- Manufacturer & Model
-
Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel Speaker
- MSRP
- $799.00 Internet Direct
- Highlights
-
Patented 28mm Aperion Axially Stabilized Radiator V.2 Silk Dome Tweeter
One 4" Woven-Kevlar Midrange Driver w/ Aluminum Phase Plug
Two 6.5" Woven-Kevlar Woofers w/ Butyl Rubber Surrounds
Aperion Customized Internal Wiring
3-Way Aperion Customized Crossover Network
Anti-Resonant, Internally Braced, Ultra-Thick HDF Cabinet Walls
Curvilinear Design & Compound Angles Minimize Panel Resonances
VoiceRight Technology
5-Way Gold-Plated Binding Posts
Furniture-Grade Gloss Cherry Veneer or Gloss Piano Black Finish
Curved Cabinet Blends Well and Works Within any Décor Scheme
Lightweight Magnetic Retention Grille
- Summary
-
The second from the top of the Aperion Audio Verus III center channel lineup, the Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel Speaker is a perfect match for their Verus III Grand V6T+ Dual 6.5" Tower Speaker. The Verus III V6C is a beautifully built speaker that features furniture-grade Gloss Cherry real-wood veneer or Piano Gloss Black Lacquer finishes in a softly curved sealed cabinet design. A custom three-way 3rd order crossover divides and routes the frequency spectrum to two 6.5" Woven-Kevlar woofers, one 4" Woven-Kevlar midrange driver with Aluminum Phase Plug, and one of Aperion Audio's patented 28mm Axially Stabilized Radiator (ASR) Silk Dome Tweeter. Also featured is Aperion's VoiceRight bass correction technology that tailors the bass performance for placement near a wall/in-a-cabinet or on a speaker stand.
The Review
Aperion Audio is an internet direct company headquartered in the US in Wilsonville, Oregon, and has been in operation since 1999. Aperion Audio designs, manufactures, and sells, a wide range of speakers, electronics, and accessories.
I've had the opportunity to review several Aperion Audio products in the past. Specifically, the Aperion Audio AMT Di-Polar Super-Tweeter and MK-II Planar-Magnetic Ribbon Super-Tweeter, and I found them well-made, functional, and easily integrated.
Even more recently, I was offered the opportunity to review their Flagship speaker offering, the Verus III Concert V8T Dual 8" Tower Speaker, the review of which can be found here! I suggested that Aperion Audio consider sending along the matching Verus III V8C Center Channel Speaker. Unfortunately, the V8C was not in stock but Aperion Audio accommodated by sending along their Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel Speaker!
Delivery Day
I had a "fair warning" from Aperion and FedEx that the speakers were enroute. When they arrived, they were deposited on my front porch by the mysterious phantom FedEx team, who managed to dump them and disappear before I even got to the front door.
The V6C speaker box arrived in good condition along with their much bigger brothers, the Verus III Concert V8T tower speakers.
First Impressions
The speaker was packed in a single-wall, heavy-duty cardboard container, suspended between two sturdy closed-cell foam endcaps. The speaker itself was wrapped in a plastic bag. When peeled away, it revealed that same very classy velour-like Royal Blue baggie I first encountered in unpacking the Verus III V8Ts, softly swaddling the Verus III V6C Center Channel Speaker.
Also in the box were the instruction manual, polishing cloth, and two rubber boots to suspend the curved speaker cabinet on a flat surface.
Construction and Design
The Gloss Cherry finish on my sample speaker was perfectly done. All seams and joinery were tight and flawless.
If you are not into the Gloss Cherry finish, the speaker is also available in an attractive Gloss Piano Black Lacquer finish.
This speaker has a solid feel and good heft, weighing 33 lbs (15 kg). Dimensions are 9.25" H (w/ rubber feet) x 24.75" W x 11" D (235mm H x 629mm W x 279mm D).
The front panel is a simple matt black finish and is entirely covered by the snap-in magnetically retained grille cover when in place. All drivers are front-facing and sit flush with the front panel. All speaker mounting hardware is hidden beneath attractive formed silica trim rings.
The substantial speaker grille cover assembly is cloth stretched over a heavy molded plastic structure with cutouts for the speakers. The grilles lock into place using an embedded magnetic capture system and sit flush in a precision-milled niche in the cabinet face. Grille, on or off, the speaker presented with a handsome face.
The V6C's sides, back, and top feature soft curves that provide non-parallel surfaces designed to break up internal resonances and standing waves in the heavily braced and sealed cabinet. The "Curve Linear" cabinet design also minimizes external diffraction artifacts. All walls and the front baffle panel of the Verus III Concert are precision milled from 1" thick HDF material. My highly scientific "Knuckle Rap Test" returned a solid "Thunk!" with only the slightest hint of ringing. The internal volume of the sealed cabinet's main chamber is 20.3 liters (.72 cubic feet).
The back panel is simple, with only a small, recessed panel that contains a single set of 5-way binding posts and the VoiceRight switch for tailoring the sound to your mounting scheme.
Here is an exploded drawing from Aperion Audio showing excellent detail.
Driver Complement
Patented 28mm Axially Stabilized Radiator (ASR) Tweeter
The Aperion Audio silk dome tweeter was designed to meet specific objectives. Below is a design statement from the Aperion Audio website.
"Our design objectives required a tweeter that permits a lower crossover frequency in order to unburden the midrange cones above 2.6 kHz, where they tend to beam. To address this conundrum, we went to the drawing board with the goal of developing a tweeter with a diaphragm that resists "rocking" near its resonant frequency. By pinning the diaphragm's center in a plane above the voice coil, it became "axially stabilized," which minimizes unwanted distortion. The silk dome is coated in a specially developed damping compound to ensure a smooth and accurate response with controlled resonance. The refined "wishbone" waveguide has resulted in better output, with more uniform frequency response and wider dispersion across its operating range. The ferrofluid-cooled voice coil is driven by a high-energy ferrite magnet motor."
4" Midrange Driver with Woven-Kevlar Cone and Aluminum Phase Plug
All woofer and midrange drivers in the Verus III family employ Woven-Kevlar cones with butyl rubber surrounds, allowing for high excursion with a warm yet detailed response.The high-gauss ferrite magnet/motor structure with a vented pole piece allows for quick, extended excursions with tight control. Any excess heat build-up is dissipated through an aluminum phase plug assembly sitting over the voice coil.
In addition, the aluminum phase plug increases "focus" and clarity in the critical midrange spectrum by reducing "lobing" and improving phase cancelation/alteration artifacts.
6.5" Woofers with Woven-Kevlar Cones
With Woven-Kevlar cones and a motor structure enabling long-throw linear excursion, the Aperion 6.5" Woofers were designed for clean, tight, accurate bass.
Crossover
The custom crossover is said to have an advanced design obtained through time-intensive iterative development, testing, and fine-tuning. The proprietary V6C crossover is a 3rd order design featuring custom circuit boards mounting Aperion branded thin-film capacitors and air-core inductors.
The custom design is said to be optimized for neutrality, smoothness, and balanced frequency response, with better phase integration resulting in a more open sound in the transition regions.
The 3rd-order design features 18dB/Octave slopes at the crossover point of 900Hz to the midrange and 2.3kHz to the tweeter.
Setup
I set up the Verus III Grand V6C speaker on a Sanus center channel stand that sits on a custom DIY isolation platform. This arrangement found the front baffle of the speaker residing 55" into the room.
The speaker was connected via a parallel run of 10ga Belden 5T00UP speaker wires. The speaker was driven throughout all testing by one channel of my Parasound Halo A52+ five-channel amplifier (255 watts RMS into 4Ω – 180 watts RMS into 8Ω).
I set up and, using my iPad, ran the Audyssey MultEQ room correction App on my Marantz AV7703 processor to eight positions. Then, using the same MultEQ App, I started by limiting the Audyssey effect to 600Hz and below for initial testing.
Measurements
My test setup consists of REW used with a MacBook Pro, MOTU M2 Audio Interface, and a MiniDSP UMIK-2 microphone. Of course, the other component of my test setup is MY ROOM. These measurements are not meant to supplant or contest the measurements given by the manufacturer. Instead, these measurements should only be used to offer a comparison point from a real-world user perspective.
Aperion Audio doesn’t supply an SPL vs. Frequency Response graph for the V6C. It does, however, report a frequency response of 40Hz to 35kHz (referencing the stringent IEC 268-5 specifications).
To keep it simple (and real :-), I did an abbreviated set of measurements for the center channel speaker at 1 meter and then at the center, far-right, and far-left listening seating positions. The measurements were made with the Verus III V6C running full-range and all Audyssey corrections turned off.
Figure 1 below is the Frequency vs. SPL curve measured at 1 meter directly on-axis. The chart shows a smooth and consistent frequency response across the audible range. The measurement confirms Aperion's 40Hz claim, with the speaker delivering that lower frequency about 6dB down from where the curve flattens. While I could not confirm the actual high-frequency extension, my measurements indicate that the highs extend with plenty of energy beyond the limits of my equipment limitations and the limits of normal hearing.
Figure 2 is the off-center axis response, again measured at 1 meter. For this testing, I simply moved the measurement microphone from the starting position of directly on-axis with the tweeter to 15˚, 30˚, 60˚, and lastly, 90˚ (directly to the side of the cabinet) while maintaining the 1-meter distancing and the "directly toward the tweeter" orientation of the microphone. The measurements show a steady drop-off of the mid-range and the high frequencies, as is normal and expected for any speaker of this type.
Figure 3 shows my final measurements from the center, far-right, and far-left listening positions. All three measurements show only a minor variation in the bass response but are otherwise consistent across the rest of the frequency spectrum.
Listening
I started testing after a standard break-in/acclimation period of two weeks. The break-in period coincided with the acclimation period for the Verus III Concert V8T speakers reviewed as part of a multi-channel music and home theater system.
I started with the Audyssey correction turned on, but, as usual, I limited the effect to 600Hz and below. With Audyssey set up in this manner, the V8Ts, main right and left, sounded great, but I was less happy with the sound of the V6C center channel presentation. It sounded a bit congested and a little "boxy" with male dialogue and vocals.
I returned to the MultEQ App and extended the Audyssey coverage to full range with the "Midrange Compensation" turned on. Lo and behold, the V6C, found new life. It sounded terrific! At least in this instance, the Audyssey room correction seemed to do precisely what it was supposed to do!
I looked to the Audyssey results for a clue. What I saw is below in Figure 4. On the left is Audyssey’s measured response, and on the right is its suggested “correction.” Most notable is the peak near 3.1kHz and a dip at around 8kHz. While Audyssey smoothed those aberrations, it was not there that I would have expected to find the problem I was hearing.
Other rough spots were a peak around the prime vocal region of 200Hz (which Audyssey should have corrected when I asked the app to set my Audyssey range to 600Hz and below), and the likely culprit, dip/roughness in the "boxy/Hollowness" range around 500Hz. Even more likely is the positive cumulative effect that Audyssey implemented across the entire frequency range by emphasizing, de-emphasizing, and smoothing the speaker's output into my room.
Whatever the magic performed by Audyssey was, at least in this case, it was a positive effect by allowing the speaker to deliver a better sound into my space.
Listening tests for this review were performed in conjunction with the listening tests for the Verus III Concert V8T speakers. However, with the V6C center channel speaker being the primary subject, the focus was on multi-channel music and home theater.
Multi-Channel Music
I started my multi-channel music evaluation by cueing up an SACD that features the female voice and uses the surround sound as ambiance, not as effects.
I listened to my audiophile favorite, Nora Jones, from her inaugural 2002 release, Come Away with Me (SACD). The Verus III Grand V6C presented the instruments in the center channel, primarily drums and bass, with a clean natural sound and a perfect timbre match with those Nora Jones' trademark breathy-ness-laden vocals pumped through the right and left speakers. The other instruments were mixed in the center channel but subdued throughout the entire recording. The Verus III Grand V6C matched the mains and played well with the other surround speakers (Verus III Concert V8T main R/L, BG Radia SA320i surrounds, Polk 6C ATMOS) in the system, and I never felt that there was a timing or timbre mismatch.
The second selection on the multi-channel list was the oh-so atmospheric, which borders on new age ambient at times, 2014 release of the film version of Pink Floyd's fifteenth studio album, The Endless River (Apple TV 4K – iTunes, 5.1 surround). The album is mainly ambient in structure, with only one-track containing vocals. The visual content of the "movie" is disconnected, overwrought, and even distracting at times. However, the sound is excellent perhaps better listened to and not watched and relies heavily on center channel playback. The center channel plays a significant role in multi-channel music. When instruments were present in the center channel, for either center fill, effects, or ambiance, the Verus III V6C fit in perfectly and never called attention to itself tonally or timbre-wise.
I added additional multi-channel audio to my listening playlist for this center-channel speaker review.
To keep the Pink Floyd vibe going, I popped in the SACD 5.1 mix of Wish You Were Here. First, I listened to the effects-heavy "Welcome to the Machine," running back and forth to the center channel speaker to find that many of the effects were strongly highlighted by the center channel with a consistently strong presence of the drums and bass. The V6C took everything in stride, never missing a beat or standing out as a tonal/timbre mismatch. Next, I listened to the slightly more straightforward "Have a Cigar" and found the strong center channel presentation worked well with the other speakers in the system.
Lastly, I cued up some music from one of my favorite keyboardists, Hiromi, from her 2004 release, Brain. From Brain, I listened to one of the most eclectic tracks on the SACD, "Kung-Fu World Champion." This track is a frenetic, syncopated offering featuring bass, drums, and keys/synths bouncing all over the place. The Verus III Grand V6C clearly and concisely conveyed the center channel content at any volume I asked.
Movie and Surround
I sampled a lot of television and movie content., sourced primarily through streaming iTunes/Disney+/HBO Max/YouTube services via my Apple TV 4K.
Throughout it all, the Verus III performed admirably with all effects and types of content. The sound remained connected to the screen and transferred seamlessly around the surround sound sphere as needed.
Disney+
Willow (Dolby ATMOS) – I've been watching the somewhat variable sequel to the 1988 fantasy movie of the same name. The Disney+ series has had its share of weak/awkward character interactions and storylines, of which I have not been a fan. But as I am making my way through them (I just finished watching episode eight at the time of this writing), I find much of the nonsense starting to resolve, and I am now able to enjoy the storyline more and more and am now hoping for another season.
Regardless of my perceived weaknesses in the storyline, the V6C performed well by keeping the soundtrack listenable and the dialogue solidly connected to the screen. The dialogue and any center channel effects were reproduced with a natural feel. Both dialogue and center channel effects were reproduced with a natural feel, and the speaker consistently blended smoothly and seamlessly with other speakers in the system.
Netflix
I watched the newish Netflix Original, The Witcher: Blood Origin, on Netflix in its entirety (4 episodes). The content was presented in HD 1080P and 5.1 Surround Sound (however, my processor insisted on upsampling to ATMOS). The Verus III V6C delivered the dialogue, even though wooden in its presentation, with clarity and pinpoint precision within the soundstage. Dialogue and sound, from the left/right stage or the rear, appropriately panned from the center and placed to good effect. The Aperion Verus III Grand V6C center blended perfectly with the main R/L Verus III Concert V8Ts and the surrounds and provided a seamless transition around the surround sound sphere.
HBOMax (Dolby ATMOS)
OK, OK…. I might take some flak for this, but I enjoyed this movie way more than I disliked it. I'm talking, of course, about the most recent Dwayne Johnson vehicle, Black Adam.
The dialogue through the Verus III Grand Center channel was clear and intelligible, even in the most effects-heavy, cluttered sound scenes. When effects panned across the front channels, the V6C received and smoothly handed off to the other speakers as required.
Final judgment on the Verus III Grand V6C as the center channel of a high-quality home theater system? Excellent in every respect.
Summary and Closing Thoughts
I found the Verus III Grand V6C an excellent all-around center channel speaker.
Even though it may not be the "dream mate" to Aperion’s Verus III Concert V8Ts, it perfectly matched tonally and timbre-wise, supplying more than adequate grunt and volume when called upon to do so without complaint.
All content through the Verus III Grand V6C was presented with a natural, neutral sound and clarity that just plain worked! There was plenty of tight, punchy, low-end to make it ideal as the center channel speaker in a multi-channel music system, and a smooth and neutral midrange and high-end.
How does the magic VoiceRight button on the back do? Well, it does do something. I had the V6C sitting atop a center channel stand, and the VoiceRight switch was set in the "On Stand" position throughout my listening. Just for giggles and grins, I switched the VoiceRight switch to its "Near Wall or In Cabinet" mode and relistened to what I had on at the time, Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine." Bouncing back and forth, I heard a slight decrease in the bass presence and punch when the switch was in the "Near Wall or In Cabinet" position and the speaker was out into the room. To confirm the validity of what I was hearing, I moved the speaker back against the front wall, and the bass presence was restored somewhat. I changed back to the "On Stand" position, and the sound with the speaker against the wall became a tad boomy. I concluded from this quick experiment that VoiceRight does what it is supposed to do.
Price-wise, the Verus III Grand V6C is in a good spot. In fact, considering its stunning looks and performance, I would say the price is a bargain.
If you are leery of buying a speaker over the internet, Aperion Audio has you covered with a thirty-day in-home audition. In most cases, shipping costs are covered both ways should you return the speakers for any reason. Add in a five-year transferable warranty, lifetime telephone tech support, online training, help, and guidance, and any concerns along those lines should be alleviated.
If you are in the Wilsonville, Oregon area, Aperion Audio has a standing invitation for in-person auditions of the entire Verus line of speakers.
From the Aperion Audio website:
"Aperion Audio is headquartered in beautiful Wilsonville, Oregon - just south of Portland. Whether you're a resident or a visitor, our welcome mat is always out -- so please drop by anytime. You can settle back and listen to music or sample a movie on our Verus Grand speaker lineup in our sound room, meet the team, get advice, or just talk shop with our home theater gurus."
Give it an audition if the Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel speaker fits your budget, system, and room. It may just what you are looking for in a quality center channel speaker!
If you'd like to purchase the Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel and want to support AV NIRVANA, click on one of our affiliate partners, below.*
Specifications: Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel Speaker
Speaker Placement: Center Channel
Frequency Response: 40-35,000Hz (IEC 268-5)
Nominal Impedance: 4Ω
Sensitivity: 87dB
Crossover: 3-Way, 3rd Order, 900Hz and 2.3kHz
Recommended Power: 150 – 300 Watts
Drivers
Tweeter: One 28mm Custom Aperion ASR Silk Dome Tweeter
Midrange: One 4" Woven-Kevlar Cone Woofer with Aluminum Phase Plug
Woofer: Two 6.5" Woven-Kevlar Cone Woofers w/Butyl Rubber Surrounds
Enclosure: Sealed, Anti-Resonant, Internally Braced
Product Weight: 33 lbs/15 Kg
Product Dimensions: 9.25" H (w/feet) x 24.75" W x 11" D (235mm x 629mm x 279mm)
Shipping Weight: 42 lbs/19 Kg
Shipping Dimensions: 32" L x 15" W x 13" H (815mm x 385mm x 340mm)
*AVNirvana.com makes a small commission on purchases made through affiliate links. Our trusted affiliates include B&H Photo, Best Buy, and Amazon. Our reviews are independent of any affiliate status.
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