them and just decided to get the speakers with the understanding that I could return them without paying the 10% re-shelving fee. your statement is exactly what a few other friends of mine thought would happen in regards to the AMT Twitter, flipping the speaker on its side.

I am currently running monolith seven channel amp 300w at 4ohms. Although I have an order in for two new amps One of which will produce 500W.

I will say the speakers play really loud. Obviously we’ve pushed them to where it’s uncomfortable.
I bring this up because at normal to mid/high levels there’s no distortion, burst's to 103db. So when I get the new amps in. I plan on doing some more tests. To see if burst past 105 are cleaner sounding?

[MarkICAN]

Mark,

Is that copper wire that's used to hold the mic with electrical tape at the top? Had to tell from the picture. It's freaking ingenious though...would love to see a bunch of closeups and how you determined where to place each of the mic positions.

Funny you spotted that. I have a shop with tons of supplies for working on my car’s. Stock metal, and all that good stuff. I had been racking my brain for some time when I happened to walk by the remains of some very thick grounding wire from a project we had done. thought I’d have a go at it. Pulled it out, cut a 2 foot piece, and went at it with a set of pliers and Channel locks. I spent probably half an hour on the first one figuring out what worked and didn’t. Once I got it right. 2 to 5 minutes to make one now. I have A few now.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

[David Vaughn]

Funny you spotted that. I have a shop with tons of supplies for working on my car’s. Stock metal, and all that good stuff. I had been racking my brain for some time when I happened to walk by the remains of some very thick grounding wire from a project we had done. thought I’d have a go at it. Pulled it out, cut a 2 foot piece, and went at it with a set of pliers and Channel locks. I spent probably half an hour on the first one figuring out what worked and didn’t. Once I got it right. 2 to 5 minutes to make one now. I have A few now.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

You may have given me a winter project to work on. I commend you on your ingenuity! 

[MarkICAN]

Round Two

This is not so much a review but the process of getting the whole system set in place. If you’re starting from scratch or have a dedicated space, I think the Theatrus speaker line is well worth looking into. With two sizes, both normal and slim. And now in wall versions.

4 more speakers, Aperion Audio Theatrus T65. Two full size for the rears, two slims for the side surrounds. Over the last weeks, we’ve spent quite a bit of time with them. My hope in doing so was to find out if they would perform as well as the T80’s. Also, would they be a permanent fixture?

Aperion Audio Theatrus T65

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus T65S Slim

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Entering into this new speaker journey, I had an ulterior motive. Side speakers in my particular space are difficult to say the least. To my right is a wall that’s rather close. A huge wall of glass with a fireplace parked in the middle of it on the left. A bit off topic, I’ve wanted to demo the fireplace that was added on before we bought the house, bringing it back flush. Also, if I could get the locations right along with taking advantage of the Theatrus speaker features. I may be able to recess the side surrounds. That was the hope and in the end what worked out.

As mentioned before, these speakers can be moody when trying to find their optimal position. At least in my space this was time consuming. I’m not suggesting this is good or bad, all speakers require proper placement. And yes, I suspected this would be the case. Everything we discovered about the T80s obviously applies to the entire Theatrus speaker line. It’s only real Achilles’ heel, in my opinion, is the AMT tweeter. Wanting to be on axis vertically for the best result. So if you plan on throwing them up on a wall 3 feet above your head and not angling them correctly, one might be ok with it. However, if you get them just right it will completely change the entire experience for the better.

A good example of this is in the new Batman movie. The Bat-mobile has an evil growl now throughout the entire chase scene. Also, his supercharger has a high pitch whine that pops in and out throughout the full case scene. This is one of the things we all noticed during the A B test. Right before the chase scene as the gun battle erupts. Gordon pulls up and ducks behind his door. There’s shards of flying glass that can clearly be heard. With seven Theatrus speakers, it’s not just coming from the front, but also the side surrounds. From 1:16:10 to 1:25:00  is one piece of content we used for the initial A B test. Mike called this the carnival scene. And as mentioned before, both types of speakers sounded great. However, the T80s were able to produce considerably more information. Now in the Batman carnival scans with 7 Theatrus speakers, is much more explosive. better cohesion, even more detail, especially in the mid/higher frequencies. Sounds fantastic!

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

At 1:21- when the Penguin shoots at the bat-mobiles bulletproof window. During the A B test, you could hear the glass shattering. However, the T80s sounded much cleaner, like actual glass shattering and flying around. Whereas the other speakers sounded anemic.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Rear Speakers T65’s

Paul and I spent a day experimenting with a myriad of different distances, widths, and heights. The picture below is actually two boxes with wood underneath. The same time and care went into this process, as was spent on the T80s. We found having the base at about 35 inches, 7 feet back, 7 feet apart and toed-in. Worked best for my space.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

I put together some new stands. Obviously they’re not finished yet. With a temporary screw in the middle of the column. The idea was getting them into their final toe-in position. Same process used on the front speakers. Blocks of pink random, slowly rotate the column until you find the widest 80db spread. This last little step definitely makes a noticeable difference.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Side Surround T65S Slims

Unlike the front and rear speakers, it took quite a bit more time. Below is the best location for my space. The speaker is directly in between the front and rears. Just forward enough not to block anybody sitting on the couch. Lines up perfectly with a space that could be made in the fireplace. And you’ll see later, the same height as the rears. However, just to be sure, I tried a bunch of other locations.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

The fireplace is a perfect example of why I wanted to try these speakers. Move the jumpers too in wall and AT screen. Or in my case, behind a curtain.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Recessing the right surround speaker was fairly straightforward. Designed so the speaker so it could be upright or on its side with filler pieces added in either direction.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

AMT Tweeter

AMT tweeter Rotate was something that had been talked about previously. So I figured why not have a go at it. Pretty straightforward project, remove the billet plate. After flipping it over, turns out the tweeter is held in by four screws in a perfect pattern. Meaning it’s ready to be rotated. However the opening is not wide enough.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Enlarged the opening to fit and put everything back together.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

We haven’t done any actual testing to see what happens when the tweeter is flipped. Just listening, enjoying and quite pleased. I re-ran that speaker through multEQ-X and did a five mic average. Below is the speaker in its original upright config. Also with the tweeter flipped, speaker on its side. There is something going on there. However, it sounds fantastic and I can’t hear any change. I plan on putting the modified tweeter/bezel into one of the T80s and do some real tests/measurements. Please note surround right speaker is 5DB lower because of its location. Thus the strange looking drop from 50hz.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Flipped Twitter Before and After EQ

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

After a week of heavy use, I made a few final changes. Raised the left surround up, flipped it on its side. Also raised the right surround about 4 inches, Slight angled down and toed-in. Had not planned it this way, now the tops of all four speakers are the same.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

With everything in place, set up a new profile in MultEQ–X. Ran my normal 12 Mic position. Did a five mic average using the mic jig. EQ’d it in REW, then dumped the files back into MultEQ-X and re-verify. The results speak for themselves. left surround speaker is recessed and behind a curtain. The purple line on top that MultEQ-X has done its thing too, right below has been EQ’d. Once again, I’m quite surprised with their ability at taking Auto Correction and to be EQd. It feels like cheating if you use psychoacoustic smoothing. That’s why the 1/48th.

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

Aperion Audio Theatrus Speakers

In the end, I am very happy. Two friends that helped with the original A B test have been back. Same comments as before except times seven.