Aerial Acoustics Model 10 T Floorstanding Speakers

Aerial Acoustics Model 10 T Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

10.75in woofer, 5 3/8 kevlar mid, 1in titanium tweeter

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 44  
[Mar 19, 2012]
George vee
AudioPhile

Absolutly one of best overall sound speaker I've experiance with. Great soundstage, uncolor & good dynamic bass.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 25, 2011]
kevin
AudioPhile

Best speakers I have owned in my 25 plus years in the audio game

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 17, 2002]
Neal Hennessy
AudioPhile

Strength:

Dynamic range, full range, well balanced. No glaring colorations, excellent imaging. A true all rounder at a reasonable price.

Weakness:

No glaring weaknesses. Does need a 200 wpc amp, and like any true high end speaker will reveal the shortcomings of upstream components, and bad recordings.

I bought these babies in 1996 and have not looked back. They were the first affordable speaker system I heard that could deliver the entire high end package: dymanics imaging, lifelike presence, high frequeny nuances, and realistic bass. A true bargain then and even now. They have been flawlessly reliable in the six years I have owned them, and I feel no compelling need to upgrade then anytime soon. Are there speakers out there that will deliver more of the high end? Probably, but they will probably cost more and may favor one part of the frequency spectrum over the other. I have yet to hear anything really blow these speakers away, and in most real world environments ( I'm talking normal sized living/ listening rooms here), they will perform just about as well as anything. System: VPI HW 19 Mk4 Cardas Heart Ruby Phone Cart Fidelity Research FR=64s Tonearm XLO 3.1 Sig Phono Cable Vibraplane Phone Isolation Plat Audio Research CD-1 Sony DVD-9000-ES SACD/DVD Play Audible Illusions Modulus 3a Pre-amp w Gold MC Phono board Nordost SPM interconnects 2 Bel 1001's Mk3 200 wpc amps Nordost SPM speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan Sequels Rogers LS3/5A's

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 17, 2002]
wcbonzo
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Natural Sweet Highs, clear natural mids, warm natural articulate lows, Beautiful Appearence

Weakness:

Can sound boomy if they are positioned to close (less than 2 or 3 feet) to a wall, need a lot of power to really sing.

I love these speakers so much I am buying another pair to join the 10T''s CC5 and SR3''s I already own. I auditioned many speakers in the several months I spent auditioning speakers before deciding on the Aerials. To my ears the Aerials sounded the most natural, authentic and pleasing. Being a drummer it is important to me that instruments (drums in particular) sound accurate. I found many other high-end speakers to sound bright, harsh and clinical to me. The 10T''s sounded warm and made we want to continue listening. I never feel fatiqued after listening to my 10T''s like I did after a short time with some other speakers. Appearence: I have the Rose Walnut and I find them to look absolutly beautiful. Bottom Line for me is I couldn''t be happier with my 10T''s.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned B @ W, Sonus Farber, Martin Logan, Revel, Paradigm, Wilson, and many others I can''t recall at the moment. Own Klipsch Chorus and Boston Acoustic VR 965''s

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 18, 2002]
cmjohnson
AudioPhile

Strength:

These speakers are exceptionally smooth and well balanced and no part of their performance stands out against any other, except that the bass performance does stand out only because people aren''t used to hearing bass that''s so tight and goes so deep with such power...not even with subwoofers. I have a sub that hits harder, with a kilowatt of power driving it, but the sub can''t go as deep or stay as pure as the 10T''s do all by themselves. If anyone is getting boomy bass out of these, the last thing they should blame is the speakers themselves. It''s something else that''s booming. The recording. The source electronics. The preamp, the power amp, the placement in the room. Not the speakers. No way. These are the speakers that completely satisfied my audiophile''s urge to keep upgrading. I haven''t had any slightest desire to get better speakers in the (roughly) five years I''ve had them and don''t expect that I''ll ever want to. I auditioned a pair of JMLab Utopias, driven by Rowland electronics with a Theta DaViD source, and those speakers cost four times what the 10T''s do but didn''t deliver half the performance. Utopias sound nasal and t

Weakness:

Weaknesses? Gee, I can''t really think of any. They''re incredible speakers that just sound like music...all the music. They''re not so clinical and sterile that you can''t enjoy your rock on them, but they''re naturally detailed and revealing in a way that lets you get into the center of the music you''re listening to. They''re fairly large, fairly heavy, and need a fairly beefy power amp to get the best out of them, but if you can provide 200 watts per channel to them, you''ve got enough.

These speakers were, to me, love at first note. Several million notes later, it''s still love. I first heard them...this exact pair...in the local high end shop (now closed, dangit!) and knew that I''d have a pair someday. About a year later I met the guy who bought that pair...and later he offered them to me. At the price he asked, I could just manage it...so I sold everything I could bear to part with and never regretted it. 2700 bucks with stands? Of course I bought them! (Current retail, 7700 dollars with stands, in black ash like mine) I power these Aerials with a pair of Krell KMA-160 monoblocks, which deliver up to 240 watts RMS into 8 ohm speakers, and double into four ohms and double again into two. These amps ARE big enough and authoritative enough to take 10T''s to LOUD levels. I have never pushed these very strong amps to the point of audible distortion with these speakers, but I''ve had them loud enough that it wasn''t fun to listen to any length of time, and that''s with much less available power than10T''s are capable of handling. (MIchael Kelly, their designer, says they''ll handle a Krell FPB-600, which can deliver about 950 watts per channel into 8 ohm speakers.

Similar Products Used:

I''ve listened to lots of different speakers. I didn''t want to own them. 10T''s are the only ''high end'' speakers I''ve ever wanted to take home that I was able to afford, and that was from the

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 13, 2002]
Neal Hennessy
AudioPhile

Strength:

Tonal balance, panoramic imaging, dynamic range, deep bass.

Weakness:

none

When I first heard these speakers, I said these were the first "great" speakers I''ve ever heard that were priced at an affordable level. Obviously, since then many other speakers have come down the pike that can offer a blend of strengths similar to the Aedrial''s. But I don''t think I ''ll ever trade mine in. Why? Even to this day I''ve heard few if any speakers that clearly best the sound these babies produce. Sure the Avalon Eidelons are better, but they would require me to pony up $25k or more to get a marginally better sound. The big dunlavy''s (The Temptations), or any of the other super speakers are( truth to be told) simply too big for the average audiophile''s living room. The standing waves these kind of systems generate will make them a poor match for all but the most well heeled audiophile who can afford the room they require to sound their best. The Aerial''s are simply one of the best real world speakers an audiophile can buy. Related Equipment: VPI HW-19 Mk 4 turntable Fidelity Research FR-64s tonearm Cardas Heart Ruby Phone Cartridge Manual Vibraplane XLO 3.1 Signature Phone Cable Audible Illusions Modulus 3a Pre-amp (2) Bel 1001 Mark 3 Amplifiers Nordost SPM Interconnects throughout Audio Reasarch CD-1 CD player Sony DV-9000-S SACD/Progesssive scan DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan Sequels, Rogers LS3/5a''s

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 11, 2002]
dancarne
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sound & bass extension

Weakness:

Appearance of tweeter/mid cabinet.

I auditioned these speakers at StereoDesign in San Diego while on vacation. These are perhaps the best speakers that I have heard yet. The sound and imaging are exquisite. If I had that type of money I would SERIOUSLY consider buying a pair. They are definitely worth auditioning if you like clear mid and highs and tight bass. I couldn''t find anything not to like sonically. They have the deepest bass I have ever heard -- even deeper than my subwoofer. And it wasn''t the BOOM/BOOM/whappah, bam type of bass. It was just clear, tight extension that revealed that there really was music in my recordings that low. Also, I kept saying to my sister who went along, "I''ve NEVER heard that in the recording before and I have a really good system."

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan, Vandersteen

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
2
[Feb 26, 2001]
Mark Surles
Audiophile

Strength:

punchy, exciting, natural sounding

Weakness:

not much imaging depth

These speakers give me what I’ve always wanted from a sound system. I think the 10T’s have several aspects that set them apart from the others in this price range -

1) The bottom end very satisfying. All my recordings sounded different when I got the 10T’s because they produce all of the low end that was on the recording, and it turns out that even with my high-end M & K subwoofer in my old set-up I was missing a lot. I’ve since retired the sub – the 10T’s sound better without it! You hear some say the bottom end is boomy, when the truth is the 10T’s go so low that they will sometimes bring out the standing wave behavior in the listening room. If that’s the case for you you can treat your room with a few inexpensive bass traps.

2) The dynamics are remarkable. I play drums, so I’m used to big dynamics (nothing like the real thing!), and these speakers still startle me!

3) The 10T’s are very engaging without being fatiguing. They demand your attention, but they are in no way colored or artificial. The detail and wide sound stage are remarkable.

4) The 10T’s, to me, are more musical and less speaker-like than the other box speakers out there (like B&W, Hales, Theil etc.). They're not as soft and sweet in the mids as some of the electrostatics, but for my taste, the electro’s overall sound too laid back, and I love the punch of my 10T’s.

To get the best out of these speakers, try to mate them with electronics that aren’t digital sounding – either tube equipment or something from the new generation of SS stuff that’s just as smooth as tubes is best. Finally, plan on getting the stands – they tighten up the bass even more and elevate the sound stage slightly.

Associated equipment:
Electrocompaniet EMC-1
VTL 2.5 tube pre-amp
Classe CA-401 (400w x 2) SS amp
Nordost Blue Heaven interconnects and cable

Similar Products Used:

mumerous

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 28, 2001]
Doug Skyler
Audio Enthusiast

Weakness:

None

M Logan i saw your review, where you said the Bass was so boomy. I dont know what Amp was being played on the 10Ts, when you heard them. But I have owned this speaker for 2 years. The Bass on my Aerial 10Ts is amazing. Its tight upbeat and Articulate. There is no way in history, this bass is boomy. I heard the Wilson Watt Puppies 4 years ago, and that Bass was so boomy. You need to get news Ears, if you think the Bass on the 10Ts is boomy. Th 10Ts also have an incredible soundstage and is one of the best speakers I have ever heard. The Bass blends in great, with the Mini Monitor at the Top.

Similar Products Used:

BW Nautilus 802 and 803

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 09, 2001]
Bob Hoshall
Audiophile

Strength:

Exquisite craftsmanship, cabinet and midrange/tweeter module that few can equal, designed and crafted with pride and truly excels in every design parameter.

Weakness:

I wonder how long Michael Kelly can continue at the pace he is going, answering his own telephone, etc.

I believe my review of this product can set the record straight! This is a true "pride of ownership" loudspeaker, somewhat like a fine Jeff Rowland piece of equipment. I fully realize there are many speakers that are much more expensive than the Aerial 10T, however this is a beautiful loudspeaker. I have tried to replace it with other brands, however I just keep selling them on the Internet and coming back to the 10T.

In a nutshell, this loudspeaker offers exquisite craftsmanship, tightly controlled low frequency reproduction, elegant, perfectly balanced midrange and high frequency reproduction, and superior imaging. I chose the Sontos Rosewood, for me, there is no other finish. The exotic finishes that will be available on the NEW 20Ts will
be well received, I can't wait to see them!

I would like to make a special comment about a previous review that claimed these loudspeakers have boomy bass. I can only say their must be a hidden agenda, as these speakers are so clean and un-colored in the low frequencies, it is inconceivable how anyone could make this remark. This loudspeaker is truly amazing, no boom, no mud, no cabinet interaction, tight, controlled, articulate, and a pleasure to listen too for hours and hours! You can take that to the bank. I speak from many comparisons, and several years of listening, to change my mind.

The Aerial 10T is designed with some real dedecation and excellence in engineering. It is evident Michael Kelly is putting his heart and soul into his product. I would not hesitate to purchase an Aerial product, especially their new 20T or that incredible sub-woofer! From me, this loudspeaker gets a five star rating in absolutely every respect.

Bob Hoshall

Similar Products Used:

None! Viewed some products that I believe would be competitive in design and meticulous construction however no first hand knowledge.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 1-10 of 44  

(C) Copyright 1996-2018. All Rights Reserved.

audioreview.com and the ConsumerReview Network are business units of Invenda Corporation

Other Web Sites in the ConsumerReview Network:

mtbr.com | roadbikereview.com | carreview.com | photographyreview.com | audioreview.com