Warwick Acoustics Aperio Headphone System - gold
With electrostatic speed, exceptional microdetail and a vast, precisely layered stage, the APERIO turns demanding recordings into a startlingly lifelike event. Chris Martens praised its neutrality, transient precision and dynamic authority, while the integrated DAC/energizer brings serious connectivity and system-level coherence. Textured bass, airy treble and forensic resolution make this a genuinely uncompromising reference headphone system.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
91/100
Features Usability
94/100
Value for Money
89/100
Pros
Exceptional resolution, tonal purity and retrieval of fine spatial detail.
Fast, powerful dynamics remain composed through demanding large-scale recordings.
Neutral, open presentation combines detailed, speedy bass with clean treble that resists sibilance.
Complete DAC, preamp and energizer platform offers extensive analogue and digital connectivity.
Cons
Its forensic transparency exposes sibilance, hiss and other flaws in poor recordings.
The neutral voicing may sound cool or matter-of-fact to listeners seeking added warmth and bass weight.
Bass weight can diminish if the earpad seal is compromised by glasses or hair.
Earpads may squeak with jaw movement, and sudden head movements can produce a soft diaphragm click.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
The Aperio is repeatedly described as extraordinarily revealing, spacious and dynamically capable, with a neutral, clean presentation that extracts exceptional information from well-recorded music. Its uncompromising honesty can expose poor mastering, while some listeners may find its presentation slightly cool or more intellectually impressive than emotionally involving on certain material.
Transparency Resolution
97/100
Ecoustics found the clarity, inner detail and airiness jaw-dropping, while describing the midrange as state-of-the-art for detail retrieval and transient response. The Absolute Sound likewise praised its resolution, tonal purity and ability to uncover spatial information, though this transparency also lays bare recording flaws.
Tonal Balance Musicality
92/100
Reviewers consistently describe a highly neutral, clear and open voicing, with accurate timbre, textured bass and extended treble. HiFi News noted that listeners wanting greater bass emphasis may find it somewhat chilly, and also found occasional matter-of-factness in its delivery.
Dynamics
95/100
The system was repeatedly praised for speed, punch, transient accuracy and composure during demanding large-scale music. Reviewers report effortless handling of fast dynamic swings and loud playback, with The Absolute Sound finding no sense that it runs out of steam.
Noise Floor
84/100
The supplied material gives little direct listening commentary about hiss, hum or background silence at the headphone output. Warwick specifies extremely low noise and distortion, but the reviews do not document performance with unusually sensitive loads.
Headphone Compatibility
91/100
As a dedicated electrostatic system, the Aperio's energizer is purpose-built for its supplied headphones rather than conventional dynamic or planar models. Reviewers found ample usable level and confident control on demanding music, but it is inherently a single-headphone ecosystem rather than a universal amplifier.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
91/100
Reviews describe substantial aluminium electronics, magnesium headphone structures, well-damped construction and deeply padded leather cushions. Comfort is widely praised despite the system's substantial transport weight, although HiFi News noted earpad squeaks with jaw movement and The Absolute Sound heard a soft diaphragm click when moving its head suddenly.
Features Usability
94/100
This is an unusually complete reference system, combining a dual-mono DAC and electrostatic energizer with USB, Ethernet/DLNA, AES3, coaxial, balanced and RCA analogue inputs, plus balanced and unbalanced line outputs. Its display, precise stepped volume control, selectable input ranges, fault protection and firmware upgradability add meaningful day-to-day utility; native MQA decoding is absent.
Value for Money
89/100
At roughly $36,000, or £20,000 in the HiFi News review, the Aperio is unmistakably a luxury purchase. Ecoustics considered it worth its high asking price and The Absolute Sound judged it the finest headphone system it had heard, including systems costing more, while HiFi News rightly emphasizes the exceptional scale of the investment.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Headphone
- Configuration: Open-back; circumaural type Transducer: Balanced-Drive High Precision Electrostatic Laminate (BD-HPEL) Effective Diaphragm Area: 3570 mm2 Frequency Response: 10 Hz - 60 kHz Output Level (SPL): Compliant with EN 60065/A12:2011 (EN50332) when driven by APERIOelectronics (for all inputs); digital input: ∽ 104 dB; analog input: ≥ 106 dB (continuous, est.) Ear and Headband Cushions: “Cabretta” top-grain, sheepskin leather; perforated surface on ear cushions Input: Polarized, 4-pin, self-latching connectors for left and right channels Drive Cable: Dual mono, shielded, ultra-low capacitance; silver-plated OFHC ultra-fine stranded copper, with silicone insulation and Kevlar reinforcement; 2 meter length Weight: 405 grams (14.3 oz.), without cable
- Electronics
- Balanced Analog Inputs: Dual (female) XLR jacks; switchable (high / low) input range; 18 dBu / 10 dBu Unbalanced Analog Inputs: Dual RCA jacks; switchable (high / low) input range; 5.0 Vrms / 2.1 Vrms USB Digital Input: Type B jack; USB 2.0; accepts digital audio formats up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM and DSD (DSD64/DSD128/DSD256) via DoP or Native Network (Ethernet LAN) Digital Input: RJ45 jack; DLNA-compatible; accepts digital audio formats up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM and DSD (DSD64/DSD128/DSD256) via DoP or Native AES3 (AES/EBU) Digital Input: XLR (female) jack; accepts digital audio formats up to 24-bit/192 kHz PCM S/PDIF Coaxial Digital Input: RCA jack; accepts digital audio formats up to 24-bit/192 kHz PCM Line Outputs: Balanced and unbalanced, high current outputs; +5 dB gain; switchable Digital Formats: PCM: 16-32 bit / up to 384 kHz; DSD: up to 256 fs DoP and Native Digital Signal Processing (DSP): 64-bit (double-precision) fixed-point processing at native sample rates Switchable Gain: Rear panel switch; high level / low level selection for balanced analog input (professional audio and consumer levels) and unbalance analog input Source Selection: Multi-position front panel selector with indicator LEDs for all sources Level Control: Front panel, 31-position; digital and analog domain volume control (HP & Line Out) Status Display: Front panel, 51 mm, full color, QVGA, TFT LCD (240 x 320 pixels) Display Functions: Digital readout and bar graph of volume control setting; display of digital audio data format; display of rear panel analog input (gain) settings; display of Ethernet and USB data link transmission lock; display of detected fault modes and output clipping Auto Fault Detection: Automatic detection, display and protection for: output amplifier clipping, unplugged connections and malfunctioning wiring, over-temperature conditions and internal electrical faults DACs: 2 x dual mono, 32-bit / 384 kHz DACs with balanced outputs, for PCM & DSD inputs Amplifier/Energizer: Balanced, discrete MOSFET, high-bias, single-ended Class A output; dual mono topology, including power supply; 1800 VDC bias (charge) voltage Distortion + Noise: < 0.001% Bandwidth: > 65 kHz Enclosure: CNC-machined 6063 aluminium; earth-grounded Power Supply: External: world voltage compatible (90-264 Volt AC, 50-60 Hz); 24 Volt DC, 200 VA (8.333 A), fixed frequency, class B-compliant SMPS. Internal: isolated, dual mono; switching and ultra-low-noise linear regulation AC Mains: Types B, G, F, I; IEC-60320 C14, earth- grounded power cable; 1.5 meter length Dimensions: H x W x D: 68 mm (2.68 in.) x 413 mm (16.26 in.) x 351 mm (13.82 in.) Weight: 7.4 kg (16.28 lbs.), without Power Supply
Manufacturer's Description — Warwick Acoustics
Miraculous sound. Stunning gold finish. The Limited Edition Gold APERIO headphone system is remarkable in every sense.
Hand-built in the UK
Created for the discerning music enthusiast seeking the most unforgettable listening experience in a one of a kind, eye-catching headphone system.
Individually numbered
Each of the 100 Gold APERIO's bears a unique, individually numbered 'Limited Edition' nameplate on the amplifier.
Pure 24 karat gold
Headphone grilles, badge, and amplifier front panel are all custom hand-finished in 24 karat gold.
Exceptional audio performance
Our gold systems uses the highest grade and closest matched transducers manually selected to ensure a perfect performance.
APERIO Amplifier
An integrated energiser, pre-amp and DAC configurable into either analog or digital audio chains from a fully featured set of input options, engineered to deliver the perfect balance of performance under all operating conditions.
A complete sound system
The 'End-Game' in high end audio.
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- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
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