Customer Quotes 

Current ACI Models

Sapphire XLC Center and Sapphire XLs 

"I am strictly ‘vanilla’ when it comes to my sound.  I listen to music in 2-channel and will listen to 5.1 or higher only when the source is appropriately encoded.  No Pro Logic 2 or matrixed surround sound for me!  To appropriately test the XLC, I used the following DVDs:  Dianna Krall:  Live in Paris; Cirque du Soleil: Quidam, Pride and Prejudice, Dark City and a few multi-channel SACDs, namely Pink Floyd DSOTM and Bucky Pizzarelli’s Swing Live.

Watching DVDs, the first thought that springs to ones mind is how cohesive the sound stage is.  The XLC is the perfect companion to the Sapphire XLs, having all of the characterestics that were much lauded in the XLs.  The XLC has a smooth refined sound that is utterly beguiling.  Instrument separation is beyond reproach and crystal clear.  Even when pushed to high levels the XLC doesn’t lose its composure.  To me however, it is the low-level detail that I find ultimately satisfying and even at low levels, detail is never compromised.  What is even more remarkable is that the XLC also never sounds harsh.  Smooth detail is the name of the game!  Most of my listening was done with music heavy DVDs.  I feel that most Center channel speakers can handle movie soundtracks.  What separates the also-rans from the cream of the crop, is their ability to handle music.  On both the Cirque du Soleil and the Dianna Krall DVDs, the XLC displayed its ability to hobnob with the best of ‘em.  The delicacy was there in spades, yet when the occasion demanded, the XLC could really rock.  Rhythm and timing were superior, the treble smooth and extended and the bass lightning fast.  Piano is the one instrument that speakers have the hardest time reproducing.  Piano notes were delivered through the XLC superbly, not anemic sounding but with body and substance.  It also would be remiss of me not to point out that the tight mid-bass the XLC has, a quality it shares with the Sapphire XLs.  No doubt, the work of the ScanSpeak sliced paper cone I love, with the SEAS woofers providing some of the additional ‘oomph’.  Watching Pride and Prejudice, I was very impressed with the way the XLC handled dialog.  There was nary a trace of sibilance in female voices or chestiness in male voices.  Actually, the XLC handles dialog better than any other center speaker I have heard.  Couple that with the XLC’s uncanny ability to maintain individual sounds in complex passages and you begin to see why the XLC is a very special speaker indeed.  I am one of those sorry souls who analyze the sound quality of every movie they see.  With the XLC in my set-up, I found myself getting lost in the movie ‘forgetting’ to analyze the nuances of the sound quality.  To me, this is what it is all about….nirvana…the Holy Grail…or whatever you want to call it.  Bravo Mike, you’ve hit this one way out of the ball-park!"
Ajay R. , Emeryville, CA

Sapphire XLs and Maestro

"Last night I went to the world’s famous Toad’s Place in New Haven , Connecticut to see Shawn Colvin.  I’ve been a fan of Shawn’s since 1989 and it’s about the 8th time I have seen her live.  I know her music intimately.  She always plays a great acoustic set, last night was no different.  On my way out, I noticed she was selling a DVD that featured every music video she’s ever made in addition to live performances from various TV shows.  Not being familiar with this DVD, I bought it.

Upon getting home around 1am, I decided to put the DVD in and watch about 15 minutes…just for kicks.  I couldn’t pull myself away…I watched the entire thing!  I bought the XL’s in January but due to work and grad school I don’t get to critically listen to music as much as I used to.  There are about 4 tracks on the DVD (including her #1 hit “Sunny Came Home”) from a TV show called “Sessions at West 54th”.  I believe it’s similar to “Austin City Limits” on PBS.  This small 4-track subset on the DVD was recorded in 1997.

Anyway, I had what every audiophile searches for when watching this performance.  That single euphoric moment.  This set is so cleanly recorded and so impeccably mixed (with incredible separation of bass guitar in the left speaker, Shawn with the acoustic guitar and vocals in the center speaker and the electric in the right channel) that I was left flabbergasted.  It was truly the pinnacle of what my system can reproduce.  This is why we put good money into this hobby, to get moments like this out of our equipment.  Like I’ve said, I’ve heard Shawn numerous times in person and your speakers reproduce the essence of the live show better than I can possibly express to you.  If you don’t know Shawn’s music or don’t own this DVD, I urge you to experience what I have.  I’m sure you will come away with a very favorable impression, both with the recording and with the great performing speakers you manufacture.  This is the first time I have had a real isolated chance to sit down with the XL’s I bought in January and I was incredibly impressed.  Even though I was listening to a DVD that had a multi-channel performance, I don’t need to listen in two channel to realize these are world class speakers, and I’ve heard a lot of various models from numerous manufacturers.

You should be proud.  You have a customer for life.  I will always be willing to try various components and speakers from other manufacturers (that’s the nature of this hobby!) but ACI speakers will always have a home in my main system".
Evan S., Vernon, CT

Titan

"Excellent service from the time I first e-mailed for info until the ACI Titan (oak) was received. Thanks. Unbelievable sound at an even more unbelievable price!"
Brian H., San Antonio, TX

Sapphire XLs

"The Sapphire XL fit the bill, and driven by my Pioneer Receiver had a very nice sound to it.  A sound that was musical and definitly worth the asking price.  Then I got my Bruce Moore tube amps back on Sunday.   I changed placement of the Sapphires and mass loaded them on top with diver weights.  I've found that mass loading speakers and especially subs to be very worthwhile to the overall sound quality.  I then turned on the tube preamp and amps, let them warm up for half an hour and then put on one of my favorite blues CDs.   My respect for the Sapphires shot into the stratosphere, and though I'm now breaking my "take a break from reviewing, and just sit back and enjoy the music, I'm inspired and as such  I'm going to end my evaluation comments here;  as I do have to abide by an exclusivity clause in my work for Positive-Feedback Online, in not doing full reviews on audio forums.   I'll save the rest for the full review, but I just couldn't resist letting you guys know that these speakers are in league with some of the best sound I've ever heard from a speaker regardless of price.   And something the audio industry needs if we as a community of audio designers, manufacturers and enthusiasts are going to have a future to look forward to.  It's the MP3 generation that's now the future market, and they're not as easily impressed with high priced gear as us baby boomers are.   IPODs are what's cool, and for them to be swayed into a more involving musical experience it's going to take smart and innovative designers like Mike bringing the best to us at prices the working man can afford."
John B. Antioch, CA

"From top to bottom, the Proteges are by far the best, most balanced speaker I have ever heard in my room. I really found no fault with them what so ever. And I am VERY picky about my sound, especially when it comes to music. They are sealed speakers and need to be used with a quality sub. If you do, they will blend seamlessly (assuming proper calibration of course). I can not recommend the Proteges enough."  
Patrick S., Santa Rosa, CA

"After using the new Sapphire XL studio monitors, I can't imaging ever mixing without them again. They revealed details that I'd never heard before and also revealed minor problems with previous mixes that I'd never heard on any other speakers. They make setting bass levels & vocal placement a breeze.

Tracking with the Sapphire XL speakers is like having the whole band in the control room.  Imaging is dead on. They make it easy to find the sweet spot when placing mics."
Bill Young at One Heart Studios,  Audio Engineer, 15 year Sony Pro Audio veteran

Force

"The staff and service has been superb and my Force was received in mint condition. This is my first sub so I don't have much basis for comparison - however, I can say that this is probably the best sound in my room so far. Acoustic bass has an organic, palpable presence that is nothing short of spooky. Bravo!"
Shiv R., Coppell, TX

Sapphire XLs and Force XL

"Here is why I bought the Sapphire XLs and Force XL Sub.

I had heard Mike's Sapphires in my DH Labs room for the last two CES at the Alexis Park. Mike Dzurko had loaned us his speakers and stands. Both times our DH Labs dealer and Prima Luna distributor Kevin Deal let me borrow the Prima Luna 3 KT88 integrated amp and a nice sounding Ahh! Tube CD player Kevin loaned us, and I keep the top off for folks to peek in. Tube CD player with a bunch of upgrades.  I wired the PL 3 to the CD player with DH Labs Revelations interconnects. We used a standard pair of Q-10 speaker cables.

After a few days of breaking in at fairly loud levels, sans any sub: the room was rocking and heads were banging!  Even the deepest bass lines from Groove Armada's LoveBox and Hooverphonic's Jackie Chan had folks coming in from outside and staying a very long time.  They were treated by my copy of Yello's Pocket Universe at thunderous levels. They wrote down the album info and we  shared great music and had a great time!

Yep, damn great little speakers!  We did not even need the sub in that room.
Bottom line:  the Sapphire XLs are great speakers capable of recreating a sonic landscape and reproduce musical as the composer intended it to be heard as well or better than speakers that cost 5 times more! And they play BASS! I have heard many small speakers and these are quite excellent in the areas that are important to me.
 
I have a beautiful pair of Ruby Heart VSM-Ms for sale now."
Terry R., MD

Titan

"As a matter of fact, I am very pleased - not only with the subwoofer, but also with the customer service I have received both via email and on the phone. It really means a lot to me! I have, on occasion, taken the time to let somebody know when they've really hurt their image by dropping the ball when it comes to customer service. ACI is definitely on the other end of the spectrum. Thanks and keep up the good work. I only wish ACI was the rule and not the exception."
Dave M.,  Libertyville, IL

Sapphire XLs

"This speaker is truly top notch from the cabinet, to the components, to most importantly, the sound quality they reproduce. After spending so many hours with the Sapphires it was hard to go back to my other speakers. The Sapphire XL’s helped me understand the design choices in my other speakers and what my preferences are. Since the XL’s have left my house, my listening has decreased more and more…partially due to less time but more to due to the fact that I MISS MY XL’s…when can I expect my set Mike??? "
Bob Albano, Chicago, IL

Sapphire, Titan

"The Sapphires are everything that I anticipated and more in a pair of higher end monitors-great build quality, and extremely well balanced throughout the sound spectrum. They handle the difficult problem in speaker design and engineering of retrieving detail yet remaining extremely smooth.

They are actually easy to drive and blend well with my ACI Titan sub. I would encourage anyone looking for a high end monitor to put these on your list to consider as they are a true bargain at the asking price. They do everything well and have no weakness in technical performance, and most of all involve you in the music-not your equipment. These are a great buy in high end audio."
Tony R.,  Davenport, IA

ACI, Sound that Satisfies...Since 1977