Aperion Audio Verus III Concert V8T Tower (Floor-standing) Speaker Review

It all started when someone wanted to buy a decent set of speakers at a reasonable price. Eventually, they ended up building their own to eliminate the middleman, which eventually turned into a business in Wilsonville, Oregon called Aperion Audio. That was in 1999. My first encounter with this company came when I was looking for my first serious speakers back in 2001. I found Aperion’s Intimus speakers online and gleaned a ton of audio information from the Aperion University section on their web page. Then, Aperion Audio dropped off my proverbial radar. Until now.

• Goldenear Triton Three Loudspeaker Review
• Canton Vento 100 Floor Speaker Review

If you are familiar with their early Intimus line of speakers, you’ll have noticed their spartan, utilitarian style. They even had a veneer that made them look a bit orange. At that time, I was only interested in sound quality and value, both of which were present in spades. Aperion Audio’s newer line of speakers has come a long way in looks to the point where I can say the Verus line is one of the most handsome speakers I have ever had in my media room. My review pair came in gloss cherry, and they looked stunning when the sunlight came streaming into my media room in the mornings and reflected off them. The cherry veneer is made from the same wood for each pair, so they match grain-wise. The other color option is gloss black. The speakers were individually wrapped in a purple satin bag with a golden colored pull tie which added to the excitement and anticipation of what was to be revealed. Yes, white gloves are also included in the box. This is what getting new audio equipment should feel like! You should be giddy with joy and excitement as you unpack your new gear.

The V8Ts were well protected with thick foam padding and with each box weighing about 100 pounds, I recommend unpacking them with an assistant. Once I installed the solid aluminum outrigger feet, I carefully flipped them right side up into position about 7.5 feet apart and 2.5 feet off my front wall. The V8Ts were also some of the tallest speakers I’ve had the pleasure to review. After the initial setup, I feared the tweeters would be too high above my ears at my listening position, but once I removed the grilles, I saw that they were squarely at ear level between the two mid-range drivers in a D’Appolito array. The feet are adjustable if you need to tilt them forward or back to get the tweeters just right.

The front baffle is made of solid MDF that allows the drivers to sit flush without any screws showing. These speakers look great with or without the grilles. My review was done with grilles in place, as sonically I heard no difference either way. I felt the jet-black facing gave the illusion of making the speaker look slimmer, too. On each side of my 77-inch OLED TV, they looked sweet indeed. The curved cabinet exuded quality and refinement with no visible seams to be found anywhere on the surface. Around the back, there were dual five-way binding posts with 12-gauge straps (-/+). Also, there are jumper connectors that add 2dB or take off 4dB in the midrange and treble so you can customize the sound to your taste.

The crossover for the tweeter/mid is 2.9kHz and 230Hz for the mid/woofer. The foam port plugs in the back also let you select the level of bass that suits your style of listening. The impedance rating is 4 ohms with an SPL rating of 91dB. The frequency response is 26Hz – 35kHz, so you could easily run these as full range without a subwoofer. Being able to tweak the bass, mid, and treble on the V8Ts is not unique, but is also not common. I do not know of many other speakers that let you customize the sound like the V8Ts do. My advice is to experiment and enjoy what sounds the best to you. For my review, I left everything in the “factory setting”, but I did have my Marantz run Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 correction to optimize the V8Ts to my room.

To enhance my review, Aperion Audio sent along their new Class A/B stereo amp, the E2 (Energy 2). It provides 170 watts into 8 ohms; both channels driven, and runs quietly with passive air cooling. It uses high-current Toshiba bipolar output transistors and incorporates soft start technology to eliminate powerup thumping due to surges. When on standby, the front logo glows a soft orange color and when powered up, it glows a soft bluish-white.

The connections in the back are industrial and solid and include both balanced and unbalanced inputs. The OEM power cord is removable. I won’t go into a lot of detail about the amp, but I was pleased with its performance. I compared it to my Emotiva UPA-1 mono-blocks and found the E2 sonically equal. I also liked the design of the front panel as it had a pleasing aesthetic that is more stylish than the typical black face plate of so many other amps. Be sure to check out Aperion Audio’s other amplifiers if you are thinking of starting a home theater project.

Visually, the Verus III Concert V8Ts are very pleasing to the eye. For what it’s worth, my wife liked their cherry finish very much. I am pleased to say that they sounded as impressive as they looked. My initial impression was that they sounded BIG. By that, I mean they had excellent presence and the underpinning bass had real authority. I do not recommend these for a small room as they need space to breathe. Aperion has other models that are better suited for smaller rooms. The treble had a bit softer high end than my Sonus fabers, but with the treble adjustment, you can bump it up if your room is too dry. The midrange frequencies were well presented and gave male voices a warm, clean sound. Strings in the orchestra simmered and the bass section had a full-bodied sound that added to the realism. When played loudly, they just opened and filled the room with a wide soundstage that had remarkable depth and presence

The Energy 2 amp never even got warm to the touch after extended playing. This sound quality was reproduced with my Emotiva UPA-1 monoblocks as well as the SVS Wireless Pro SoundBase that I had on hand (200-watt/channel class D amp). The Verus IIIs don’t need a lot of power to produce good sound. When played softly, they still maintained excellent detail. By the time I had to ship these back to Washington state, I felt that I would have been content to call these speakers my own. In comparison, they came darn close to Sonetto Vs and cost less, too. I would not hesitate to recommend these to a friend, and I was left with more than a little respect for Aperion Audio. Why are there not more reviews online for these speakers?

Aperion Audio’s Verus III Concert V8T tower speakers deliver high-end looks and performance at the attractively low price of just $3,998 a pair.

I walk away from this review very impressed. Aperion Audio has designed a remarkable speaker that sounds fantastic and has a stunningly beautiful exterior. Everything about the Verus III Concert V8T exudes quality and refinement. From the packing material to the sound and build quality, I enjoyed these speakers. I hope more people will discover this company that has been making speakers for more than 30 years in our very own Great Northwest. I highly recommend the Aperion Audio Verus III Concert V8T towers if you are in the market for powerful, beautiful, and musically detailed speakers.