Suffice it to say, levels were calibrated quite easily and we soon had everything humming along splendidly. We found that toeing in the speakers a bit helped solidify the soundstage and increase imaging. The in-cabinet speaker placement wasn't as ideal as placing them out into the open. I actually pulled them out at one point and felt that the speakers did a much better job of disappearing into the mix when they had room to breathe. It's also important to remember that this system is designed for use in smaller rooms and with the listener close enough to the speakers to work within their near-field design. We sat about 10 feet away for our listening tests and kept the system at moderate levels unless otherwise noted.

We queued up some favorite tracks to give the system a thorough workout and took copious notes.

DVD-Audio: Blue Man Group - The Complex
"Time to Start" set in immediately with a powerful lower mid-bass which simply made the Intimus 4B speakers sound as if they had authority and power to spare. After a few moments we felt the bass was a tad bit too boomy and settled on pulling back the crossover from 120Hz to 110Hz which helped smooth things out a bit. It's our guess that this had more to do with the effects of the room acoustical properties than anything else. Typically we'd recommend starting at 120Hz for the crossover and seeing how well that performed. The PVC drums in the Intimus 4B surrounds and center channel were unmarred by any smearing, even though they were all rapid-firing similar frequencies into the room from all sides. The synth guitar sound was (as expected) recessed in the mix but very intelligible.

During the break, the powerful floor toms in the surrounds absolutely pounded into the room from both sides. This is a very "thick" song and it's easy to lose definition. Overall, the Intimus speakers held their own and really blew me away - sounding very large for a set of satellite speakers. I was excited to hear some female vocals during "Up to the Roof", so I sat back as Tracy Bonham's voice started coming out of the Intimus 4C center channel. At first I wasn't blown away by the detail I heard - and then realized that the surrounds were simply too loud. Because the speakers were arranged in a near-field placement, I had calibrated the surrounds at normal levels. Truth be told, when any surround speaker is within six feet of your ears, it's probably good to drop its level a few dB from normal. Again, this is up to taste, but I've found it to be a good rule of thumb. Returning to the track I felt vindicated - Tracy sounded 200% better. I could now hear some of the texture in her voice, though it still wasn't as pristine as I'd like. Indeed I might recommend considering an upgrade of the front speakers to the 5-series if at all possible. The 5C's addition of a dedicated mid-woofer for a true 3-way design is most likely a giant step up in terms of performance.

"Piano Smasher" was the final track I played from The Complex. It was awesome in that the low frequency hits literally engulfed the room, while the string synths and staccato sounds laced throughout the song danced across the soundstage. It was actually a lot of fun to listen to this album on the 4B Harmony system.

DVD-Audio: Toy Matinee
It had been a while since I pulled up this oldie but goodie. "Last Plane Out" let me hear the width of the stereo separation and cohesiveness of the Intimus 4B speakers, which turned out to be good for a satellite system (though a far cry from some larger bookshelf systems I'd heard - including Aperion's own 6-series). This was partially due to the fact that we were pushing the limits of the system given our room size - yet another plug for upsizing. "Toy Matinee" is a song I use to test the stability and "surround bubble" effect of the system, allowing the recorded toms to travel around the room in a clockwise rotation. The effect was smooth and largely unbroken - and it was then that I realized what a treat it was to be listening to four identical speakers with perfectly matched timbres. The lead vocal, anchored to the center channel, was clean and well-defined. The fronts supported the lead guitar and keys effectively and the room allowed the reverb-filled track to literally transform the room into a live studio.

"There Was a Little Boy" is my favorite track on this album and I was pleased to hear a nice lead vocal form the center with no audible distortion when I cranked it up. Continuing to raise the volume I felt that the system reached its peak quickly once levels exceeded near-field levels. If you want to use the Intimus 4Bs to drive a large room to party levels you may want to consider larger speakers. If you keep them within their design parameters, however, they play loud and tight.

"We Always Come Home" gave me an awesome peel at the high frequency response capabilities of the 4B satellites. The track features some finger slides over the acoustic guitar - which sounded perfect and authentically "live" - as did the overall guitar. Backing vocals and a strong bass line rounded out the "actually there" effect and it really invoked a "close your eyes and enjoy the experience" moment.

DVD-Audio: Diana Krall - Love Scenes
Loves Scenes really pushed the Intimus 4B satellites and 4C center to their limits - and in very good ways. I felt that the acoustic guitar, played beautifully by Russell Malone, sounded perfect in the mix and the bass absolutely sent me on a mission entitled "find that buzz!" The output, to put it mildly, was powerfully strong. I quickly quieted the offending vibration (it was a door) and proceeded to enjoy the hard hitting bass playing of Christian McBride along with the fantastic piano sound. Diana's vocals were smooth ("like buttah" according to my listening companion) and the natural room reverb captured in the mix felt like it had been FedEx overnighted into my listening room - it just melted me in my seat. It's an understatement to say that the Intimus 4B Harmony system did a great job at recreating the jazz club feel in the room. "Peel Me a Grape" was another wonderful experience that completely pulled Diana into the room for a private listening session. She and I hung out for a while as I absorbed her sultry lyrics and marveled at the finesse coming from a set of speakers - each of which was not much larger than a box of tissues.

I reluctantly closed out this round of listening with "Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You.". Diana's every breath revealed more and more texture in this soft track. Aperion should buy a ton of these discs and hand them out with every system.

CD: John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love and Freedom
The opening track "Longest Days" was a nice reflective song with Mellencamp's trademark gritty vocal and a detailed acoustic guitar track that had tons of natural "imperfections" and finger noises. Behind, an accordion provided a nice smooth pad and I was really impressed at just how much layering was coming through the Intimus speakers. "Troubled Land" was a bit harder-hitting and I really loved the detailed snare which ducked in and out of the mix. A Hammond B3 kissed the verses while John delivered a strong lead which issued effortlessly from the speakers.

DVD: Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring
To me, loudspeaker reviews are best tested with music. If you can pass a listening session with multi-channel and stereo music tracks - you're not going to have trouble with movies. You just aren't. There is, however, an importance placed on how well the subwoofer performs - and for that I use this disc. I only put in this disc for one reason - to separate the men from the boys. Queuing up "The Bridge of Khazad Dum" chapter and jumping about half way through we come to the part where the stone bridge is collapsing. The sounds encoded here are incredibly low. More than that, they are as far from one-notey as you can get. Some systems ignore the sounds completely (like most home theater-in-a-box systems) and others reproduce it in a way that lets you know the sub means business. With the new Bravus 8D sub I expected it to do well. I wasn't disappointed - it rendered most of the sound potential of the scene. It didn't fully capture the tactile nature of the scene, however, and turning up the sub didn't do any better. It just doesn't go low enough to grab everything in the scene. What I did notice - and this is important - is that the sub also refrained from bottoming out on what it couldn't deliver. The Bravus 8D played what it could - and stopped where it needed to. That's a good design and one that many customers are going to appreciate.

Conclusions

The Aperion Audio Intimus 4B Harmony SD speaker system completely redefines (or should) what a satellite system can be. To say that the bar has been raised would be to say that Lance Armstrong is raising the bar for amateur cyclists. The Intimus 4B satellites are built like mini bookshelf speakers. The 4C center is rock solid and the Bravus 8D dual-firing subwoofer performed flawlessly and without any hang-ups. This is a system consumers can take home for just over a grand. You can't find this level of quality in a big box store for this price. You just can't. Judging this system is an exercise is setting the correct expectations. If you expect to be able to hide these satellites in a 3000 cubic foot room, you're going to be sadly mistaken. You'll hide more than just the speakers - you'll not achieve good sound quality. These speakers are best listened to in a near-field configuration as we reviewed them. Do this and this might be the best system you can buy for the money.

Intimus 4B Harmony SD Speaker System
MSRP $1179

Aperion Audio
18151 SW Boones Ferry Road
Portland, OR 97224
888-880-8992
www.aperionaudio.com

About Aperion Audio
Based in Portland, Oregon, Aperion Audio designs and manufactures loudspeakers and subwoofers that deliver uncompromised sound quality and audio performance at an unmatched value. Aperion sets a new standard for customer service and support as evidenced by their trademarked risk-free, 30-day in-home audition™. As a direct online retailer, Aperion embraces their customers by allowing them to test-drive their speakers before the commitment to buy; they assume all of the risk and provide their customers all of the enjoyment. To learn more, log on to www.aperionaudio.com.