I decided it was time to upgrade my Sony home theater in a box.  They were a decent set for the price, but I was looking for something better so I picked up a Harman Kardon AVR-247 and a set of Aperion Audio 7.1 4 Series speakers.  I had read some really good reviews from CNET about Aperion Audio, even though I had previously never heard of the company.  They are a small company based in Portland, OR.  I gave them a call about what I should select and I was able to talk to a real person, not some computerized recording.  I don’t mind automated systems, but a lot of the time the computer tries to figure out what you want and fails.  In some systems it doesn’t let you call the operator and you are just stuck.  With Aperion Audio being a small company,  I was able to get to a representative right away and they were very kind and helpful.

I figured I would give their small setup a shot.  It was within the budget I was trying to stay under which was about $2000.  I was able to get their small satellites, 10″ subwoofer, and all the necessary cabling from them for under budget.  The nice thing about them is they pay for shipping.  At a lot of places the weight is pretty heavy and they pass that cost to the customer.  On top of that if you want to return or upgrade they pay for the shipping both ways.  This is one thing I rarely see from a company.  First you can try it out 30 days and on top of that you have the ability to upgrade to a better model within a year.

Out of the box the experience is fantastic.  Each speaker was wrapped in purple felt, similar to what you would find with a bottle of Crown Royal.  I picked up the glossy black finish and it came with a cleaning cloth and gloves to keep them shiny.  I really appreciate when a company takes the extra effort to make an outstanding product from calling customer service to shipping to unboxing to setup.

I have been using the 4 series for almost a year now.  I started it out as a complete 7.1 system and I have to say for the price the system is awesome.  Even with price aside, they are some of the best speakers I’ve ever heard.  I probably wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile, but I can definitely tell the difference between something that sounds good and something I wouldn’t spend money on.  For movies and music the sound has been great.  The satellites produce good mids and highs and the subwoofer does a good job for the lows.

Recently they’ve upgraded their speaker lines and I’ll probably look to buying the new series.  I’m really happy with how they sound and I really appreciate when a company has good customer service.  Since I moved, the house came with in-wall Klipsch speakers.  They definitely aren’t as good as the Aperion Audio, but they don’t sound bad.  I continue to use my Aperion Audio subwoofer in the living room.  I’ve turned some of my 7.1 system into a few stereo setups.  I can enjoy listening to music through an Airport Express and reciever to the Aperion Audio satellites and even as a 2.1 setup I enjoy the sound.

If you have any questions or want me to snap a few more photos let me know.  Also check out their recent upgrades at www.aperionaudio.com.