Digital Trends

Aperion INTIMUS 5.1

February 23rd, 2004 | by Mike Bell

Introduction

In the crowded and sometimes confusing arena of high-end home audio equipment, Aperion Audio stands out as a company doing things a bit different than the others.

Aperion only sells their speaker systems directly over the Internet or over the phone. By cutting out reps, retailers and distributors, they are able to provide an exceptional product at very reasonable prices.

Praised by their customers for unparalleled service and support and a superior product, we assumed up-front that we would love this setup. It turns out our assumptions were correct - they did not disappoint.

The Aperion INTIMUS 5.1 Home Theater System consists of four 522D-LR bookshelf speakers for front and surround, one 522D-C center speaker, and one powered subwoofer. The S-10 subwoofer was chosen for this review; however, 8-inch and 12-inch models are also available.

The $1399 INTIMUS 5.1 package is available through Aperion's Website and includes free shipping. Aperion has a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on their speakers in addition to a standard 5-year warranty — one year on subwoofers. They are so confident in their products that if after 30 days you are not satisfied with their speakers, they will refund your money, and even foot the bill for the shipping.

A close look at the 522D speaker and an INTIMUS shown in each finish option.

Construction and Looks

The INTIMUS 5.1 system is available in two finishes: high gloss black or medium cherry. Our review unit featured the medium cherry finish. This look has a smooth fine furniture grade finish which is quite exceptional for a system in this price range. If looks are important to you in your speaker selection — and they often are very important — this system should not disappoint in that respect.

The 522D bookshelf speakers are 11.5 inches tall, 7.33 inches wide and 8 inches deep. The speakers are quite dense for their small size. This is due to construction with 1-inch thick high density fiber board. The speakers are supplied with small adhesive-backed feet to provide protection and isolation from speaker stands or furniture

The black speaker grill snaps firmly to the front and leaves a small portion of the cherry finish exposed at the bottom. The center channel speaker (522D-C appears to be identical in construction to the left and right front and surround speakers with the exception of the speaker grill which is changed so that the “right side” of the speaker is now the bottom. Each bookshelf speaker features one 5.25-inch mid-woofer and a single 1-inch Ferro fluid filled dome tweeter.

The single rear port is about 1.5 inch in diameter. The speakers are not designed to be directly mounted to the wall as this would obstruct the rear port. There is, however, a ¼inch threaded insert in the bottom of each speaker for secure attachment to a speaker stand or mounting bracket. The binding posts on the rear of the speakers are 5-way gold plated binding posts for multiple attachment options. There are no crossover adjustments on the passive speakers.

Overall the 522Ds are quite attractive with the fine cherry finish and the solid construction. According to Aperion, this construction and finish provides “the acoustic-damping qualities of only the most expensive loudspeakers with the furniture-grade finish that has made us famous.”

The S-10 subwoofer is 17.5 inches tall, 13.25 inches wide and 19 inches deep. There is a single 10-inch long-throw woofer. There is a single port on the back of the S-10 near the bottom of the cabinet. This port is about an inch tall and runs the entire width of the cabinet. There is a black finned heat sink above the rear port that is about 10 inches x 5 inches. The S-10 weighs about 56 lbs. The substantial weight is no doubt due to the 1 inch fiberboard construction, additional internal cross-bracing and the heat sink.

The back of the S-10 contains line-level and speaker-level inputs/outputs, low-pass crossover adjustment, phase adjustment, auto on/off switching, 110/220-volt switch, and a detachable power cord. When the power switch is left on, the S-10 automatically detects the presence of a signal on the line input and powers up from standby.

The level control adjusts the subwoofer output relative to the other speaker channels. The low pass filter control allows user adjustment of the range of low frequencies that are directed to the subwoofer. A phase control selects 0 through 180 degrees phase shift of the subwoofer output relative to the other speakers.