The Aerial 7b speakers are simply great speakers. It is funny how the 7b's can get such a wide range of scores, 1-2 stars to 4-5 stars, while the 8's and 10T's get higher scores more consistently. I really think I know why. The Aerial 10T's are in a higher price range. Dealers usually have them setup in a highend listening room with very good electronics. The 7b speakers, however, are usually setup along walls with lower priced equipment. Dealers usually have only a few highend rooms and they aren't going to setup the 7b speakers in these rooms. I have seen how the 7b speakers have been setup and know that they don't come even close to sounding their best for the following reason:1. Not enough power to open up the speakers. I have recently gone from a
100/200w into 8/4ohms to 300/600w into 8/4ohms. There is a complete trans-
formation in the sound. The bass has taken on a life of its own. The bass
is much more controlled with lower extension. The trebles have much better
extension and air. The aerial treble is neutral. None of that harsh, crisp
sound here compared to other speakers. Michael Kelly recommend 200w of clean
power. I know now how right he really is. The lower midrange is crystal
clear now with no warmth.
2. The speakers benefit a great deal from setup. I usually see these speakers
setup too close to walls, furniture and especially each other. The Aerial
speakers benefit greatly from setup. This is not the kind of speaker that
you just sit down and never worry about them again. They also benefit
greatly from the stands that can be purchased. The tonal balance is improved
from top to bottom.
3. The cabling also is very important. I have heard these speakers sound harsh
and lean when audioquest topaz interconnects were used. Make sure good
cabling is used. Yes, cables do make a difference.
4. Make sure that the speakers are well broken-in. They don't come close to
sounding their best when they are new. I would make sure they had a least
200 hours on them and more like 300 hours before serious auditioning is done.

Ask the dealer to move the speakers to his highend room so you can evaluate
them. He will do it easily if he wants your business. I can say that I have
experienced some of the negative comments myself due to all of the above. The
higher powered amp made a huge difference in opening up the speakers. Over
time, I found how much setup and good cabling can also improve the performance
to a very high level. How sad it is to read the one reviewer that said his
paradigm speakers were better than the 7b's he purchased. I can almost bet
any amount of money that his equipment/room/setup isn't up to the task. When
setup properly with good equipment, the Aerials are dynamic, fast, clean and
true to the music. They will never give you listener fatigue like so many
speakers do. They have some of the best vocal reproduction with trebles so
micro-dynamic that it allows you to tell the differences in violins etc. with
great bass as well.

Without the 1-2 stars to distort the picture, the total score adds up to 4.86
with my score included which is more in line with the scores of the 8's and 10T's.

Good listening,
RH

Airy, 3D sound. Great for home theater. beautiful finishes and construction.

Can be bright with wrong electronics or cabling.

Just bought these in June after hearing them for the first time a year ago. I spent alot of time going around listening to different speakers before I did this big upgrade (for me)and these were the best all around. When I first heard these at a dealer I was immediately impressed with how, for lack of a better word, "airy" these speakers were. I also listened to the 6s which I also liked but they lacked the bass of the 7B. The 8s had great bass but were too large and not as fast or tight asthe 6s or 7Bs. The 10Ts were fabulous in all respects, but too expensive and large footprint.

When I first got them home I was enthralled with how they sounded in my living room. After a few days, they seemed bright to me, but with breaking in, they continued to improve. I was disappinted with the bass in my space but at the suggestion of an expert installer bi-wired them with good cables and the bass was tight and fuller--just like I remember hearing them at the dealer-- and the treble improved as well.

I now have added the Aerial center speaker (fabulous!)and a Monitor Audio ASW210 sub for home theater (which also works musically real well with these speakers because it is fast)and now I just love to listen to my system! It works great for both CDs and home theater.

If I can fault these speakers at all it is the small mid range driver that is used. I like my vocals a bit fuller (or got used to that with other speakers that colored the mid range). These speakers are accurate and bring out the flaws in singer's voices that might have been disguised or warmed up before. However, acoustic instruments sound so real, it is simply amazing.

I also compose and have Mackie powered monitors for my studio. The Aerials have their accuracy but add soundstaging and depth that make them a totally enjoyable listening experience.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel 3.6, NHT, Polk, Martin Logan Aerius, Paradigm, Revel.

I just heard the Aerial 7bs in Sterio Exchange in NY. I must tell you, I did not like this speaker at all.. I agree with what the person above me said. This speaker is very lean and uninvolving. But what i noticed most about this speaker, is the bass. The Bass is horrible. There is no bass on this speaker. I would tell people, the Aerial 10ts which i really like, are light years better then the 7bs. There more open, much bigger soundstage and the Bass is great on the 10ts. I wouldn't buy the 7bs. Get the Aerial 10t Thanks

Outstanding sound, fully living up to Bob Harley's review in FI magazine . These speakers produce a very smooth, real sound, and produce an accurate, deep bass. My dealer thought these speakers were a large improvement over the previous Model 7, which were excellent.
These speakers do need some power, however; I recommend at least 100 watts/channel

Associated Equiptment
Lexicon Pre-Amp
Bryston Amp
DVD front end (dont know what kind)

Bass was a bit boomy but this may have been due to the short distance from the rear wall. Focus and soundstage was okay but not great.

However, comparing these speakers with the Thiel 3.6 (another room, driven by ARC pre-amp and amp and a theta front end) the 7b was better. Sure the focus of the 3.6 was better. Sure the bass seemed tighter(but definitely lean). But the Aerial did a much better job of giving the impression that the performers were live and in the room. Listening to Celine Dions Ave Maria was stunning. Granted the bass was overly emphasized(but detailed), but the vocals and guitar had a realism that had me transfixed. On the 3.6, the overall sound was bright and fatiguing.

Listening to Handels Water Musik (Harmonia Mundi), Track 11, 12, 13, I was drawn into the music and sat through five tracks having hardly noticed how long I had spent listening to these speakers(I listened to to this disk last). The french horns which are especially hard to get right, were more right on these speakers than any other.(Okay, I dont usually listen to Grand Slamms or Gems or Adras(los granitos)). I was impressed with the level of detail and the harmonic rightness of the instruments.

I really enjoyed listening to these speakers on this system. Certainly they are not the last word in speakers but I could easily be mesmerized by these speakers for years to come. I believe I would become tired of the Thiels very quickly.

This is a follow-up to my February post. I've had the 7Bs for 6 months, and all the break-in is done, including the MIT SHotguns (750). I love these speakers..in my opinion they do best with acoustic and vocals, but just don't do well with electric, rock, etc (not necessarily a bad thing). I had reason to call the company twice, and each time Michael Kelly answered the phone and spent time helping me with my questions.

Performance, build quality

set up for sweet spot

This is my best investment so far for my audio / home theater set up. I have been really happy with my Aerials.

Similar Products Used:

HAL Rev 3

I have owned a pair of 7B's since just after christmas. Initially, I was very disappointed with the sound. Out of the box new they just sounded terrible. Approximately 2 months later they started really breaking in well, and they sound very good now. I would highly recommend these speakers, just give them time to warm up. I have owned Monitor Audio speakers, and B&W 802's. The 7B is far superior to either. Bass is great, midrange excellent, treble excellent. These speakers have depth, power, force, definition, and dynamics, and some of the best vocal reproduction, both solo and harmony, of any speaker I have heard.

I listen to Classical, Jazz (Monk, Jimmy Smith, Gene Harris, Jack Mcduff, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, to name a few), and lots of Bluegrass, (not newgrass) music. It is difficult to find speakers that reproduce these 3 categories equally well, but the 7B does so. Also, they consume a bit of power, so make sure your electronics can handle them.

Ancillary equipment is: Mcintosh 6850 150WPC integrated amplifier, Meridian 508.24 Cd Player (awesome!), Onkyo T4711 Tuner, Marantz Cassette Deck.

P.S. The guys at Music Lovers Audio in Berkeley were an absolute pleasure to deal with.

All around outstanding performance. Great mids, decent highs, super bass for size/price.

None.

My dealer kept recommending these to me as the natural next upgrade. Finally I agreed to listen to them. Wow, what a jump from the original 7. These things absolutely blow you away. The price seems unbelievable. If you are looking at spekers in the $3000 to $6000 range, look hard at the 7b. The Aerial 8 has stronger bass, but slightly less controlled and not as faithful musically. Probably 8 is better for Home Theater but not for music. 10 has all you are looking for.

Similar Products Used:

Vandersteen 3, Martin Logan Re-Quest, etc.

tonal quality, full, rich sound, excellent bass, details in wood finishes, posts, etc

trying to position a 100 pound speaker, no guide to installing the stands

I spent 4 months auditioning speakers and finally decided on the 7Bs. Others came close, but the overall musicality of these, for the price, couldn't be matched. I am still going through break-in and new cable (MIT Shotgun 750 bi-wire) burn-in, and can't wait for things to settle down.

Similar Products Used:

Logan Aerius, ProAc 1.5 and 2.5, Audio Physic Tempo, Vandersteen