[Chuck_M]

I have had my Aether Audio Timepiece Minis for well over a year now.

You'll have to go to my gallery to view the long overdue pictures.  When I try to use the "insert image" macro button I keep getting error messages.  Sorry.

I am still loving these amazing magical boxes.  I have had them for a year and four months, so my assessment of their performance doesn't occur during the "honeymoon" period.

If you look at the pictures and think that the Minis are too close to the front wall - I agree.  That is where they are parked during the day so grand kids don't run into them during their visits; and to keep my wife happy.  I pull them forward at night for my listening sessions.

The room is acoustically untreated but well furnished so it is not overly lively.  Also, when I pull the speakers away from the front wall, I am almost sitting in the nearfield position.  At moderate volumes, room interactions don't seem to be an issue.

I have owned Von Schweikert, VMPS, Odyssey Lorelei, Nightingale, DeCapo Reference 3A, and other well regarded speakers over the years.  I eventually got bothered by some minor compromise that I did not like about those various speakers (excellent as they are).

After a year + honeymoon, I am still loving these Minis.  I have found NOTHING objectionable about their honest presentation of the recorded material.  Gobs of detail; but presented delicately, naturally, in a top-to-bottom balanced way. 

Excellent soundstaging and image specificity.  Tons and tons of subtle nuance and micro-dynamics.  They maintain their balance and detail at very low volumes and remain composed at very high volumes.  Vocals are hauntingly real. 

The Minis also serve up audio for movies in my setup.  They have excellent slam and impact.  My son was watching Captain America the other day and I could feel the visceral impact of the bass from the adjacent room.  I am amazed these small monitors have that kind of reach and taught power in the bass region.

These speakers are a pure joy to listen to.  Are they finally my "last" set of speakers?

Ha, ha!  Only if I get hit by a bus tonight!  I am an audio hobbyist and never keep a component for more than two years.  Eventually I will succumb to the urge to try something different.

But I can honestly say that I find absolutely no fault with the Minis, and haven't gotten upgraditis since I have had them.  That is a new personal record for me by a VERY LARGE margin.

Thanks Bob...wonderful speaker!

P.S.  Now go look at them in my gallery...I tried to embed the pictures here for convenience but couldn't make it work.

I have to go summon The Who or Zeppelin or Norah Jones to my listening room now...

[konut]

Nice write up Chuck! Give them another year or two to break in and you probably will want to keep them. 

[saisunil]

http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=58386

Nice ...

[Charles Xavier]

Nice

[Chuck_M]

Thanks guys.  Thanks for the link saisunil.

My brief review is very restrained after heavy editing on my part. 

I really wanted to say how the Minis ooze passion.

I wanted to say how their precision and attention to detail conjure images of Bob working well into the night, obsessing over the tiniest detail of the crossover network like Antonio Stradivari obsessing over the finest details of his stringed instruments.

I wanted to say they were glorious, superlative, exquisite, masterpieces that I will always treasure. 

I really wanted to say how they breathe life into music like I have never before known.

But I was afraid that I would sound like I was gushing, and that's just not dignifide.

Experienced audiophiles might suggest, "never buy an audio component that you haven't auditioned at length in your own listening environment."

However, I read somewhere that you don't know what you don't know.  Life is full of risks.  I am VERY glad I finally took a chance and purchased the Minis.  Now I know (at least in part) what I didn't know.  These speakers are truly special and remarkable.

Thanks again, Bob.

With love and respect.

[lonewolfny42]

I am an audio hobbyist and never keep a component for more than two years.  Eventually I will succumb to the urge to try something different.

And when you do....simple...just move "up the line".....gets even better.

[doug s.]

doug s.

[Chuck_M]

Thanks Doug.  I went back a couple of times to edit the post and add the pics, but with the same result each time...it locks up like it's stuck in an infinite loop.  I guess I am not tech savvy. 

[DeadFan]

Hi Chuck.

Love your write up. Like you I have taken a punt with Bob's speakers. (Have a pair of Rev's going through the finishing touches)

Not really much of a punt I must admit, as many well repected AC'ers (Lonewolf, ted_b, konut etc) have had an ongoing love affair with Bob's
speakers and have given many glowing endorsements over the years.

However it is super encouraging (and mouth watering) to see more critical acclaim.

My amps (TRL Samson's), preamp (TRL The Dude) and modded (TRL) Marantz SA8001 have all recently arrived so I am itching to marry them all up
with the Revelation's. (nudge, nudge Bob).

Thanks again for the review Chuck.

Regards
Graham

[lonewolfny42]

Revelation's.....NICE Graham !!!!

My amps (TRL Samson's), preamp (TRL The Dude) and modded (TRL) Marantz SA8001 have all recently arrived so I am itching to marry them all up
with the Revelation's. (nudge, nudge Bob).

Good system....

You'll be "rockin' the house" for sure !!!

Enjoy.....

[konut]

My amps (TRL Samson's), preamp (TRL The Dude) and modded (TRL) Marantz SA8001 have all recently arrived so I am itching to marry them all up
with the Revelation's. (nudge, nudge Bob).

 


 
That should sound amazing. Be patient. Perfection takes a little longer.   

[Chuck_M]

Hi DeadFan,

Bob told me four weeks but it took almost eight months.  In fairness to Bob, he called and told me about some upgrades he was experimenting with and I agreed to try them out.  That's why there are phase plugs utilized in the tweeters of my Minis; and why they took much longer.  Bob was tuning and perfecting the crossovers to the new tweeters. (BTW - If Bob suggests some new tweeks - ALWAYS say yes!)

I know the wait is tough but I have to believe your patience in this case will pay off - BIG.

Everything about the sound of the Minis exudes obsessive passion, on a level of precision one might associate with BMW or the finest Swiss watches.

(And I ONLY have the Minis.  I can't even imagine how good the Revs must be).


konut - not sure if you were kidding about two more years of break-in, but I went back through some of the same recordings I used to audition the Minis when I first got them.  I am still hearing clear improvement (more layers of even finer detail - at the same time, presented with more ease - nothing clinical or analytical about the sound to my ears - just glorious music).

So I will take your advice.     Heck, I haven't really even gotten them optimized yet.  I am still shopping better speaker stands (suggestions accepted - I have carpet over concrete - so something good at draining vibrations away from the speaker cabinets and dissipating them).

Thanks everyone.  Hang in there DeadFan...hopefully Christmas will come early this year for you!

[Big Red Machine]

Holy Shiznit, that will be awesome.  Are you breaking the TRL gear in now on anything you can connect?  Better after 100 hours and by 400 you're golden.

Hi Chuck.

Love your write up. Like you I have taken a punt with Bob's speakers. (Have a pair of Rev's going through the finishing touches)

Not really much of a punt I must admit, as many well repected AC'ers (Lonewolf, ted_b, konut etc) have had an ongoing love affair with Bob's
speakers and have given many glowing endorsements over the years.

However it is super encouraging (and mouth watering) to see more critical acclaim.

My amps (TRL Samson's), preamp (TRL The Dude) and modded (TRL) Marantz SA8001 have all recently arrived so I am itching to marry them all up
with the Revelation's. (nudge, nudge Bob).

Thanks again for the review Chuck.

Regards
Graham

[Charles Xavier]

  Bob was tuning and perfecting the crossovers to the new tweeters. (BTW - If Bob suggests some new tweeks - ALWAYS say yes!)

 

I didn't listen to him in the beginning. When he shipped my Spirit 1's he tweaked the xover and it wasn't what I heard on his tour model , so through his guidence I put the xovers back to the way I first heard them. 1.5 years later I decided to put the xovers back the way he shipped them and I immediately heard what he kept telling me they should sound like. Flat response and lots of air. Amazing . I guess I was too impatient to let them break in.

[stlrman]

Stop!!Your making me very sorry I sold my Minis !!
Todd

[Charles Xavier]

Stop!!Your making me very sorry I sold my Minis !!
Todd

I think you are already sorry 

Not to derail the thread but what are you using now ?

[Old timer]

My amps (TRL Samson's), preamp (TRL The Dude) and modded (TRL) Marantz SA8001 have all recently arrived so I am itching to marry them all up
with the Revelation's. (nudge, nudge Bob)

That's a beautiful sounding combination! Congratulations,
Old Timer

[stlrman]

Charles,
I am awaiting Vapor Breeze in Redwood Burl with matching stands!
I am thinking about driving out to Detroit to hear them set up in one of the Vapor rooms at Akfest!!
How's that for motivation for a road trip.
Todd

[Big Red Machine]

Look me up if you come out.

Charles,
I am awaiting Vapor Breeze in Redwood Burl with matching stands!
I am thinking about driving out to Detroit to hear them set up in one of the Vapor rooms at Akfest!!
How's that for motivation for a road trip.
Todd

[ted_b]

Hi Chuck.

Love your write up. Like you I have taken a punt with Bob's speakers. (Have a pair of Rev's going through the finishing touches)

Not really much of a punt I must admit, as many well repected AC'ers (Lonewolf, ted_b, konut etc) have had an ongoing love affair with Bob's
speakers and have given many glowing endorsements over the years.

However it is super encouraging (and mouth watering) to see more critical acclaim.

My amps (TRL Samson's), preamp (TRL The Dude) and modded (TRL) Marantz SA8001 have all recently arrived so I am itching to marry them all up
with the Revelation's. (nudge, nudge Bob).

Thanks again for the review Chuck.

Regards
Graham

Graham, I saw your Revs the last time I was at Bob's place.  You'll love them; mine keep getting better and better.