Digital Trends

Aperion Audio Intimus 422

July 10th, 2005 | by Yongki Go

Performance

Associated equipment for this review

-          Digital playback:  Toshiba SD-3800, Shanling CDS-100

-          Satellite receiver:  Dish 301

-          Surround processor:  Lexicon MC-4, Meridian 565

-          Amplifier:  Parasound HCA-855A, Sherbourn 7/2100

-          Other speakers:  NHT T6, Rocket home theater system (RS-750, RS-250, RSC-200, UFW-10 subwoofer)

Feature-wise, this Intimus system has a lot to offer; but what about performance?  As usual, I tested the system for both music (two-channel and multi-channel) and home-theater applications.  Because the 422-LR and 422-C speakers are small and could only produce frequencies down to about 100 Hz, it was necessary to use a rather high crossover point (≥ 100 Hz) between the satellite and the subwoofer.  Ideally, in a satellite-subwoofer setup, a crossover point lower than or equal to 80 Hz is desirable, because sound below 80 Hz is not localizable.  The use of a crossover point above 80 Hz might cause sound localization problem.  In the evaluation, I used the suggested crossover setting of 100 Hz between the subwoofer and the satellite speakers, which was about the lowest setting possible that wouldn't leave a hole in the system's frequency response.  I found that by using such setting, the localization issue could be avoided for most program materials and was benign at best. 

After playing many program materials using the 422 speaker system in combination with the S-8 or S-10 subwoofer, I could summarize its performance in one word:  impressive!  This is especially true when you factor in the price.  It exceeded my expectations in many ways.  For starters, even though the 422 system was a compact set of speakers, there was nothing in the sound produced by this system that indicated their smallish size.  Dynamics were excellent and the system could play loudly without sounding strained.  Unless you have a very large room, this system should have no problem in filling up your room with good sound.  Even the two subwoofers surprised me with their capability to generate serious sound pressure level (SPL) that belied its size.  This was even truer for the smaller S-8 subwoofer.  More important than SPL, these subwoofers generated a nice articulated bass with no trace of boominess.  The S-10 was capable of producing lower bass extension and higher SPL over the S-8.

For music playback, the performance of the system was good, and maybe one of the best among small speaker systems that I have ever tried.  Music enthusiasts would even be happy with the combination of a 422-LR pair and the S-8 or S-10 subwoofer for two-channel music listening.  They produced sound with good tonal balance and sufficient naturality.  Their performance was not without weaknesses, but these weaknesses were only obvious when a comparison was made with the better system.  For example, when compared with my reference system (NHT T6), I noticed a slight lack of smoothness and treble-airiness.  But by no means was this a major shortcoming, considering the price gap between the systems compared.  The presentation of the 422 system was slightly forward, and with proper setup it could paint a realistic soundstage.  For most music program material, the S-8 and S-10 subwoofers delivered similar performance.  The S-10 only exhibited an advantage over the S-8 when the program material called for a very deep bass. 

For home theater, the Intimus 422/S-8 or S-10 system did not miss a beat.  Although compact in size, this system handled whatever program materials I threw at it in a grand way, be it action movies, drama, or TV programs.  This system might not possess the last word in smoothness when compared to some of the much more expensive systems out there; however, everything was presented with good clarity and transparency.  Movie dialogues, for example, were always presented with a high degree of intelligibility.  Also, the 422-LR and 422-C possessed an excellent timbre match.  As a result, this system never failed to engage the viewer with what was happening on the screen.  The system could also generate the necessary sound impact when called for, for example, during an action sequence.  Part of it was due to the competence of the subwoofer.  In terms of impact produced, the two subwoofers produced slightly different results.  Although the S-8 subwoofer was no slouch and in my opinion was better than many small subwoofers out there, the S-10 was simply better and capable of delivering a more convincing impact in an effortless manner.