Calling Aerial 20T owners

Congratulations you made a great speaker choice. I have 20T V1 as well. I have used a number of SS amplifiers on them with varying success. I tried a medium powered tube amp and it was the only one that was not good at all. It was bright, edgy, and muddled. If you read the review from Stereophile (http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/404aerial/index5.html) and look at the measurements they may explain why, but I don't profess to be an expert in interpreting impedence graphs.

I don't think you'll find a tube amp that will be a great match. You may also know Aerial usually shows with SS amps at shows. During the latest CES they showed the V2's with Boulder gear.

I am currently biamping using a very high quality and high output SS amp. I can tell you they sound like a totally different speaker than they did with my previous amps. The higher output has transformed them from a really good speaker, into a totally invisible awesome speaker that is as good as anything I've ever experienced. And no it's not just about Bass. It's about everything.

With my previous amps I preferred them quite wide. That seemed to enlarge the soundstage, although rarely was I able to get the soundstage to extend outside of the placement. The dealer I heard them at was using MAC 501s and doing the same thing.

On a recommendation from a friend I tried a new amplifier that is much higher in output. Wow they sure sing now! The Macs and my previous amps turned out to be wimps when it comes to output. And it's not just about Watts. In all instances I have preferred them toed in at the listener which is also what the manual recommends.

As far as moving them they come with wheels for easy moving. You simply wheel them around until you are happy and then attach the feet. If you didn't get the wheels from the past owner perhaps Aerial will sell you some?

The tweeter is very directional. My owner's manual talks about getting the level right so the tweeter is parallel with your ears. I sure don't remember it saying to tilt them up.

I never tried them but I wouldn't suggest silver speaker cables. The Aerials can get bright (as you know) and the thought of silver cables with tube amps makes my ears hurt. I used Cardas Golden Ref with mine and they sound awesome. I'm between cables right now as my new amp is not monos so my 6' Cardas GR bi-wired cables don't fit anymore. Email if you're interested in them or naming names.

Cheers,

Mike

You can use a Y connector from your pre or have another set of outputs installed. I'm sure the Pass will sound great by comparison. Who knows maybe you'll prefer it? Bat also makes some solid state amps. BTW you don't have to Bi-amp just use a powerful SS amp. That's just what I'm doing.

In the end though, and I hope this doesn't offend you, you didn't do your homework on the 20t's because not many people would say they are "tube friendly". I'm sure a high power tube amp can do it and sound pretty darn good, but IMHO that speaker is designed for SS. If you are dearly attached to the Bat you may have a mis-match.

One side note: I also read the Stereophile review again and in the conclusion they speculate a room that's too small may compress the low end and tilt the speaker's balance to the high end. I suppose that might also be your problem as your room is on the small side for the 20t's (IMHO).

I'd prefer not to name names or slam past equipment but my system is updated. If you want a list of stuff I've tried email me.

Mike

I remember thinking the same thing about the Bass when I decided to buy mine. At the time I had a 200 watt SS amp which I knew would be under powered but deep bass has never really been my thing. When I got them they still sounded great but I kept picking things out that I didn't like. The drivers didn't integrate as well as I thought they should, the bass was low and "there" but not as defined as it should have been, and the sound stage rarely if ever got outside of the speakers which caused too many sounds to be localized on the speaker (as a former Avalon owner I hate that). Then I got some really well powered monoblocks (350 wpc) and the sound really improved. The bass tightened up, and everything was just so much more together. But the soundstaging really didn't improve much and the speakers didn't disappear. Then when I went to my current set up it all snapped into place. No integration issues, soundstage is wide and deep, and they just totally disappear. The more laid back amps have a sound that is a good fit as my monoblocks were highly resolving which was a bit too much of a good thing. Depending on the power of the Pass amps I think that will at least tell you if your problem is related to an equipment mismatch as opposed to a room issue. If it's not a room issue I would encourage you to go the route I have or similar as they really are awesome. Anyway I hope sharing my experiences will help you.

So now two current 20t owners have mentioned Rowland amps as being the best sound we've found so far on the 20t's. Between Cappuccino and myself we've tried no less than 8 different high end SS amps.