Overview
The Apogee name is one of the most beloved brand in the audiophile World. During its heyday, every hifi show would have at least one room showcasing a pair of Apogee speakers. When you see an Apogee speakers in one of those rooms, its like starring at the Monolith from Arthur C. Clarke’s Space Odyssey. The music presentation from a pair of Apogee speakers would have everyone’s jaw dropping the moment they listen to it. The Centaur Minor you see here was their first ribbon hybrid design where it incorporated a 26″, 6 element ribbon tweeter with a 6.5″ woofer that is housed in its own rectangular cabinetry that extruded out to the back of the speakers. Standing 40″ tall, 14″ wide and 9″ deep, it was also their smallest ribbon hybrid model. Its $1,300 MSRP then also made it the most affordable model in their lineup. Apogee speakers may be notorious for its difficulty to be driven but when you have a higher than 50W output amplifier and a reserve to “pump” up the speakers, the Apogees will sound fantastic. A medium size room with at least 2-3 feet of allowance from the back wall and about 1.5 to 2 feet from the side wall and about 5-6 feet apart should be close to the ideal placement for these speakers. Sensitivity is 85 db with a nominal impedance of 6 ohm. Frequency response is 40 Hz to 20 kHz. The soundstage it creates is wide and deep and when vocals are played through these speakers, they image the singer holographically right in the center of the soundstage. Bass may not be as forceful as conventional cone speakers but it was still pretty good and effective. If we were to compare them with the likes of Magnepan’s MMG or the .7, the Apogee has the edge in terms of clarity and definition. The Maggies are smoother and warmer in the mids but the Apogee is not that far off. Bass is definitely tighter and faster on the Apogees. If you are shopping for a pair of speakers under $800, don’t gibe the Apogees a miss. Its a decision you might regret!
Cosmetically, the speakers looks really nice for its vintage. Some minor scuff marks/nicks here and there but nothing major. We do not have the original packaging but will securely pack them for safe shipping. Due to their weight and size, the speakers will be shipped in two boxes. Local pickup from our store welcome.
