Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: ACI Sapphire III Speakers by Firebird

Audio Concepts Sapphire III's factory direct from www.audioc.com

Drivers

Midrange: Focal Dual Voice coil Kevlar
Tweeter: Scanspeak 9300

Construction: Medite 3/4" with brace.
Price Paid: 1000.00 , now I believe they are 1200.00

These speakers are heavy! They weigh 28lbs a piece and about the size of a monitor.

I bought mine finished (above average, but certainly no Legacy) in natural cherry that turned darker and deeper in color over time. They look beautfiul.

Now onto the sound -
Treble:
Excellent detail with a slight tendency to brightness. This brightness is perhaps more a function of the recording, but since most of my recordings are pop/rock type, this tends to stand out more to me. However it is a very neutral transducer in the grand scheme of things. Airy, detailed, and VERY GOOD integration with the focal midrange. Although I believe this is a fine transducer, it doesn't compare to the precision and sweetness of the Soliloquy 5.3's or Reality 3d's. Overall it is excellent.

SCORE (8/10)

Midrange:
The midrange unit is a sandwich composition of Kevlar and polypropylene with a swirl of damping material on the dustcap. The sound is slightly dry but very well focused. And it laid slightly recessed in the soundstage. This speaker is quite tuneful and accurate. It projects out with great clarity and no sense of coloration at all. It is neither warm nor analytical. Percussive instruments such as the piano or drums resonate with good detail, however they are not the last word in this regard. Speakers such as the Proac 3.5's are much more detailed and perhaps warmer. Neutral and dynamic would best describe this unit.

SCORE (7.7/10)

Bass:
Cuts off around 60hz +- 2db according to ACI. My in room response was probably around the mid 50's though. It never really seemed like it had a lot of bass, but didn't sound thin either. It seemed to be a natural complement to the system. In fact, you can't hear the bass (in a good way)
The system is integrated so well that it sounds more like an extension of the lower midrange. A roundness of sonic character added to the music. A subwoofer is a definite must for home theater applications. For the most part it was melodic with good speed.

SCORE (7/10)

Soundstage: Absolutely incredible! The soundstage is among the widest and tallest heard at ANY price. Excellent depth as well. No exaggeration. I've heard well regarded speakers such as the LEGACY FOCUS, Soliloquy's, Linn's, and Vandersteen models that were put to shame by the Sapphires.
Music surrounded these boxes. Below the speaker , above it, behind it, to the immediate side, to the not-so immediate side (you get the point).

Transparency: Another striking property of these speakers. Of course stand mounted monitors are usually very good with this by nature. Hard to place when eyes closed.

Dynamics: Certainly well above average especially considering the price range. I don't believe you'll find better dyanamics in a speaker of this size and price.

Imaging: Good overall, but not as specific placed as the AV Reality 3d's.
I could place instruments and singers in the proper soundstage easily, though they just weren't as outlined as with better models.

Cohesion: These just sound like music. There are no parts of the frequency that stand out. You would never catch yourself saying " the treble sounds good" or " the bass is tight " in less than super analytical listening. The music is there. Expansive and phenomenally cohesive , sounding like one driver. WELL above average in cohesion, but certainly no magnepan.

Conclusion----------
These speakers are a phenomenal purchase from ACI. I have lived with them for some time and compared them to A LOT of speakers. Although I do believe there are a number of better speakers out there, for 1200.00 it will be very hard to beat. The only exception being the Magnepan MMG's w/titan sub or some Soliloquy Bookshelfs near the same price.

But the MMG's will be harder to place and won't play quite as loud. The soliloquys are very musical , yet at times slightly over-euphonic. The Sapphires do A LOT of things right. Their tradeoff is perhaps only bass extension, slight brightness of tweeter, and dry midrange.
But for what they do right for 1200 is outright incredible.

OVERALL SCORE (7.56/10) <--- In absolute terms within their design parameters.

REVIEW: ACI Sapphire III Speakers Review by Firebird at Audio Asylum