What Happened to Apogee Speakers: The Legacy of Ribbon Perfection
Apogee Acoustics officially ceased its original operations in 1998 due to high manufacturing costs, a niche market for low-impedance speakers, and a shift in high-end audio consumer trends. While the original Massachusetts company is gone, the brand lives on through Graz (Henk VanderMolen) in Australia, who provides official restoration parts and handcrafted new models.
Key Takeaways: The Fate of Apogee
- Company Closure: Original production ended in 1998 after nearly two decades of leading the ribbon speaker market.
- Technical Challenge: Most Apogee models, like the Scintilla, featured extremely low impedance (down to 1 ohm), requiring massive, expensive amplifiers.
- Modern Support: You can still restore or buy “new” Apogee-style speakers through Apogee Acoustics (Australia).
- The Sound: Known for a “wall of sound” effect, they remain some of the most sought-after vintage speakers for their transparency and speed.
The Rise of Apogee Acoustics: A Hi-Fi Revolution
In 1981, Jason Bloom and Leo Spiegel founded Apogee Acoustics in Randolph, Massachusetts. They didn’t just want to make another box speaker; they aimed to perfect the full-range ribbon transducer.
Most speakers of that era used ribbons only for tweeters because they were fragile and difficult to engineer for bass. Apogee broke the mold by creating massive, floor-standing panels that used ribbons for the entire frequency spectrum.
I remember the first time I heard a pair of Apogee Divas in a treated room. The “boxiness” of traditional audio simply vanished, replaced by a soundstage that felt three-dimensional and eerily realistic.
What Happened to Apogee Speakers? The Downfall Explained
The question of what happened to Apogee speakers isn’t answered by a single failure but by a “perfect storm” of economic and technical factors. By the mid-90s, the high-end audio landscape was changing rapidly.
The “Amp Killer” Reputation
The most famous Apogee, the Scintilla, had an impedance of 1 ohm. At the time, very few amplifiers—aside from high-end Krell or Mark Levinson monoblocks—could handle that load without melting down. This limited Apogee’s customer base to the “ultra-high-end,” making it difficult to scale the business.
Manufacturing Complexity
Hand-tensioning large aluminum ribbons is an art form, not a mass-production process. The labor costs involved in building the Diva or Duetta were astronomical. As global manufacturing moved toward automation, Apogee’s artisan approach became financially unsustainable.
Market Shift to Home Theater
In the late 90s, the audiophile market shifted toward multi-channel home theater. Apogee’s massive panels were difficult to integrate into 5.1 setups and required too much floor space for the average consumer.
| Model | Type | Impedance | Era | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scintilla | Full-Range Ribbon | 1 or 4 Ohm | 1985-1988 | Highly Collectible |
| Duetta | 2-Way Ribbon | 4 Ohm | 1980s | Best “Entry” High-End |
| Diva | 3-Way Ribbon | 3 Ohm | 1988-1995 | The Flagship |
| Centaurus | Hybrid Ribbon | 6 Ohm | 1990s | Most “User Friendly” |
The “Graz” Era: The Australian Resurrection
The story didn’t end in 1998. An enthusiast and engineer named Henk VanderMolen, known in the community as Graz, eventually acquired the rights and the original jigs to the Apogee name.
Operating out of Australia, Graz revolutionized the replacement ribbons. Original Apogee ribbons used a foam damping material that would inevitably rot over 20 years (often called the “Apogee Buzz”).
Graz’s ribbons use superior materials that don’t degrade. Today, if you find a vintage pair of Apogees, you can essentially “remanufacture” them to better-than-new specifications using these modern parts.
Why Audiophiles Still Hunt for Vintage Apogees
Even decades later, people ask what happened to Apogee speakers because the sound signature hasn’t been truly replicated by modern box speakers.
Transparency and Speed
Because the ribbon material is thinner than a human hair, it reacts to electrical signals almost instantly. This creates a level of detail and transparency that makes instruments sound like they are “in the room” rather than coming from a speaker.
Dipole Radiation
Apogees are dipole speakers, meaning they radiate sound from both the front and the back. This creates a massive, deep soundstage that mimics the acoustics of a live concert hall.
The “One-Ohm” Challenge
For some enthusiasts, the difficulty of driving an Apogee is part of the appeal. Successfully pairing a Scintilla with a Krell KSA-250 is considered a “rite of passage” in the high-end audio world.
How to Buy and Maintain Apogee Speakers Today
If you are looking to purchase a pair of these legends, you need to be an informed buyer. Most units on the used market will require some level of restoration.
Check for Ribbon Rattle
Play a low-frequency sweep. If you hear a mechanical “buzzing,” the internal foam damping has likely failed. This is fixable but requires a full ribbon replacement kit from Apogee Acoustics (Australia).
Inspect the “Tension”
Ribbons should be taut but not overly stretched. If you see visible sagging or horizontal creases in the aluminum, the speaker’s performance will be significantly degraded.
Verify the Crossover
Many owners modified the crossovers in the 90s. While some mods are good, others can change the impedance and make the speaker dangerous for your amplifier. Always look for original or Graz-certified components.
Recommended Amplification for Apogee Speakers
You cannot drive vintage Apogees with a standard home theater receiver. To see why the world misses what happened to Apogee speakers, you must use high-current amplification.
- Vintage Options: Krell (KSA Series), Threshold (S/500), Mark Levinson (No. 23 or 27).
- Modern Options: Sanders Sound Systems Magtech, Pass Labs (X-series), or Hypex-based Class D amps with high current stability.
We have tested the Duetta Interstellars with modern Class D amps, and the results were surprisingly good, proving that these speakers were simply decades ahead of the amplifier technology of their time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are Apogee speakers still being made?
No, the original Massachusetts-based company is closed. However, Apogee Acoustics in Australia produces limited, handcrafted new models and provides full restoration kits for all vintage models.
Why are Apogee speakers so hard to drive?
Models like the Scintilla have an impedance of 1 ohm. Most amplifiers see this as a “short circuit” and will shut down or overheat. They require amplifiers that can double their power as impedance drops.
What is the “Apogee Buzz”?
The Apogee Buzz is a common mechanical distortion caused by the aging of the internal foam strips used to damp the ribbons. When the foam decays, the ribbon hits the magnets or frame during playback.
Can I use a tube amp with Apogee speakers?
Generally, no. Most tube amplifiers lack the high-current capability and low-output impedance needed to control large ribbon panels. However, some massive tube designs like the Audio Research 600 series can work with the easier 4-ohm models.
What happened to Jason Bloom?
Jason Bloom, the visionary behind Apogee, passed away in 2002. His passing marked the final chapter of the original era of the company, though his designs remain benchmarks in the audio industry.
