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The 19-inch-wide by 7.4-inch-tall speaker weighs a hefty 20 pounds and is available in a real cherry wood or a gorgeous high-gloss black finish. The design is loaded with innovative details. Aperion's DiAural crossover is designed to produce less distortion than conventional designs. It directs high frequencies to the 1-inch tweeter, midrange frequencies to the 4-inch midrange driver, and--you guessed it--bass frequencies to the two 5-inch woofers. The beefy all-metal speaker-wire connectors exude strength.
To assess the vertical array's effectiveness, we played our favorite test discs' "pink noise" tracks, and determined that, yes, the 522D-VAC's wide dispersion sound and flat tonal balance were unaffected by our position on the couch. Some centers sound correct only for the listeners seated in a centrally located sweet spot; everyone sitting farther to the left or right may be hearing a brighter or duller sound. With the 522D-VAC, everybody hears the same sound.
The only real drawback of the Intimus 522D-VAC is its large size; this isn't a diminutive little "lifestyle" satellite speaker that fades into the background or mounts easily to the wall. Owners of flat-panel or thin DLP and LCD rear-projection TVs especially will want to carefully consider their decor options before committing to this Aperion center.
That said, the 522D-VAC is an ideal center speaker for serious home-theater buffs. It rounds out a surround system anchored by the matching Intimus 522D-PT powered towers and 522D-SS surrounds.
