The Cutting Edge

equipment
report
Aerial Acoustics Model 9 Loudspeaker
The latest offering from designer Michael Kelly delivers the goods
Jacob Heilbrunn
Scientists say that we’re not supposed to
anthropomorphize objects, which is a fancy
term for ascribing human qualities to things
like cars or computers. But in the case of the
Aerial Model 9 loudspeaker, it’s pretty hard
to resist that temptation. Like its designer Michael Kelly,
a veteran loudspeaker builder, the 9 is tall and slim, and
reserved but surprisingly powerful.
I can say this with some confidence because when I
first met Kelly I was slightly apprehensive. Would he
have the strength to help me carry the two imposing
boxes containing his new babies into my living room
Not to worry. Kelly easily helped me heft the not-inconsiderable
weight of the Aerials into my room. Similarly,
I wondered, at first glance, whether the Model 9s with
their relatively small drivers would be able to pack a
punch. Score another one for Kelly. They delivered the
musical goods in spades. Although it’s imperfect, the
multi-driver tower Model 9 represents a big advance over
the venerable 10T, and I would rank it among the most
The first thing that leaps out
at you is how much shrewd
engineering went into the 9
enjoyable loudspeakers I’ve heard. The Model 9, which is
the little brother of the 20T, is an extremely coherent
speaker that doesn’t err to any extreme. It’s calm, controlled,
unflappable, simply a pleasure to listen to. It
does very little to the signal, but that gives you the
chance to tailor the sound to your liking.
The first thing that leaps out at you is how much
shrewd engineering went into the Model 9. Kelly has
gone to some lengths to keep the front of the speaker
as narrow as possible. This not only helps the
speaker disappear quite nicely, but also, as he
explained, helps avoid reflections. He’s also created a
deep cabinet to control resonances. The cabinet itself
is extremely inert to avoid, as much as possible, colorations
that impinge upon the sound. Of course, it’s
impossible to eliminate resonances completely, but
78 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ SEPTEMBER 2006