Aperion Verus Grand Tower Overview and Measurements

The Verus Grand Tower comes in either a high gloss black or cherry finish. Our review pair came in the black. The speaker is quite heavy at 65 pounds and is tall but not overly wide or deep (43.5" H x 8" W x 12" D). One of the problems with a tower speaker is making sure it is stable, especially if you are striving to create one with a smaller footprint. Aperion Audio has addressed that by providing an outrigger-like solution for the feet. While they only stick out about an inch or less to the side of the front and back baffle, it is enough to make for a very stable speaker. The foot options on the Verus Grand Tower speakers are fairly limited with only a sharpish spike provided with a dimpled metal round to use on tile or wood floors. We would have preferred Aperion to provide some sort of rubber foot. Also, the spike isn't all that sharp (though may argue it doesn't have to be) which may make piercing particularly tough carpets a bit of a challenge. The metal round could have used a felt side to facilitate small positioning changes and to better protect hardwood floors. We like how the outriggers give better access to the carpet spikes.

Aperion rates the Verus Grand Towers down to 45Hz at -3dB and 35Hz at -6dB. In room, I found that I got noticeable output in the mid to high 30's and decent output at the mid 40's. It certainly seemed to me that Aperion had rated their new flagship speakers honestly. That said, in my listening tests, I found that, unless I was watching a movie or video where I expected visceral, tangible bass, I preferred the Verus Grand speakers without the use of a powered subwoofer. While the Bravus II 12D provided that impact that I sometimes desired and additional extension for some content, for most music, I was fine with the Verus Grand Towers alone.

As mentioned previously, the tweeter is the real innovation with this speaker line and it didn't disappoint. Even at reference levels for extended listening sessions, the tweeter never felt fatiguing or strained. I had plenty of opportunities to impress neighbors and friends with movies at ear-bleed levels without the aforementioned ear bleeding. This really allows you to crank the volume to show off other parts of you system (like the sub) without worrying about adding unpleasant distortion or compression to the high end.

I measured the Aperion Audio Verus Grand Tower speakers in room to get an idea of their performance in the space. While I don't have access to an anechoic chamber or even a large driveway, some measurement is better than none. Fortunately, I have access to a Berhinger ECM8000 microphone professionally measured at Cross Spectrum Labs. They provided a correction file that can be used with TrueRTA to correct for any idiosyncrasies in individual microphones. Using the Berhinger, an M-Audio Fast Track Pro preamp, and a Sherbourn Model 2/75B amp, I measured the Verus Grand Tower at one meter on axis and 30 degrees off.

Green - 1 meter on, Purple - 1 meter 30 degrees off (1/24 resolution)
Note - this is NOT a one watt measurement

As you can see, in my room, the response was a little hot on the top end on axis but smoothed out a bit as you got off axis. You can also clearly see how linear it is even in-room. The response is very flat down to 40Hz where it starts to drop off. The top end rolls off after 15kHz where human hearing is weakest anyhow and is due, at least partially, to the measurement mic being in close proximity to the tweeter phase plug. If you are wondering why I might be so impressed with a speaker, the above graph should be proof positive. After I completed my in room measurements I asked Aperion to send me their in house measurements. I was astonished to find just how similar the two graphs were. The other physical difference (other than the room) between the min and Aperion's measurements is that Aperion measured with the grilles on and I did them with the grilles off.

Aperion Verus Grand Tower Frequency Response Measurement from Manufacturer

These graphs look eerily similar. As an Audioholic, I've always been taught that in room measurements are inherently flawed - and they are at frequencies below the transition band (300Hz) where they become room dominant. But you can see that, when compared to the Aperion in house measurement, our in room one tracks pretty closely.  The bass response is a bit skewed by the room and there are a few suckouts but the overall shape is nearly identical from the slightly increased energy on the top and bottom end and the drop off around 15kHz.

 
Aperion Verus Grand Tower Impedance Measurement

The Verus Tower appears to be tuned in the 35Hz region as indicated by the saddle point between the two impedance maximas.  Towards DC, the system impedance measures 6 ohms as Aperion rates this speaker but be mindful of the 4 ohm dip in the 80-150Hz region when mating an amp with these speakers.  Feed them quality from an amp rated down to 4 ohms and you will be rewarded.  These speakers deserve quality amplification.