I began with an intimately familiar flamingo CD that was given to me by my lovely wife on our anniversary a few years ago. This is the type of CD that is most enjoyable at soft listening levels in the quiet silence and darkness of the evening. I use this disc to judge just how well a speaker system, or component gear for that matter, can reproduce the subtle nuances of Eric Hanson's guitars, as well as all of the percussions and too many other instruments to notate here.

What I discovered when listening to this CD on the Aperion Intimus loudspeaker system was a very involving reproduction of the disc I have grown accustomed to on some of the previously reviewed fine performing loudspeakers. I did feel some of the top quality bookshelf speakers I have reviewed in this price range offered a more open soundstage and presence. However, the almost anemic bass response of most bookshelf speakers in this price category was no match for these Aperion Audio powered towers.

The Aperion Audio's put forth a great amount of detail with conviction. But, at times I felt the top end of this speaker system was somewhat more aggressive than I was accustomed to. I don't consider this to be a "bright" speaker, but more a forwardly challenged breed typical of most A/V enthusiast listening preferences. I found the top end of this speaker to be right there in your face, but it never seemed piercing like I have heard in some similarly priced metal dome tweeter systems. In fact, there were instances where I welcomed the energetic sound on dull recordings.

Moving on to SACD, I chose Gloria Estefan for a variety of reasons {great sound, great music, great WOW factor}. Gloria's voice in " Por Un Beso " sounded wonderfully powerful and crisp. The drums were vibrant and the bass was well extended. While the vocals were smooth, I did find the Intimus system portrayed them in a slightly recessed style for my listening preferences. I personally prefer a more forward sounding midrange, but as Bugs Bunny once said "one man's meat is another man's poison" - and who am I to argue his wisdom?

" No Me Dejes De Querer " is the type of song you play loud at Columbian parties, or when you have a few moments to yourself with nobody around to yell at you. I had the luxury of the latter and took full advantage of it within the limits of my hearing. The Aperion Intimus towers didn't disappoint. The bass remained clean and well extended. The overall tonal balance maintained uniformity with minor signs of compression. Overall, my listening experience was not tainted at high listening levels like I have experienced with other speakers. Apparently, the tweeters were coping quite well despite my initial fears of neodymium magnets and shallow series crossovers. I did feel the overall sweet spot of these speakers was over a smaller window than I have experienced with other products, especially when compared to my much costlier reference bookshelf speakers. But if you're like me, you have that "hot seat" reserved for yours truly and beware the unsuspecting person who attempts to claim it for their own.

Because of the sheer visual beauty of these speakers, and their relatively small footprint, the Intimus towers garnered a rather high WAF and were exempt from my WAF Five Step Procedure previously mentioned in my RBH Sound T-2 review . My wife usually doesn't take much notice to loudspeakers I review unless they are an eye sore to her, or very appealing. In this case, she was overly pleased with their slim elegant design and snazzy bass plinth.

The Aperion Audio Intimus Powered Tower (what a mouthful) garners my recommendation to those looking for a full range handsomely crafted speaker system with integrated subwoofers to eliminate the bulk of yet another big box in your home theater / living room. Their overall sound should please most audio enthusiasts and their well-extended bass should enthrall the home theater aficionados alike. There is a sense of pride of ownership of this product NOT typical in most consumer audio gear (especially at this price). Whether this appeal is a result of the craftsmanship, sound quality, customer support and service, I will let you decide. My guess is that it will be all of the above.