Thanks Tomic. our systems beautiful as well

gammajo December 05, 2023 20:30

Updated System description today to add Jeff Rowland 625 S2 amplifier and  Mad Scientist Power Cords. Added all new pictures. I use the red blanket over the TV for  subtle sound improvement and  for extended critical listening I bring the speakers out another few feet, but I get surprising sound stage depth as is. Also very helpful is Marigo  Dots on all the windows in the room which tamed  and clarified the treble

gammajo October 26, 2019 22:08

System edited 4/29/18

gammajo April 29, 2018 20:19

System edited: Delighted with my new speakers, reviewed below. They recently won Best in Show by several reviewers at RMAF and review in major magazine pending in a few months. Review of Von Schweikert VR 55 Aktive: Appearance: The new 55's black finish on mine is flawless on careful inspection. The speaker is offered in any color with a possible up charge for some choices. The finish is a very deep mirror, so much so that standing above them looking down the side all you see is a perfect reflection of the carpet underneath with all colors accurate in the reflection and no distortion. They shine with a wonderful inner light. The fancy Von Schweikert "V" on front is made of mirrored glass that also sparkles. The white of the drivers is gentled to soft light grey through the metal honeycomb protectors. These are the first speakers that I have ever seen that look attractive to me without the grills on. The back plate holding the binding posts and bass and rear tweeter adjustments is elegantly finished in a silver brushed metal. The spikes are solid high quality brass finished in an attractive pewter color. With grills on, the speakers look sleek and very modern. The speaker has great lines and just looks and feels very expensive. Definitely not just another black box. Listening I used well recorded CD cuts from favorite classical piano, large orchestral, organ, male and female pop vocal, rock, and world music. My comments will mostly be in comparison to the already excellent VSA VR5 Anniversary MK2 model and other large speakers up to $100,000 in price. I play piano and my ultimate reference is strong familiarity with live music. The first thing that delighted me is the 55 tweeter. It offers up copious detail and air yet at the same time is never glassy, harsh, edgy, and just sounds right and natural. The Annis have an excellent Revelator tweet, but the 55 tweeter with the rear ambience ribbon outclasses it and all others that I have heard. This results in closely miked female voices and treble piano, single and massed violins, fingers sliding up the frets of guitars, etc sounding more natural with accurate bite but no hardness, screech, or cringe. It also allows more precise location within the soundstage and an improvement of the general feeling of relatedness and position of all the sounds occurring in complex pieces. As I adjusted the ambience tweeter up a bit, my friend in the listening chair smiled and said that the cymbal on far right and back just became three dimensional! I had a three hour listening session last night at loud volume and experienced none of the listening fatigue associated with a tweeter that is ringing or too hot. Instead I enjoyed the excitement, and the beauty of natural treble. And I was delighted to hear that most of the liveliness and all of the beauty was conveyed even at much lower volumes. When you turn down most systems, it is like you turned down the lights and everything gets dull - not to as great a degree here. I spent much of the session grinning and moving to the music, and while planning to just sample many cuts, I listened to every one of them straight through because I was so delighted with what I was hearing - not so much a bunch of new sounds, but rather a better balance and naturalness within both micro and macro detail amidst incredible dynamics! The midrange was harder to get a bead on. It is really hard to dissect the 55's because the speaker is so well integrated (no crossover points could be identified, all scales from lowest to highest sounded seamless in position, loudness, and character). Everything including voices, brass, strings, and percussion sound right, accurate, and properly fleshed out. My Nuforce Reference 20s have the best SOTA bass that I have heard. Yet in the VSA showroom I heard the 55 Aktives being run by Constellation pre and amp, and heard bass guitar etc sound uncannily more real. At home through the Ref 20's, once the bass adjustment was properly set (about a 1.5 db boost) I am getting more weight and feel more chest, gut and butt pressurization than I had with the Annis and a touch more warmth, yet still enjoying the excellent slam, and fastness of the Nuforce. In fact I think that the articulation is better too. The 55's disappear better than any other speaker I have heard. The place I see the most dramatic difference is that with all other speakers that I have heard, symphonies are disappointing - these other speakers simply did not convey the height, depth, width, air and excitement of a live symphony. The frustration was so great that I seldom listened to symphony recordings (though I love them in person) With the 55 Aktives, every symphonic piece auditioned in the small show room and in my large room has been a true surprise at how much of the pleasure of a live symphony the 55s are able to convey. Similarly, never before have massed violins lost their steeliness and sounded as natural and real. So what next? As Tim the Tool Man Taylor would say - MORE POWER! So I changed my preamp setting from low to high gain (12v setting) to drive my Nuforce Reference 20's (Peak 440W into 8 ohms, 800W into 4, and 1600W into 2) and cranked the system up to high concert levels. I first listened all the way through to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with full Ode to Joy chorus, then Fanfare for the Common Man, and finally the Cirque de Soile's KA. Wow!, Glorioski! Shazam! Everything took on an inner light, the bass (even lowest notes) was stupendous in definition, weight, and impact - it filled my large room, and resonated in my body from my throat all the way down to my seat. In fast Koyoto drum and kettle drum rolls I could feel and hear each individual stroke! The treble and mid range stayed perfect and everything opened up. I found myself jumping up and air-conducting the orchestra (something I have not done in twenty years!). This listening session was truly a transcendental. For several VR 55 sessions now I have the feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction, hours afterwords, that I have in the past only gotten from going to an excellent live concert. That is really something. Just finished a rock session and with Santana Put Your Lights On and Metalica Unforgiven 2, I kept looking behind me as sound seemed to be coming from there too. And when pushed to very high volume, I could detect no hardening, compression, or congealing of the sound. Way cool! I think I found my speaker for life! As best I know the designer, Albert V, was trying to convey much of the magic of very large (and expensive) speaker systems in a speaker of more realistic size and price. He felt that in addition to being time and phase aligned, it would be important that such a speaker exhibited the ability to convey dynamics without compression as well as the big boys did and project a sound field in all three dimensions including vertical height. In my view Albert has hit one so far out of the park that no one will even be able to find the ball! He has succeeded well beyond price point. In fact, when you hear the VR 55 and how beautifully it conveys music of all types, you might just feel he has established a new state of the art. Context: I have no commercial interest or affiliation with the manufacturer. Equipment used Ayon CD5’s with 1980 NOS Reflector tubes (Transport, DAC and preamp combined). Nuforce Reference 20 mono amps with Mosaic boxes on top and mass-loaded with lead bags, isolated mechanically and electrically. All Delphi/ Von Schweikert Master Built Signature Power cords, and biwire speaker cables, with Master Built Signature Ultra IC. Guerilla Audio PCs are currently being used on the Aktives bass. Herbie's gliders under speaker spikes. Power is clean with a dedicated circuit panel, PS Audio conditioner, and being the only house on the outside transformer. Comparison speakers Von Schweikert VR5 Anniversary MK2s in the same room with same equipment. Also a half dozen other large floor standers of good reputation in other people's systems Room 38 by 22 feet with 10 foot peaked ceiling with maple floors on trusses and soft pecky cypress wood walls. Front wall treated with a home made system that sets up in 30 seconds (Doggy bed leaned against the TV with six inches of foam with soft lambs wool covering, then draped in two thick cotton blankets (not pretty but effective and materials are used conventionally when watching TV). Side wall first reflections treated with wood blinds and heavy drapes, floor with rugs, and windows treated with Marigo dots for absorbing reflections off glass. Speakers set for first listening with Tweeters 38 inches from front wall, 9'8" apart, 6'4" from side walls, 10 feet to listening position with 20 degrees tow in. Have option for critical listening to move speakers out about 5 feet from wall. Doing so deepens and further improves the holography of the sound stage. Impressions are after more than 500 hours factory burn in and four days of home play. VR55 Aktive Specifications from Manufacturer VSA: vonschweikertaudio.com site. "Featuring ceramic honeycomb woofers and midrange drivers along with a damped Beryllium dome tweeter, mounted in cabinet of 75mm thickness of resin/wood powder, artificial stone, and hard rubber. These layers resonate at differing Q frequencies, which reduces sound transmission through the cabinet better than solid aluminum, with measured distortion is less than 0.5% at normal listening levels. The VR-55 Aktive uses a 400-watt built-in woofer amplifier. This bi-amp technique allows anyone, in any room, to achieve superb bass depth (21Hz @ -2dB) and also enables matching of the bass level to the upper frequency ranges. To add the depth found in the concert hall, we have provided a rear-firing ribbon tweeter. This Dipolar Design creates a “bubble” of sound rather than a narrow “beam,” generating a huge sweet space. This new tweeter has the lowest measured distortion of any dome tweeter on the market, cost-no-object." Freq Response 16Hz-40KHz (-6db) 21Hz-40KHz (-2bd), Sensitivity 90db, Size 42"x14"x28", weight 186 lbs. Price $60,000.

gammajo May 04, 2015 21:18

Arthur Thanks you for the friendly and kind words. Glad you are also blessed to live in a beautiful area. Your system looks great as well.

gammajo May 03, 2015 21:33

System edited: Nuforce Reference 20 Mono Amps Added Using live acoustic music and a grand piano in the same room with the system as reference, I finally had my system to a very nice place where all commented that it was clean, clear, revealing without harshness, and involving. All the mods done to the Nuforce Reference 9 V3SE's had improved them considerably over stock. It should be noted that I am blessed with very clean power. I am the only house on the outside transformer and the system is wired into a panel separate entirely from the main house. Prior to trying the new Ref 20, I had recently auditioned several amps in my system including the well respected Merrill Veritas, Hypheus Anvils, Chanel Island D500's and also the Hegel H30 in another system. I preferred my modded Ref 9's to all of them. I really did not need the extra watts, as my speakers are sensitive but wanted to hear if the 20's might be beneficial in other areas while preserving the Nuforce magic. After a longish wait for the first production models, mine finally arrived in an easy to open hinged wooden case with excellent deluxe foam packing, and soft cloth covers. I used an A-B-A-B comparison model, first playing the 9's, then the Ref 20's for a hundred hour break in, then back to the 9's and finally the 20's again. This took discipline because once I put in the 20's I was reluctant to remove them because I was enjoying them so much. I used my reference tracks spanning orchestral, classical solo (particularly piano, organ, and violin), jazz, pop, and rock. The 20 break in period was not bad, the amps were more detailed out of the box with an improved sound stage. By the end of test the 20's became more relaxed, liquid, and airy. I tried Metallica and Led Zeppelin to make sure that the liquidity was not artificial and when the music was supposed to be driving and edgy – it was in spades. Yet lovely and liquid music was more so than I have ever heard on any system. Piano which is both liquid and percussive with wood, string, and felt-hammer timbre was spot on. When I reinserted the 9's it was not like they were broken: they were still sounded wonderful, but the 20's dramatically deepened the soundstage and also allowed the instruments on the edges and background to sound more realistic with more bloom and air. The 20's also have incredible micro and macro detail and at the same time are more refined and relaxed without losing the punch. I listened to a Caverna Magica piece where there is a man and a woman very softly speaking in a cave while other more prominent sounds are occurring. With the 9's I finally figured that they were speaking French; with the 20's I could easily follow whole sentences. Bruce Springsteen and other signers who are fond of slurring or mumbling words, were much clearer and yet natural. The 20's bass was even better than the bass terrific 9's, having more satisfying weight, bloom, and differentiation. All vocals were improved in naturalness. Close-miked harmonica and female singers which could be grating at high volume with the 9's, were just clean and present with the 20's. Timbral density and attack/decay, as well as speed were improved. All these were little improvements over the 9's (except much improved soundstage) yet the overall presentation is shockingly better and more natural. The feeling of enjoyment is very close to the best vinyl rigs in density, richness, and naturalness but with the strengths of digital. When I open my eyes the sense of the singers and instrumentalists being in the room actually increases, speaking to a big increase in presence without any forwardness. It feels equivalent to an entire system upgrade! I would encourage an audition for people with revealing systems, and feel the Ref 20's are competitive with amps of reference quality regardless of price.

gammajo September 17, 2014 20:41

System edited: Ultra Initial Impressions Please keep in mind that my system was already sounding excellent, as best it ever has with all Master Built Signature speaker cables, power cords ,and balanced IC. I replaced the Signature IC with a 1/2 meter Ultra. Given that the Ultra was not broken in, at first there seemed slightly less weight, fullness, and relaxation than with the Signature IC which had been in my system for months. With the Ultra inserted I immediately noticed significantly enhanced micro-detail, air, and extension. Xylophone, high treble piano and treble guitar sounded more realistically bell like, meaning that there was more prominent and natural timber particularly mid-note with shifts in timber as the note progressed. The sound started with lightening quick attack, the timber developed more fully and then a nice long decay followed, sounding much more like the actual instrument played live. At the other end of the frequency range drums were more like drums again because the attack, mid note timbre and decay were so perfectly reproduced. There was more presence, aliveness, and realism. In highly complex passages there was clearer delineation among timbres and rhythms. Notes became more three dimensional particularly in the treble. Soft back voices and the softest of breath sounds were now even more distinguishable, yet in perfect balance to the more prominent sounds. Vertical separation was enhanced such as the singer's voice projecting at appropriate height above the guitar they were playing. Subtle shifts in phrasing and tempo were much more apparent adding greatly to the excitement of PRAT. No increase in any harshness was noted on good recordings, resulting in a much more thrilling listening experience with no hint of assaultiveness, rather a sense of being draw more deeply into the music, a significant step closer to live performance. All the above characteristics of involvement, excitement, and subtlety were preserved to a greater extent than I have ever heard as volume was lowered even to background listening levels. Addendum - now two weeks in I am very very pleased - just listening to music and enjoying the increased quality and involvement. There has been some slight shifts at times in the treble and bass as part of break in. But if it seems a bit off, a few hours later it is back to awesome. I know it will take more time to settle in but enjoyable all the way with a steady increase in the good type of sweetness and relaxation as break in continues. I find myself wondering if Albert Von Schweikert realizes just what awesome transducers the VR5 Anni MK2's are.

gammajo February 03, 2014 17:26

Rxman Thank you for your support and friendship - since you have blown your cover as my mystery modder I do have to tell people that you did an amazing job! All the work was precise and better than any factory work that I have seen. It has been great fun bringing out the best in these amps and hearing the dramatic difference.

gammajo November 07, 2013 11:09

Charles1dad - Thank you for your kind words. Yup the closer to live rather than high hifi the better for long term enjoyment. Going to a real acoustic concert can really reset what real bass sounds like.
Sherod - great to hear from you. VS does have a white paper on the cables with prices if you request from them. I am on the road teaching in Vegas but next weekend when home will post prices here

gammajo October 31, 2013 22:37

Brownsfans - Thank you for the kind words. We have 70 degrees today and the leaves are beautiful, If you love hiking you will really enjoy. There rae 250 waterfalls in our county and many hikes of all levels of challenge. when you get down pay a visit!

Agear - Thank you also for your comments. Interesting story about the VS-Nuforce combo. I would add especially with tubes up front.

gammajo October 30, 2013 17:26

System edited: Master Built Signature Cables Review.
You may not believe what I am about to tell you, because I barely do and I am listening first-hand. I was willing to accept that wire (above high quality but non-stratospheric) made a small difference in mega systems, but that it was probably not as important in normal systems as a serious upgrade to preamp or source.
I heard many power cords, interconnects and speaker cables, in the $500 to $1,500 range and auditioned and purchased many CD transports, preamps (tube and solid state) and amplifiers. Using live acoustic music and a grand piano in the same room with the system as reference, I finally had my system to a very nice place where all commented that it was clean, clear, resolving without harshness, and involving. It should be noted that I am blessed with very clean power. I am the only house on the outside transformer and the system is wired into a panel separate entirely from the main house.
When asking Albert Von Schweikert (distributer for these cables) for help in deciding what’s next, with me considering new amps, and possible subwoofers, he suggested that I try wiring my system completely with the Master Built Signature series. Having learned to trust him, and the generous return policy – I assented and he sent three power cords, one balanced IC and a set of biwire speaker cables, already broken in.
I used two CD’s compiled with all my reference tracks spanning orchestral, classical solo (particularly piano and violin), jazz, pop, and rock. Immediately I noticed sound that was about 5% cleaner and clearer, with 10% more air, bloom, and a better sound stage. But the “HOLY COW!” part was that the music was at least 25% more natural and 50% more liquid. As days passed, I used torture tests: harpsichord, harmonica, organ, brass, woodwind, strings, and percussion all were realistic and wonderful. I tried Metallica and Led Zeppelin to make sure that the liquidity was not artificial and when the music was supposed to be driving and edgy – it was in spades. Yet lovely and liquid music was more so than I have ever heard on any system. Piano which is both liquid and percussive with wood, string, and felt-hammer timbre was spot on.
The overall presentation is shockingly better and more natural. Timbral density and attack/decay at the very high and low frequency extremes is greatly enhanced. Also lowest level detail such as the variations in in-breath for singers from one phrase to another is more naturally apparent – adding greatly to the excitement and realness of the performance. As I relax into listening, the feeling of enjoyment is very close to the best vinyl rigs in density, richness, and naturalness but with the strengths of digital. When I open my eyes the sense of of the singers and instrumentalists being in the room with you actually increases, speaking to a big increase in presence without any forwardness. This is more than a significant equipment upgrade – it is equivalent to an entire system upgrade! It is substantially better than the changes noticed when I auditioned equipment at four times the current prices of my stuff. I would encourage an audition for people with revealing systems at any price. The investment, while significant is likely to produce more significant satisfaction than any other change you could make.

gammajo October 29, 2013 21:22

Papermill, thanks you for your kind words. Yes I am so fortunate to have a beautiful space that feeds the soul. May your daughters give you as much joy as mine have me, and when the nest is empty I am sure there will be great equipment to discover!

gammajo April 07, 2013 23:33

Agear So far have done more mods on the Nuforce and have not heard the Hegel30 want still want to. Just did new roof and a wedding in January with another wedding in May (daughters) so Hegel is on hold for awhile.

gammajo April 05, 2013 21:08

Blimo
Thanks you for your kind comments. I continue to enjoy the system and view. Daughter lived in Fort Collins and I liked visiting there

gammajo March 17, 2013 21:52

No filter. Ayon connects via balanced IC's direct to mono amps

gammajo September 03, 2012 16:27

Tony your email posted did not work, even when I corrected to comcast.net. Please advise
Thnaks
Joe

gammajo August 26, 2012 10:48

Tony - will do, thanks

gammajo August 26, 2012 09:07

Thanks Albert and Lloydlee for your kind comments. Watching the trees sway to the music, or a snow fall as the tunes play is really a treat.
French-fries, you are in for a real treat. The adding of marble and the damping layer inside the cabinets plus the new mid driver do wonders. I saved $500 on ship by picking them up in my pickup truck at the depot about 40 miles from my house but still not cheap.
My review is now posted on A'gon under Member reviews-Speakers if you want to take a look

gammajo August 25, 2012 16:26

System edited: Just received my New Von Schweikert VR5 anniversary Mk2 speakers - I am delighted with their performance. Will post a review if A'gon permits

gammajo August 25, 2012 10:18

Tony
Sorry taking long time to respond. Not been on A'gon much lately due to work projects. You would be welcome to come down and listen. May be upgrading the Von Schweikert VR5 Anniversary Mark II's soon.

gammajo May 22, 2012 22:23

Thank you for the complement. Right now the trees are flowering outside the window and the far mountains are greening. It really does add to the enjoyment of the music. I have tried covering the windows with thick blankets and do not get much difference. When I had a TV between the speakers it did make a difference in image solidity and glare to cover that with blankets.

gammajo March 20, 2012 08:15

Thank you Mitch4t and Mapman for your kind words.

gammajo February 06, 2012 19:11

Metralla
Thank you the kind comments. Yes, it seems that Ayon is really impressing at the shows and they have been a wonderful company to deal with. Looks like you have assembled a sweet system yourself.

gammajo August 21, 2011 20:55

System edited: I have recently simplified to the Ayon CD5s which includes its own transport, DAC and Preamp in one unit. This now goes via Audio Horizons New Dawn Balanced IC’s to my Nuforce Reference 3 SE’s. They are bi-wired with Guerilla Audio cables (silver on woofers, copper on mid/tweets) to the Von Schweikert VR4 SR’s .That’s it. This saves two power cords and two sets of IC’s over my past separate North Star transport, DAC and Audio Horizons Preamp. I used the money from sales of these connectors to upgrade my remaining pair of IC’s. The Nuforce amps need vibration control and mass loading to be their best. While my old system sounded very good, the sound of this new system configuration is more natural, cleaner, very dynamic and satisfying. I think this is mostly from the simpler signal path. WSF is way up with only one remote and push and play design. The reduced visual clutter is relaxing. I absolutely love the Ayon with NOS tubes. To me it handily beat my home audition of the 20K Meridian 808.3. The Ayon is fully computer ready but frankly I am so enjoying the delight of my current analogue-like Red Book sound, that I will probably wait a few years to let computer audio mature. I would appreciate any comments.

gammajo August 21, 2011 18:53

Thanks Dan
Just going through a major revision - even simpler with the New Ayon CD5s (which has transport, DAC and Pre in one unit) feeding direct to amps. Still auditioning, will comment soon.

gammajo June 03, 2011 21:39

The cabinets are called the Cube. They hold hundreds of CD's in drawers and are strong enough oak to stand on. You can get custom width which I did to hold 20" wide equipment. The view does add to enjoyment considerably can see mountains for 50 miles. I am happy that the glass has not been bad in terms of sound reflections (still get a good sounds stage depth) with the front ported Von Schwiekerts

gammajo May 17, 2011 17:50

Thank you Tmsorosk, Love your animal prints and I bet the Ayre and Salons sing

gammajo April 18, 2011 09:31

Zman Thank you for your comments. yes, I think the VR's may be my speaker for life - they really convey everything in front and in a very musical way.

gammajo April 03, 2011 12:45

nope - house didn't sell and both kids now in college in NC

gammajo March 09, 2011 18:31

Rx8man, Thank you. I designed the room myself and it came out just the way I wanted - satisfying and great place the watch thunderstorms and snow fall as well as hear music.

gammajo March 09, 2011 10:40

System edited: System Update: I have had my AH preamp upgraded to newest 2.2 version with Clarity caps, Vishay resistors, High Fi fuse and holder, transformer upgrade etc. Have upgraded my Nuforce to the V3SE reference. Have mass loaded the Preamp and amps. Buddha adds 50 lbs to the top of the cabinet for resonance control. With the V3 I think class D has finally become viable. End result is that the system is much more natural sounding with better imaging, trailing edge of notes and better response across treble, bass and mid range.

gammajo September 09, 2010 09:15

I have WAF to deal with but when home alone I bring the speakers out another few feet - not quite as far as Cardas recommends. I think that I get away with a lot, with less penalty than expected, due to the large room size and the design of the VS speakers. Thanks for commenting.

gammajo March 03, 2009 08:52

System edited: Updated the system pictures to show changes including adding the Nuforce Reference V2SE monoblock amps, Kool Cable gold Silkworm IC and the Hyperion magnetic isolation floaters. Celebrating and great improvement in sound with these changes. Even symphonies are sounding good but particularly enjoying voice and solo piano.

gammajo March 02, 2009 10:55

Thanks Sherod. Your help and encouragement has been part of achieving a sweet sound.

gammajo October 01, 2007 21:26

System edited: Just added my first tubed piece which is the Audio Horizons preamp. Boy, it just brought everything to a new level of enjoyment. As imprtant a change as new speakers. Learning fast about tube rolling.

gammajo February 22, 2007 17:45

Linnie -Yep a Resolute Aclaim. It has been handy this month with NC colder than usual. Does make the music cozier. Enjoy yours too. Thanks for responding.

gammajo February 13, 2007 16:11

Glenfi - Thanks for your comments. It is surely satisfying to begin to get closer to the sound of live music.

gammajo February 10, 2007 20:00

Labombarda - You have a great eye. That is a Vermont Casting Resolute Aclaim stove which heats the large room evenly and much more effectively that the heat pumps we use down south. I have a Thorens TD180 thatI am going to try with my vinyl. Thanks for checking in.
Joe

gammajo August 20, 2006 21:37

I tried to post the above as a review and it was rejected twice as incomplete, so I gave up and posted here. I was uncertain what more they wanted. Thanks for the feedback. It is great to be able to share our love of music.

gammajo August 17, 2006 06:34

My musical taste favors classical, pop and rock. I play classical piano and sing. The most important aspect of sound in descending order for me would be natural and non-fatiguing, excellent portrayal of timber, detail, ability to convey instrument and hall decay, accuracy, fast dynamics, bass fullness and slam, and stage width. Less important for me is stage depth and height. The worst thing a system could do is to be strident, harsh, cold, or muddy.

I have now had my pair of VR4Sr's for three months. They are gorgeous in African Hazelwood. My wife and I are super pleased with the fit and finish. The separate base and mid/high modules create a sense of lightness, avoiding the large box feel. The available cherry finish looked smeared, but the poplar looked great as well. After break-in a few things are obvious: 1. They can easily fill my 38X22 room with no efforting or shout. 2. They are seamless to my ear across the spectrum, measuring flat at near field listening position except a small hump at 60-80 HZ. I have a concert grand piano in the same room and the sound quality, micro-dynamics, and note decay from the speakers and the piano are nearly indistinguishable. Piano pieces are captivating in detail, depth, clarity, and accuracy. 3. My concern that I did not have a high enough quality front end to do them justice was unfounded. In fact I talked to Von senior himself and he said that they were designed to perform well with an affordable front end. 4. I seem to be sacrificing only sound stage depth with near front wall placement (about 18 inches from the back of the speaker) and they were not too particular about sidewall placement and distance apart. 5. The company has been exceptional to deal with and the packing was intelligent and secure.

Details: Base, spiked on wood flooring, is tight, articulate, fast and full. Mids are excellent, natural and detailed. Highs are sensitive to quality of the recording, cables, and front end - when all is right it is detailed, neutral, and sweet in the good sense. For example with silver speaker cables the highs were painfully strident at loud volume, with copper the highs are wonderful. Soundstaging in terms of precise instrument localization has been a challenge with my setup with a TV recessed between the speakers (a blanket over the TV helps). Stage width is fine, extending beyond the speakers and the sweet spot is wide and deep. I like the speakers on all material but they seem most exceptional on solo instrument, voice, small ensemble, jazz, and pop. Orchestral is very good. Heavy, dense rock is only good (too revealing of defects) unless the recording quality is exceptional, such as Dire Straits, then the speakers shine.

In comparison to the VR4’s, the Wilson Sophia’s auditioned with all Marantz equipment sounded a bit sterile, very accurate, and less musical to me. The Krell’s Resolution 2’s sounded less satisfying overall, partly because of base response.
The VR4SR’s replaced Polk SDA-SRS 2.3’s I had used for ten years. Sounds changed to much closer to live music with more detail and ambience conveyed. The VR’s have renewed my interest in music and I listen almost every night, discovering new beauty in all my favorites. I can able listen at lower volumes and still experience the “That’s fabulous” grin. I know myself well enough to know that if I won the lottery, I’d go out and audition ultra high-end equipment starting with VS products, but short of this I feel that the speakers will satisfy me for decades. Overtime I may improve my front end and I think the VR’s will handle it. I am very pleased and would recommend that they be on the short list of anyone looking in the under 20K range.

Music used to audition the VR4SR’s plus the Wilson’s and Krell’s
For female vocal Jennifer Warnes, The Well, Famous Blue Raincoat,
For male vocal Bruce Springfield, The Rising, Crosby, Stills…Déjà Vu
For rock Led Zeplin, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits
For classical Bach Fugue in C minor, Rimsky Korsakov Scherazade
For choral Rachmaninoff Vespers
For Jazz and brushes against cymbals, Missouri Sky
For piano Kissin Liszt Transcendental Etudes, Horszowski and Ohlson Works
For violin Scottish Fantasies, Vivaldi Four Seasons
For flute Galoway Christmas

Associated equipment: Aragon 8008BB 200Watt per channel dual mono SS amp, Aragon 28K SS preamp, NorthStar 192 DAC and CD Transport, Guerrilla Silver IC and woofer cable, copper to the mid/tweeter biwired.

gammajo August 16, 2006 19:07

System edited: Posting pictures of my new Von Schweikert VR 4SR speakers and changed my IC's, speaker cables, and power cords to Guerrilla. Boy and I enjoying the new sound experience!

gammajo August 16, 2006 18:10

Bill
Glad to talk with a fellow music lover. Thanks for your feedback
Joe

gammajo March 02, 2006 11:25

I am not much of a tweaker - yet. But tried Silclear on all connections except amp fuses and drivers and have been enjoying an equipment upgrade improvement for $35 and a hour's time. Finally can inderstand the French words at the beginning of Cavera Magica for example of increased clairty and detail with no sacrifice in smoothness. The whole impression is more nuanced and musical. Next on to room treatments or vibration control.

gammajo January 06, 2006 22:57

Just replaced my tweeters and like the new ones alot. Voices seem at little less forward and in your face, and I can understand some singers words that were previously hard to understand. This is likely to be true becuase many words only differ by the high frequency aspirants such as the difference between cat hat fat and sat is "ka" "fa" ha" "sa" sounds. I expect that the new ones will be a good deal less fatiguing. They seem more civilized, natural and accurate.

gammajo March 28, 2005 10:36

Thank you Al for your kind comments. I have very much enjoyed your posts here on gon If you are in the neighborhood (North Carolina)let me know and we will hear those tunes
Number1, Thank you as well for your suggestions. I went to the echo site and thier material does look attractive - I will play with this
Joe

gammajo March 25, 2005 17:45

Thank you for your kinds words and suggestions. You are right that acoustics may be a big improvement. I can play around with absorbing materials easily to see - will let you know what happens. Did you have a similar sytem placement?
Joe

gammajo March 20, 2005 21:06