Entered CNET Catalog: 08/17/2005
SKU: 83X
Manufacturer: Aperion Audio
Manufacturer description
Take your home entertainment to new heights of audiophile sound and unprecedented value and performance with the Intimus 633-T Tower Speaker. The thick, furniture-grade cabinetry is easy on the eyes and minimizes resonance while the custom 1" silk tweeter and 6 ½" carbon fiber drivers sound fantastic and deliver tight bass and exceptional midrange clarity. Right out of the box, the 633-T will handle whatever music you throw at it. Add a subwoofer, and you've got a system to be reckoned with. The ultimate in sonic excellence for medium and large rooms, the Intimus 633-T Tower Speaker offers flawless sound reproduction, tight bass, superior midrange, crisp highs and an absolutely enormous soundstage. Can you have all this without taking out a second mortgage on your house?Product summary
The good: Two-way tower speaker with twin 6.5-inch woofers; gorgeous, furniture-grade finishes; 10-year warranty; free shipping; 30-day in-home trial.
The bad: Spouse acceptance factor for oversized speakers such as the 633-T have hit new lows.
The bottom line: This big Aperion Intimus 633-T speaker makes the sort of full-size sound that satellite/subwoofer-based systems can only dream about.
Average user rating: from 4 users
5.0 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/10/2006
The speaker uses two 6.5-inch composite woofers and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter. Aperion's new HD-X3 impedance-leveling crossover technology is said to produce better sound, greater efficiency, and an easier load for amplifiers than the crossovers used in previous generations of Aperion speakers. The 633-T's gold-plated, five-way binding posts accept single or dual banana plugs, spades, pins, or bare wire.
Pick up any Aperion speaker and the first thing you'll notice is that it's a lot heavier than you thought it would be. Here's why: instead of relying on commonplace 0.5- or 0.75-inch-thick medium-density fiberboard (MDF), Aperion cabinets are constructed from 1-inch-thick high-density fiberboard (HDF). The heavily braced cabinets minimize resonance to produce more accurate sound. And unlike the cheesy, vinyl-wrapped surfaces that are the norm for a lot of speakers these days, all of Aperion's speakers sport real cherrywood or high-gloss piano-black finishes.
Aperion's extrathick foam packing materials and blue velour "socks" protect the speakers on the way to you. And to top things off, if you buy the 633-T with a multichannel speaker package (such as Aperion's System E bundle), Aperion will include a high-quality sound-pressure meter to help you get the best sound from your system. Aperion is so confident that you'll love the 633-T that the company sells the speaker with a 30-day, money-back return policy. UPS Ground shipping is free (ditto the return shipping if you're not satisfied) in the continental United States. The speaker is sold with a 10-year warranty.
We found the Aperion 633-T to be a little sensitive about placement. Position them too close to the rear wall and the bass can turn muddy, while putting them too far out in the room will result in lost focus and detail. If you want to extract the best sound from your investment, be prepared to move the speakers around your room to find the magic spot where the sound locks in. At that point, install the provided machined brass leveling feet and brass footers to protect your floor's finish. The feet definitely firmed up bass detail and definition.
Living with the Aperion 633-T, we were once again reminded us that even the better satellite/subwoofer systems can't match the sonic gravitas of a full-size speaker system. Big special-effects-driven DVDs came alive over the 633-Towers; scary films, such as the truly gruesome Saw, were scarier, and we noted the speakers sounded less like home theater and more like the sound of a great movie theater. Size still matters.
Home-theater performance was strong, but we'd bet a lot of folks will buy the Aperion 633-T for its musicality. CDs had the midrange naturalness we crave and rarely get from smaller speakers; bass instruments have satisfying weight and nuance. Crank up hard rock from the likes of Queens of the Stone Age or the Ramones and the 633-Ts will kick serious butt. Jazzophiles will dig the speakers' free-flowing swing and natural ease. Yes, in smaller rooms, satellites are the only practical option, but if you're lucky enough to have the luxury of space--say, 400 square feet or more--go for the gusto and try a set of 633-Ts. And since Aperion offers free shipping--even for returns--you have nothing to lose.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 4 user reviews
Great speakers
Pros: Big, bright sound, beautiful cherry finish
Cons: Sorry, can't think of any...
Review: I am not an audiophile, but I do love music. For years I wanted to replace my old BA speakers, and other purchases kept getting in the way. Finally, with the help of CNET, I decided on a pair of 633-T’s and I think I am as close to being in love with a pair of speakers as you can get. These are great sounding, beautiful speakers. Kudos to Aperion for crafting such great sounding, classy looking, speakers. Its as if I have rediscovered my music. And my wife likes them too!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 4 user reviews
You cannot beat the value!
Pros: Look amazing but I give the sound a 'great' rating
Cons: Size can be an issue for some
Review: Look-amazing. Build-amazing. Service-amazing. Sound-great.
Would really rate them 9.5 but cnet doesnt offer that option so i gave benefit of the doubt. I first tried the power towers and they were good but I consider myself an audiophile on a budget and there was something missing for my ears in the midrange area although the bass was great. Called aperion and they sent these babies out at their expense and picked up the power towers at their expense and i got exactly what I was looking for. Wife approval was an easy sell once she saw the beautiful cabinets. Using a 200w rotel amp. Although they would sound good without a sub, most any system will benefit greatly from a sub. The people at aperion are great. Try them. You will love them!
Would really rate them 9.5 but cnet doesnt offer that option so i gave benefit of the doubt. I first tried the power towers and they were good but I consider myself an audiophile on a budget and there was something missing for my ears in the midrange area although the bass was great. Called aperion and they sent these babies out at their expense and picked up the power towers at their expense and i got exactly what I was looking for. Wife approval was an easy sell once she saw the beautiful cabinets. Using a 200w rotel amp. Although they would sound good without a sub, most any system will benefit greatly from a sub. The people at aperion are great. Try them. You will love them!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 4 user reviews
Excellent product
Pros: fit and finish, piano black looks a lot more expensive than it really is, sound is very clear no distortion with my Onkyo 703
Cons: shiny black shows dust but very easy solution with the supplied cleaning cloth
Review: I purchased a pair of 633T's at the new year (2006). They were at my door in 4 days from the time I made the phone call. The packaging was excellent including the supplied velvet bags. I have a large room 24' x 30' and these speakers along with the S12 subwoofer, a pair of 532LR surrounds, and the 533VAC center sound awesome. I am using an Onkyo 703 receiver 100wpc which is more than enough to fill the room with sound and rumble the windows. I am extremely happy with my purchase and no I don't work for them!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 4 user reviews
Superb sound, beautiful finish, outstanding craftsmanship
Pros: Sound exceeded what I expected
Cons: Possibly size but the clarity makes up for it.
Review: At first I was reluctant to get a speaker system from the Internet without hearing them first. I'd listened to Polk, Klipsch and Infinity and they sounded good but I couldn't do the in-home test. Figured that if Aperion would pay for the shipping both ways, I should give them a try. They are still here. I liked the sound immediately and I think they sound better than the Klipsch or Polks. I never get tired of listening to them. I've played music, movies and regular TV through them and after a month, I'm still amazed of the sound. These speakers, to me, have a better sound than the Klipsch or Polks. I'd recommend them to anyone over any other speakers. Aperion sent a spool of Monster Cable along with the banana plugs and a cable tool. The Customer Support rep would always take the time to talk with me about my speaker choices.
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