The Apex Club

[RickyDeg]

Hey again ric71

Well, I can already now conclude after having had my new Apex-system running for 4 days that the A10's and A40 harmonize near perfectly with each other. My worries are out the window. And so far, while being a long way from completely run-in, I'm finding myself wrapped in delightful audio heaven. Music sparkle, movies kick ass. Delicate details, deep bass, enveloping soundstage with stunning transparency and presence. Possibly the best compact speakerset I've ever heard, and things look too improve even further...

 

[michael hoy]

Hey again ric71

Well, I can already now conclude after having had my new Apex-system running for 4 days that the A10's and A40 harmonize near perfectly with each other. My worries are out the window. And so far, while being a long way from completely run-in, I'm finding myself wrapped in delightful audio heaven. Music sparkle, movies kick ass. Delicate details, deep bass, enveloping soundstage with stunning transparency and presence. Possibly the best compact speakerset I've ever heard, and things look too improve even further...

Just wait until they are run in, they will improve as time goes on.

 

[RickyDeg]

Hey again ric71

Well, I can already now conclude after having had my new Apex-system running for 4 days that the A10's and A40 harmonize near perfectly with each other. My worries are out the window. And so far, while being a long way from completely run-in, I'm finding myself wrapped in delightful audio heaven. Music sparkle, movies kick ass. Delicate details, deep bass, enveloping soundstage with stunning transparency and presence. Possibly the best compact speakerset I've ever heard, and things look too improve even further...

Just wait until they are run in, they will improve as time goes on.

Thank you michael hoy

Naturally I'm curious as to what specific improvements did you personally experience as your samples were run-in? Would be fun for me to hear!

 

[ric71]

Hi Ricky, Glad you like them.As Mike Hoy said they get better.need about 300 to 500 hours before they are at their best.They are unique speakers in their genre and the detail is fantastic with seamless cohesion between the A10's and A40. Let us know how you get on and enjoy Ric

 

[ric71]

They will become smoother with a much more detailed top end!

 

[RickyDeg]

They will become smoother with a much more detailed top end!

Interesting. Mine have only had about 30 hrs play so far. Actually I found their sound to very smooth right out of the box - there wasn't a hint of brightness or harshness anywhere to be found.

 

[Julian_b]

 

[Julian_b]

Lost all the text I wrote before...trying again!

I should hear soon that the Apex system I've ordered has arrived in Singapore - very excited!These will replace my 5 year old Tannoy Arena speakers.

On the Receiver front I can't really justify (to the war office) that that needs replacing/upgrading too so will have to stick with Cambridge Azur 640R for the moment...timing is everything! Does anyone have a view in terms of what improvement in sound i am likely to experience and whether this receiver will have what it takes to drive the Apex system?

The source i am using is an Oppo 83 Blu ray and the room is approx 5m x 4m.

Look forward to hearing any thoughts - cheers

 

[michael hoy]

Hi Ricky, Glad you like them.As Mike Hoy said they get better.need about 300 to 500 hours before they are at their best.They are unique speakers in their genre and the detail is fantastic with seamless cohesion between the A10's and A40. Let us know how you get on and enjoy Ric

They will become smoother with a much more detailed top end!

When set up correctly (like all systems) these speakers offer a very involving experience with detailed treble (not bright) and a very tightly controlled bass from the AW12 sub.

Thr transition between all the speakers is about as seamless as it gets, the A40 makes vocals sound very clear and precise in the placement of those vocals.

Just be patient and then after yours are run in you will know what people are saying about these speakers to be true.

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi Ricky, Glad you like them.As Mike Hoy said they get better.need about 300 to 500 hours before they are at their best.They are unique speakers in their genre and the detail is fantastic with seamless cohesion between the A10's and A40. Let us know how you get on and enjoy Ric

They will become smoother with a much more detailed top end!

When set up correctly (like all systems) these speakers offer a very involving experience with detailed treble (not bright) and a very tightly controlled bass from the AW12 sub.

Thr transition between all the speakers is about as seamless as it gets, the A40 makes vocals sound very clear and precise in the placement of those vocals.

Just be patient and then after yours are run in you will know what people are saying about these speakers to be true.

Patience is killer! Ha!

However, considering how well they play after just 30 hrs I'm already enjoying them like few other speakersystems I've owned before (including bigger, more expensive floorstanding systems). My positioning of each speaker is not yet optimal, and my new listeningspace quite small (4m x 3.5m) but it's clear that despite these limitations they make the most of everything I've thrown at them so far. However, they naturally shine the most with high resolution audio! Just watched 'Sunshine', 'Dark City' and 'Bolt' on Blu-ray and I couldn't be more impressed. It would seem each positive user comment and professional review are spot-on, but just like you say.....after the run-in is complete I'll be another proud owner!

 

[gosalh]

Hi Ric71,

Just some feedback on the A100. Just got it setup on Friday evening. Calibrated it using the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and the sound has vastly improved from the Denon 3311. All i can say is "WOW" - with 32 times better resolution across all channels and now when watching movies, the sound is much more punchy, warm, dialogue and sound is much cleaner, balanced highs, mids and lows, the bass is tighter, low and controlled with loads of clarity across all channels. The A100 works perfectly with the Apex 5.1, my AW-12 subwoofer sounds much better than before with better bass management (i increased the bass during the calibration process not following the Audyssey recommendation which was too weak for me) and the A10s and A40 are singing like never before. There is a huge improvement with music, i tried internet radio and i've been listening to my Ipod through the receiver and it sounds amazing!!!!

Build quality of the A100 is nothing more than luxurious, especially being a 100th anniversary product. It weighs a tonne though.

In my opinion the Denon A100 is a huge step up from the Denon 3311, and i am very happy with the purchase. Its definetly transformed my home theater experience!!

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi Ric71, Just some feedback on the A100. Just got it setup on Friday evening. Calibrated it using the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and the sound has vastly improved from the Denon 3311. All i can say is "WOW" - with 32 times better resolution across all channels and now when watching movies, the sound is much more punchy, warm, dialogue and sound is much cleaner, balanced highs, mids and lows, the bass is tighter, low and controlled with loads of clarity across all channels. The A100 works perfectly with the Apex 5.1, my AW-12 subwoofer sounds much better than before with better bass management (i increased the bass during the calibration process not following the Audyssey recommendation which was too weak for me) and the A10s and A40 are singing like never before. There is a huge improvement with music, i tried internet radio and i've been listening to my Ipod through the receiver and it sounds amazing!!!! Build quality of the A100 is nothing more than luxurious, especially being a 100th anniversary product. It weighs a tonne though. In my opinion the Denon A100 is a huge step up from the Denon 3311, and i am very happy with the purchase. Its definetly transformed my home theater experience!!

Lucky you, with a Denon A100

As a Denon-fan for many eyars I've been keeping my eye on that one aswell. Glad you are experiencing all those improvements, which doesn't sound like small nuances but rather a revelation, of sorts? I'm very glad so far with my AVR-3808, though I've actually been interested in trying out the Pioneer SC-LX83 as it offers alof of benifits over the Denon.

Enjoy your upgrade and keep playing em brilliant Apex!

(mine are still far from being run-in!)

 

[Anonymous]

My hubby and I just recently installed our Apex system (5.1) in our new flat and it not only looks cute and sexy but sounds really stunning whatever we are playing. Who needs those awful floorstanding speakers that I harassed my husband about for years?! hahaha

 

[ric71]

gosalh,

Glad you are liking the Denon AVR-100. I have heard it is a top flight receiver.

Have often wondered about how much better the Audyssey XT 32 is.

Thanks for letting me know and enjoy.

ric

 

[gosalh]

I noticed a significant difference with the Multeq XT32. Definetly worth investigating in the future if you get a chance. So far its working wonders and i'm very happy with the investment.

 

[RickyDeg]

Just got my additional pair of A10's and my second AW12 to make up a 7.2 system. Could not resist.

Result? Audio-Heaven..............

BTW, I urge all owners reading this thread to leave a user-review of the speakers on Monitor Audio's own website!

They've added the ability now to send in our own! Great stuff!

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/reviews/

 

[ric71]

Nice one Ricky!!Glad you are loving the Apex.
Has the second sub made a huge difference?
So tempted to get another sub!

 

[RickyDeg]

Nice one Ricky!!Glad you are loving the Apex. Has the second sub made a huge difference? So tempted to get another sub!

It has made the dispersion of the bass in my room much better. It seems 'closer' and 'tighter' if you will, and much harder to localize. As a result when playing music I can walk around the room and the bass remains the same. In my current listeningroom it's always been the bass/LFE which has been tricky to integrate, but this second AW-12 has helped the situation somewhat. It was worth the extra investment. Although, because my Denon receiver only has a single mono subwoofer output I had to daisy-chain the second AW12 with the help of the output from the back of it. I suspect that with a newer receiver utilized with dedicated dual outputs the set-up and calibration can be done with more accuracy (like Audyssey Multeq XT32, for example) and the result would possibly improve even further.

However, that'll have to be a later upgrade

 

[ric71]

Cheers Ricky,
You should try out an Antimode 8033 sub eq.Phenominal.It can eq 2 subs and will work along side any Eq already in use ie Audessey.

It will give you an almost flat response and is so easy to use.
Check out reviews on line.It transformed my sub and a few others on this forum,look for the thread.
Enjoy
Ric

 

[Frank Harvey]

I suspect that with a newer receiver utilized with dedicated dual outputs the set-up and calibration can be done with more accuracy (like Audyssey Multeq XT32, for example) and the result would possibly improve even further.

An Antimode isn't much use when used with the Audyssey XT32 as the XT32 is more accurate than many other room EQ's. If you want to run both together, use the Antimode first, then run XT32. My recommendation though would be to leave the Antimode out when using XT32.

 

[Anonymous]

have 4 apex 10 (2 on the wall , 2 standing) , 1 apex 40 center. heard those speakers at a small hifi store and was blown away by the speakers.

have a onkyo tx-nr906 with dali ikon 7 mk 2 speakers , above mentioned ones and a yamaha subwoofer ns-sw700.

all sounds very nice

 

[Anonymous]

I am now ordering speaker cable on a hifi shop on the internet and I am wondering if the MA APEX stands support bananaplugs. Do they? I dont have the stands here yet but I want to have the cables as soon as possible if you catch my drift.

Thanks in advance for your kind answers.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Yes they do.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks m8.

 

[Anonymous]

made the reply 2 times it seems. Sry.