Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
These are great speakers but a bit over priced.

I bought these to replace my aging Von Schweikert VR-4 MKII for not just sound quality but admittedly looks as well. The Aerial 9's with the optional outrigger feet look outstanding and they are great speakers but unfortunately my old VS speakers were better sounding.

I was hoping these would be better but it just missed the top end and dynamic range of the VS. Admittedly I would have to say these are very good sounding speakers but they would be better priced at around $6K instead of $10K.

Since the cabinets are made oversees and the drivers are OEM from other company's I would think these would be better priced but that is not the case. I really wanted to like these speakers but even a friend of mine who leans toward the higher priced better looking components agreed that my older VS speakers were better sounding.

These are very good speakers but over priced in my opinion. Even VS latest offerings of the VR4JR which retail for about $4,500 do not sound as good as my older VR-4 MKII and they are also made oversees. I know that Aerial only has the cabinets made oversees but for $10K there must be other speakers better if my old VR-4 MK-II can beat them.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
After two years, I still love these speakers. Neutral and balanced, the sound is easily tweaked by changing electronics. Imaging is as good as it gets. They sound great with all kinds of music from jazz to metal. They are not finicky about placement (as my Martin Logans were), except that the bass can get boomy if the speakers are too close to the back wall (I solved the problem by hanging rugs behind the speakers). They have a large sweet spot (also unlike my old MLs). Although the speaker is quite large, it sounds good in a medium sized room. Most significantly, they are not fatiguing even after very long listening sessions. They are not as transparent as a stat or planar, but excel in other areas those technologies do not.

I have heard almost all of the Aerial's competition in the tight under $10k category (Revel, Dynaudio, Wilson, Dali, B&W, Tyler, etc.) and definitely like these the best. While the competition is excellent, I think the Aerials do more things well and have fewer shortcomings. Several of the competition sound more exciting at first, but get fatiguing after a long listen.

Price Paid:  $5800.00 from AVD

Summary:
I do not own these speakers. I own the Aerial LR5 model, but I did listen to these extensively at the dealer, when deciding on which model to purchase. I actually believe that these speakers are slightly superior in sound quality to the LR5 in most respects. I could have gotten the model 9s for less than $6,000. The retail price varies depending on finish, but all retail prices are on Aerial website.

They are also much more efficient (90 db sensitivity) and easier to drive. Had I purchased these instead of the LR5 I probably would have been happy sticking with my integrated amp instead of going through a cycle of amplifier and preamp upgrades.

For a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with size, price, and finish color, I chose the LR5s. I do not regret my decision, but I do believe these are slightly superior, certainly as a full range speaker, compared to the LR5.

Strengths:
Good bass extension (to about 27), excellent midrange. Very high power handling and reasonable efficiency make it an excellent choice for a very big room (my room may be too small an thus my decision to go with LR5s).

Excellent fit and finish. Bottom port superior to rear ported in terms of room placement in my opinion.

Weaknesses:
Needs optional base to get the port up off the ground enough to really sound its best (which my dealer did not have, also a reason I did not buy these speakers).

While the bass extension is better than the LR5, since it is bass reflex instead of acoustic suspension I am not sure I think the bass is quite as well controlled. This may, however, be a bias of mine that was created by the fact that I listened to these speakers on the small spikes rather than the optional bases that raises them higher off the floor.

Not as exciting to look at as many other speakers in this price range. Who cares? (Well, maybe people you live with.)

Similar Products Used:
Aerial LR5, Kef reference, Thiel, Cabasse, Vienna Acoustics, Sonus Fabers, Martin Logans, Klipsch, Bang & Olufsen, ADS, Focal, etc.

Yes, I am crazy enough to own this many speakers and many more.