Secrets Revealed
Written: May 24 '00 (Updated Mar 26 '01)
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Pros: very, very good at reproducing well-recorded audio material.
Cons: reveals weaknesses in poorly recorded material, even your favorites.
The Bottom Line: Outstandingly detailed loudspeakers. They reveal incredible information about the source material, and the slightest change or weakness in associated equipment.
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| Technology's Full Review: Audio Concepts ACI Sapphire III (pair) |
I built my first pair of Audio Concepts (ACI) loudspeakers in 1988 and I still enjoy them. Last year, I bought a pair of Sapphire IIIs and a Titan subwoofer and have come to know them quite well during 17 months of listening. I am not an audiophile, but rather an attentive casual listener who makes thoughtful and gradual improvements to my audio system and listening environment as my ability to listen improves.
The Sapphires are very, very good at reproducing recorded audio material. While a high level of accuracy is certainly a requirement of better monitors, the casual listener must be certain that his or her ears and brain are ready to take on the challenge of owning such precise instruments. The Sapphire IIIs, and other more expensive monitors are remarkably revealing, sometimes to the point of distraction. They reveal weaknesses in recordings, weaknesses in connected audio equipment, and weaknesses in one's own perceptions of sound. On the other hand, with good source material, equipment and proper placement, the Sapphires can provide a near euphoric listening experience.
I find that the Sapphires excel especially in the reproduction of well-recorded microphone-sourced vocals and acoustic instruments. Strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and piano (exceptional) are all reproduced brilliantly. Therefore, as one might expect, jazz, opera, orchestral, acoustic rock and similar recordings are a joy to hear. The details revealed by the Sapphire IIIs in these types of recordings provide exciting discoveries, and enhance the overall listening experience. The sense of space, attacks, decays, and reverberations bring remarkable realism to well recorded music. There simply seems to be more information in the music when played on these speakers, and that music is nearly effortless to listen to. I have yet to suffer from the ear fatigue that comes all to quickly from typical consumer loudspeakers.
UPDATE: In my original review at this point, I mentioned how a good deal of the Rock and Roll genre does not fair quite as well on these loudspeakers. This observation is no longer true for me. I have since upgraded a number of my upstream components and with each upgrade, these speakers get better and better playing all types of music. As I mentioned above, these speakers reveal weaknesses in associated components, and clearly that was my problem. These speakers can really get a groove going.
The Sapphires excel at transients, and certainly more transient rock music sounds better than tracks where the engineer pinned the meters for the entire song.
The Sapphire IIIs are probably overkill for a typical 5.1 surround home theater. I have used them in a HT setup too even though it required moving the speaker positions from the best spots for audio-only listening. Nevertheless, combined with the great Titan subwoofer (or Titan II) anyone would be blown away by the audio experience of a DTS DVD. The imaging capability that the Sapphires possess is nothing short of astounding. The Sapphires can place a sound so precisely; you would swear the center channel was on when listening to stereo recordings. If every HT had Sapphire IIIs, there would be no need for a center channel in the mix and we'd all be spending a little less money buying 4.1 systems instead of 5.1. I have a single ACI Emerald speaker for the center channel, which is also overqualified for the job and a shame that it's not paired up for stereo music in another room. For myself and most other casual listeners, it is cost prohibitive to have a separate setup for Home Theater and stereo audio, but it would be ideal to use the Sapphire III/Titan combination for listening only.
In many respects, ACI's better products provide a rare opportunity for a budget-minded listener to access a realm of quality that would typically lie beyond their means. The Sapphires IIIs aren't a bargain for everyone, especially considering that the $799 Titan subwoofer is needed to fully complete the bottom end of the audio spectrum (which it does famously). Ears can be easily fooled, and many far less expensive speakers can fill a room with pleasing sounds and thundering effects. Fully appreciating the Sapphire IIIs is a long learning process, but they generate affection in the owner that, it seems, no other speaker in that price range could possibly do. They look great and sound great, if you really want to listen to music. If you just want kicking speakers to fill a room with music or theater audio, I would suggest saving a little money on something else.
Audio Concepts Sapphire IIIs can only bought directly from the manufacturer. Currently $1129/pair
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 949/pair
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Epinions.com ID:
Technology
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Location: Washington, DC
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 2 members
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