top to bottom accuracy within their design range

factory stands were too small and unstable for me. I had a custom pair made which are outstanding.

These speakers have to be the sleepers of this product category. Having started in 2-channel stereo 13 years ago with a dedicated room and gradually adding all the necessary tweaks, i.e. dedicated line, balanced power transformer, room acoustical treatment, endless speaker positioning, and every cord upgrade, I owned three different well reviewed full- range pairs of speakers before acquiring the Aerial 6's. It took me that long to finally realize that it is impossible, I repeat IMPOSSIBLE, to find a suitable compromise between good imaging and good bass for free standing full range speakers. I auditioned different 2-way speakers and subs for several months and knew that this was the answer but I couldn't get excited by the 2-ways. I literally stumbled onto the Aerial 6 3-ways [not full range] which provided a much more accurate and refined sound. I knew it after listening to these during the first 10 seconds. Combined with an REL Storm III sub, I am in audio heaven. I have never heard such great sounding music in my room.The speakers image fantastically-wide and deep, and most importantly, the musical quality and accuracy are wonderful. Also, the small size of these speakers provides a much airier sound.
system; Rega Jupiter cd player
Placette remote volume controller
Threshold T-100 amp
Equi=Tech 1.5R

Similar Products Used:

Vandersteen 2CI, Mirage 3 and Von Schweikert VR-4.

While searching for a replacement for my old KEF CR-95''s, I looked at the JM LAB Cobalt 820, Dynaudio Studio 80, and Martin Logan Aerius I. I had almost decided on the Cobalt 820, but then the dealer showed me the new AeralAcoustics Model 6. Sure, it was about $700 more than I was planning to spend, but the improvement in sound is worth it. The soundstage was larger, the highs were sweeter and precise, and the bass was deep and crisp. I especially noticed this when playing Sousa''s "Stars and Stripes Forever" on the Dallas Wind Symphony''s new 24-bit HDCD recording of Sousa marches. The piccolos sounded like real instruments with bass extension, instead of tinny kazoos. Build and finish was first class (I got the rose walnut)and they actually fit into my bedroom without the need for a separate power supply (unlike the electrostatics).
CD Player: Rotel-971
Pre-Amp: Rotel-972
Amp: Rotel-981
Cassette: Nakamichi BX-125

Next up: speaker cables and interconnects.

What a refreshing speaker! The new Model 6 is a gem.
Bass is clear, fast and accurate... nothing sluggish or uncontrolled here.

Midrange is articulate, smooth and natural, without being laid back and overly warm.

Tweeter (same as used in the 10T) is crisp and pleasant, but without a harsh or grainy quality.

Solidly built and thick cabinets keep the sound focused at the listener, without the "hollow sounding" effect that plagues several other brands in this price range.

The compact floorstanding enclosure really shines in the imaging/soundstage department. Not designed for a huge listening room, but that's ok. How many speakers are?

I really enjoyed auditioning them. Save yourself some money if you are frugal (as me), and don't worry about the higher quality finish on the more expensive units.

I actually went to the shop to audition Joseph Audio RM22si, and wound up liking these better.

I don't own them yet (not sure if I will), but very highly recommended.

While searching for a replacement for my old KEF CR-95's, I looked at the JM LAB Cobalt 820, Dynaudio Studio 80, and Martin Logan Aerius I. I had almost decided on the Cobalt 820, but then the dealer showed me the new AeralAcoustics Model 6. Sure, it was about $700 more than I was planning to spend, but the improvement in sound is worth it. The soundstage was larger, the highs were sweeter and precise, and the bass was deep and crisp. I especially noticed this when playing Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" on the Dallas Wind Symphony's new 24-bit HDCD recording of Sousa marches. The piccolos sounded like real instruments with bass extension, instead of tinny kazoos. Build and finish was first class (I got the rose walnut)and they actually fit into my bedroom without the need for a separate power supply (unlike the electrostatics).
CD Player: Rotel-971
Pre-Amp: Rotel-972
Amp: Rotel-981
Cassette: Nakamichi BX-125

Next up: speaker cables and interconnects.

After auditioning many speakers (Hales T's & R's), Soliloquy, Joseph Audio, Martin Logan, Sonus Faber and Paradigm ver 2, I purchased a pair of Aerial 6's in the natural cherry finish. While all the other speakers were at least four stars, none exhibited the wonderful, fine detail at lower listening levels (where I do 90% of my listening) as did the Aerials. Fast, quick, clean bass with wonderfully smooth mid-range and highs. I spent about forty hours listening to various combinations of the listed speakers before concentrating on the Aerials. These replace a pair of Paradigm Studio 60 ver 1's, which are a good value at their price, but cannot compare to the other speakers in my review. The Aerials work wonderfully well with classic jazz, rock and classical, including both male and female vocals. Parker, Miles, Monk, Traffic, Patricia Barber, Mozart, etc., never sounded so good coming from a stereo. Spacious, deep, detailed soundstage. My listening is about 50/50 LP and CD. Associated equipment - Bryston B60RP (mid & high) and 2B-LP (bass) in bi-amp configuration, Rega 3 with Grado Sonata, Sony CDP-CA9ES CD changer, McIntosh MR7082 tuner, Tara Labs and Cardas interconnects. Many thanks to Michael Kelly at Aerial for spending as much time as I needed to discuss various design and use/install philosophies and Bob C. @ Audio Insight in Plano for his gracious and professional salesmanship. All-in-all, the best speaker I have heard in their price range made more enjoyable by great support from Michael and Bob.

Smooth Highs

Very poor low mids and bass

These speakers gave me a headache. The front port seems to be the cause of the problem. Very poor Low mids and Bass. Try the 7b's.

The finish was beautiful. But not worth the money. I had a pair of Paradigm Mini -Mk 3's that sounded better.

I am driving the speakers with a Classe-101 and a Denon 2700r

Sound, quality of build, Sound

These are some of the best speakers I have heard (Aerial in general). Here's why: they sound great. Really. They are not boxy sounding (boomy, or otherwise), at any volume. If you know what I am talking about, you know that once you identify it you can't stand it. My PSB's started to sound boxy when you started turning them up quite loud, though they are great all around speakers. The B&W's did not though. The Aerial sound is full; some speakers seem to accentuate some pitches/ranges (before even talking about room interaction), and do so dependent on volume as well. The Aerials produce all timbre, dynamics, and tone quality on a recording evenly and accurately. They are engaging; the PSB's were not as engaging, and were hard to place given their significant bass output potential. The B&W's were also engaging, but seemed to have some kind of tone coloration (not necessairly unpleasant). More about the sound; you can listen at low levels and still hear everything. I have heard these speakers with Proceed gear, Levinson gear, and MacIntosh gear. All sounded excellent (I don't know what they sound like with "lesser" electronics) - and all gear sounded surprising similar, which may confirm many's view that speakers are the key element in the chain. One magazine reviewer said he never heard a pair of Aerials sound bad at all the shows he has been to. I can see why. And don't forget the great cabinetry.
Before I purchased these I was equally interested in the new B&W Nautilus 804's, and was pleased to see that I could listen to both right next to each other at Audio Advice in Raleigh, NC. I was leaning toward the B&W's when I went in, since I had really liked my old 802's but had long since sold them (needed $$). The N804's had a similar sound that I remembered from my older ones, hard to explain it, but kind of a rich upper midrange with "air." When I compared them with the Aerials though, there was absolutely no comparison; the Aerials were that much better. The B&W's sounded thin compared to them. I was disappointed, and having heard that they need lots of break in time, I asked the dealer if he knew how much they were broken in. He said they were and had been used extensively. (The comparison was done on the Levinson 100 Watt integrated amp (very nice by the way)).
Some other posters have mentioned bass as a weakness on the model 6. Based on the fact that their woofer is a 7 1/4 inch, the bass is in fact excellent. These are not full range speakers and don't claim to be. I can not believe in fact how good (full, powerfull) the bass is down to their specified FR (about 40 Hz), and I have them in a relatively large room withOUT concrete floors (22'X 13'). Why pay huge amounts of money for a company's largest speakers just to get output from 20-40 Hz, and then have to screw around with placing them? Get a sub (or two)! Better yet, if you have a smaller room, these are great because they can be placed closer to the walls if you need the room (forward-firing port).
These really are great speakers, give them a listen before you buy anything else. I don't think the price is unreasonable at all (they have not raised any of their prices since they came out - imagine in 1991 you dropped 7 grand on a pair of the 10T's - that was lots of money. Now, they're still the same price, and you have B&W, Revel, and many others costing much more). By the way, I compared the model 6 to the 7b's, and found they both sounded the same, but obviously the 7b's had more bass. (The dealer, Randy, believes the 7's are better in many ways though, not sure which. His store is excellent by the way, very courteous and helpful, unlike many I have been to. I was very happy to give him the business. I listened to the Aerials in two separate systems (electronics) and placements to compare. They were very accomodating).
Another poster says they take a long time to break in - if you leave them on constantly for 4 or 5 days they break in nicely. I am thinking maybe he just listend to them when he listened - they do need 1-200 hours according to my dealer). I do not see this as a weakness. Mine sounded great out of the box, and have only gotten better. To add to the strengths, they are incredibly revealing of recorded material, drivers integrate very well, and imaging/sounstaging is great. Find out where they sell them and listen for yourself.
My system:
McIntosh MC 300 amp and C-15 preamp
Meridian 506 CD
Transparent cables

My preference for sound is full, "bloomy" sound, and accurate but laid back (not bright). If that's what you like (bright) these may not be for you, unless maybe you have bright electronics....who knows - my whole system is geared toward "laid back."

Similar Products Used:

B&W Matrix 802 III's, PSB Stratus Gold I's

Vocals are the best I've heard. High and midrange are excellent.

Bass response in a large room will be lacking

I think that these speakers are overall very good.
I am a big fan of electrostatic and ribbon speakers, because
I think they produce unmatched mid and hi frequency sound.
But the conventional Aerial Model 6 speakers produce a very warm, but yet equally clear hi frequency and very good vocal range sound when compared with electrostatic speakers.

Bass response is obviously not as good. But for a smaller room, such as the one these speakers are in, it is more than adequate. Obviously you do not want to put these speakers in a large muffled room. In my case, they are perfect for the 9 x 12 ft room with carpeted floors.

Aesthetically they are very nice to look at. They can basically fit anywhere in a small room. My only complaint is why the better veneers are so expensive.

My current stereo setup is:

Main Speakers: Aerial Acoustic Model 6
Center: Aerial Acoustic CC3
Rear: Audio Research (Very old)
Receiver: Yamaha 995

Similar Products Used:

Quads, Magnepan.

Construction, smooth, detailed, class speaker from class company

none

I think the post below is rating the salesman , not the speaker, I have owned many speakers, in this price range I have found nothing better

Similar Products Used:

Dyn,Reval,B&w