Some history: For the past twelve years I've been using a pair of Spica TC-50s with Conrad Johnson tube electronics (PV5 and MV50) or a favorite NAD integrated amp; the CJ stuff does a better job with everything excepting bass, which isn't a big concern inasmuch as the Spicas don't do much below 60HZ. Other equipment used in this review: AR turntable, blue point special cart., Rega CD player, Kimber Kable 8TC speaker wire. An aside: Anyone thinking of buying one of those boxy little outboard phono devices, would be better served finding a used PV5. I've had 5-6 of those boxes in the house--priced from $199-$800--and the PV5 walks all over them. While not the last word in resolution, the PV5 delivers in the sound-stage area in a way the boxes cannot. Translation: stage width and depth aplenty. Like the PV5, the Spica's strength is their ability to cast a convincing sound-stage. In this area they better many speakers in the $2K-$3K price range. Not bad for a speaker that retailed for $550, twelve years ago. The "engineers" of those $2K-$3K "speakers" should return to school for some remedial education. Perhaps John Bau--Spica's originator--would entertain the notion of offering an Internet course on cost effective speaker design.

Enter the VR-1: The first thing that grabs you about this speaker is its ability to cast a broader, deeper soundstage than the Spicas, or any other monitor that I'm aware of--while delivering more in the bass department. In my large room--20X23X14--the VR-1 goes approx. 12 HZ deeper while playing much louder without strain. The last part is not surprising given the fact that the Spicas sensitivity is rated at (84db, 1meter one watt) and the VR-1 at 90db. One might ask why I would want monitors in my cavernous room. Fair question. The short answer is I'm sensitive to room cosmetics. Owning a pair of speakers that resemble the sort of statuary one encounters on Easter Island does not do much for room decor. In terms of sonic texture and subtlety the VR-1 offers an improvement over the Spicas. With the VR-1s I get a sense of air around instruments and performers that does not come across with the Spicas. Case in point: Listening to Beethoven's 9th I can pick out individual violins rather than being presented with a one dimensional sea of strings--or should I say sea of string--this ability to pinpoint individual instruments goes a long way in getting one emotionally involved in the music. Whether this pinpoint imaging will appeal to everyone's taste is debatable. Hearing a live performance of Beethoven's 9th--mid hall--does not afford one those lovely, to my ears, imaging characteristics. Instead, one is back to massed strings with little individuation.

Set up with the VR-1 differs from the traditional approach. Eschew the standard "two-thirds rule" when setting up these speakers. Conventional wisdom has it that if one sits 12 feet away from their speakers, then said speakers should be about 8 feet apart (measuring tweeter to tweeter). Not so with the VR-1s. With these dynamos one should seek to achieve an equilateral triangle; UP TO A POINT. In my room, my listening chair is approx. 9 feet from the front of my speakers, therefore the speakers should be 9 feet apart. I say up to a point because even these speakers start to lose some center fill if positioned much more than 10 feet apart.

Right out of the box the VR-1s sound a bit bright. Not to worry. After a mere 20 hours of break in the brightness is gone. These things mimic the Audio Physic line in their ability to disappear and leave you with the music. One is rarely, if ever, aware of music emanating from the enclosure on the left or right; assuming the recording you're listening to has not been destroyed by some idiot at the mixing console. Those of you old enough to remember when stereo was introduced to the public, might recall that dreadful "ping pong effect" that some misguided sound engineers insisted on. Unfortunately, this approach is still used by far too many whiz kids today. While the VR-1s acquit themselves nicely on grandiose symphonic numbers, they really shine on chamber music--my wife and I are big fans of baroque music--as well as folk blues and small jazz combos. Listening to Patricia Barber's CAFE BLUE, it's as though one were transported to some seedy little club. Barber is dead center, that's her bass player a few feet to her right, drums center left, everything dovetailing nicely. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are presented in all their solemnity. The delicate notes float--I guess hang would be more accurate--as if suspended in space. This holographic effect, one of the Spica's endearing qualities, is more pronounced with the VR-1s. The TRINITY SESSIONS, courtesy The Cowboy Junkies, is another nice piece to show off this speakers sound-staging magic. And all this sans ambience restoration device. Just pure two channel stereo. Of course, my 14 foot cathedral ceiling helps in that area. Again, this precise imaging I find so mesmerizing may not be to your liking. People who listen to a lot of live music insist that today's speakers image in a way that is not indicative of a live concert. They have a point. Different strokes... If you listen to tons of rock, or Mahler, you might want to opt for the VR-S/1 matching subwoofer.To Von Schweikert's credit, they have come up with the most musical sounding sub I've heard. If you're looking for Home Theatre theatrics then look elsewhere. This is no glorified boom box. That said, my musical tastes are such that unless I'm listening to organ music--and a little of that goes a long way--I just don't feel the need for the added bass; even in our large room. I suppose that's a credit to the VR-1s bass extension. The amount of energy in the lower bass region is astonishing when you consider the size (8"X12"X10") of this little gem. Thus far I've refrained from commenting on vocals because my speakers are not fully broken in. Getting female vocals juuust right can be tricky. That said, so far I'm having great fun with Amanda McBroom, Pat Barber, Margo Timmons et al. I'd be remiss if I failed to mention cosmetics. This speaker comes in 4?-5? finishes. Mine are African Hazelwood. Bella! I've seen speakers costing five times as much with wood finishes that look as though they were constructed and polished in 7th grade shop class. The Vr-1s are drop dead gorgeous. The WAF is rendered moot with these beauties. Now if Albert could just find me a cocktail table to match my VR-1s!!

During my speaker sojourn I listened to two other highly regarded monitors: one costing $800 more and another costing twice as much. Fortunately, I'm at that stage of my life where I can afford to indulge myself in this area. Had the more expensive speakers offered better performance I would have bought them. End of story. But they didn't. When it comes to over achieving, the folks at Von Schweikert have pulled a Spica. Try as I might, I can think of no greater compliment.

Best,
R.M.


Hi Sir.
I´ve bought a pair of your Vr - 1's, and it's the best pair of speakers I ever had, or heard. They're running on Edison 60, a Swedish tubeamp which runs in Class A. It´s output is about 30 watts and it's coupled in ultralinear mode. The tubes are EL- 34 and 6922.

Sorry for my spelling.
Best regards
David K.


HELLO ALBERT,

THIS IS CHAD AGAIN. MAN THESE VR-1'S ARE NOW FULLY BROKEN IN AND THEY ARE AWESOME! I PLAYED THE EAGLE'S "HOTEL CALIFORNIA" AND THERE IS A DRUM RIFF THAT COMES IN AFTER THE SLOW MIDDLE SECTION OF THIS SONG. THE TOM TOM'S WERE SO RICH AND VERY DETAILED. I ALSO PLAYED PATRICIA BARBER'S COMPANION CD. "THE BEAT GOES ON" STRING BASS WAS SO DEFINED AND PATRICIA'S VOCAL'S WERE SO RICH, I SWEAR SHE WAS PERFORMING IN FRONT OF ME. HER VERSION OF "BLACK MAGIC WOMEN" IS THE ULTIMATE REPRODUCTION ON THE VR-1'S. EVERY INSTRUMENT IN THIS RECORDING WAS SO RIGHT COMING OUT OF THE VR-1'S-BASS, DRUMS,ORGAN,AUX PERCUSSION AND VOCAL'S. MY WIFE AND I FELL TO THE GROUND WHEN WE HEARD THIS. MY WIFE KEEPS TELLING ME THAT THIS IS THE BEST SPEAKER THAT I EVER BOUGHT. I AGREE WITH HER 100% AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT MY GEAR IS NOT HIGH END EITHER! I'M USING A DENON DRA-685 100WPC 2 CHANNEL RECEIVER, A 17 YEAR OLD NAKAMICHI OMS-7AII CD PLAYER AND A REGA P2 2000 TURNTABLE. YOUR SPEAKERS SOUND GREAT WITH ANY THING. I EVEN FOR FUN HOOKED UP MY VERY FIRST PIONEER RECEIVER FROM 1988, IT SOUND PRETTY GOOD TOO WITH THE VR-1'S. I BOUGHT A NEW INTEGRATED AMP TODAY FROM AUDIOWAVES IN CALIFORNIA. IT'S A UNISON RESEARCH UNICO 80WPC HYBRID INTEGRATED AMP, WHICH HAS GREAT REVIEWS AND STEREOPHILE'S CLASS B AMP. I WON'T HAVE IT TIL EARLY NEXT WEEK. I CAN'T WAIT TO HOOK IT UP! THANK YOU AGAIN FOR DESIGNING A GREAT SPEAKER!

REGARDS,
CHAD


HELLO ALBERT,

THE VR-1'S HAVE BEEN BROKEN IN OVER 70 HRS AND THEY EVEN SOUND BETTER THAN THE LAST TIME I TALKED WITH YOU. MY BEST FRIEND CAME OVER COUPLE OF SUNDAYS AGO. THIS IS A SUPRISE FOR ME. HE IS A MAGNEPAN PERSON. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT HE DIDN'T NEED TO TUNE THE SPEAKERS AT ALL. I'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF SPEAKERS AND EVERYTIME HE HAS TO TUNE THEM. HE ALSO LOVED THE WAY YOU DESIGNED THE SPEAKER- CERTAIN WAY YOU SET THE WOOFER IN THE BOX AND THE ANGLES OF THE BOX TOO! HE WAS ALSO IMPRESSED WITH THE BIG SOUND IT PRODUCES FOR SUCH A SMALL SPEAKER. HE SAID THIS IS A "GOOD INVESTMENT". MY WIFE AND I ARE TRULY HAPPY WITH THIS SPEAKER. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH BASS COMES OUT OF THAT LITTLE SPEAKER AND DOES NOT BOTTOM OUT OR DISTORT. HAD A QUESTION. HOW ARE THE VR-2'S? I KNOW THEY ARE BIGGER SPEAKERS. IAM I MISSING MUCH BETWEEN THE VR-1'S AND VR-2'S. I WOULD LIKE TO UPGRADE IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
REGARDS,
CHAD


I just wanted to let you and your company know how much my wife and I are enjoying our new VR-1's in light maple and stands. Only had them for 1 week and roughly 20 hours of break-in. These speakers are so impressive! The soundstage is so huge and detailed, bass is tight and focused. The mid-range is so textered and the highs are smooth. I can hear the layers of the music now! Vocals are so rich and focused in the middle, I can't believe our ears. The thing that really impressed us how brass instruments are reproduced so open and natural not nasal sounding. French horns sounded so rich and texured WOW!!! It smokes the speakers I just sold-JM LAB COBALT 826 floorstanders. Want to thank Stephen at Quest For Sound for giving me information and professional service. Hawaii doesn't have a dealer, so another impressive thing is I bought these without an audition. I based my desision on information I gathered. The stands are awesome too! I forgot to mention how lightning quick the speaker is. Man! It rivals planar type speakers. I used to only believe in this type of speaker, not any more! The VR-1's sound way better than speakers costing three times the price! I'm using the new Perreaux E160i integrated amp with 160 wpc and Sony SCD-C333es SACD player. Thanks for a terrific product and keep up the awesome speaker making!

Regards,
CI


Hello sir,

I just wanted to let you know that I am extremely pleased with the speakers. It is amazing to me how such a small speaker is capable of such a full sound, accurate imaging and wide and deep soundstage. Thanks,
Arun

Albert,
I am writing to convey my deep satisfaction with my new pair of cherry VR 2's. My entire experience with this speaker has been extraordinary from the demo and service my dealer in Michigan gave me all they way through the first 100 hours I have lived with my VR 2's. These speakers make all the music I listen to (and I listen to everything from classical and jazz to hard rock and international music) absolutely engaging. From the powerful, tighlty controlled bass to the full, rich mids, and the sweet delicate highs, these are the most involving and pleasureable speakers I have ever owned -- and I have owned many speakers (electrostats, planars, traditional), some costing twice what the VR 2's cost! These speakers have affected me so much that I no longer think about what to do next to my stereo. Now, I just think about what I want to listen to, and chose the next piece of music.

Thank you for your splendid creation,
Michael P. (MI)


Hi Albert,

Just a quick note to tell you how much I continue to enjoy the VR-2s. They have well over a two hundred hours on them, they are filled with 37.5lbs. of lead shot each, and I have installed the plinths and spikes (what a difference those additions make in imaging quality and bass response!) Also I am high-passing the system using my Hsu Research 1220 sub and 500A amplifier with the 43 cycle x-over chipset. My main amp is now the Conrad Johnson MV60 (EL 34's). I would not have believed it if you told me, but with the sub taken out of the system, the MV 60 alone can get the VR-2's to reproduce a pure 20 cycle test signal (albeit at a reduced level); it is amazing how loudly it can do this! Truly, I would never have believed it if I had not heard it myself. Also amazing is just how far apart you can place these speakers without losing ANY center fill. I had them as wide as 9' apart (I swear) and on recording after recording there was NO loss of center fill at all with wall-to-wall width and very realistic depiction of soundstage height. Incredible soundstaging.

As always, best wishes for continued success,
Randy G.


Dear Albert,
Just a note to let you know that I decided to purchase the VR-2's here in NY. The speakers have yet to break in fully (I have less than 50 hours on them as I write) but I am so impressed with the transparency and the bass extension of these speakers right out of the box, that I decided to purchase them after only three days of listening. Using the Stereophile Test CD (#1) I was amazed that I could actually hear the speakers reproducing the 20 cycle tone (albeit at a much reduced level) from my listening chair! Of all the speakers that I have had in my listening room in the last 10 years (ProAc Response 2's, Martin Logan Aerius, and Maggie 1.6QR's) none have come remotely close to this kind of response, and the VR-2's are not nearly broken in, nor have I loaded the speaker with lead shot, nor have I installed the plinths or spikes yet. I'm afraid of just how good these are going to sound in a few more weeks! Also, these give up nothing to the 1.6QR's in terms of transparency and sound staging, In fact, they surpass the Martin Logans and 1.6QR's in every important parameter that I can think of. As an additional bonus, these are the only speakers I have ever owned that my wife thought were "pretty." (I don't know how you produce this kind of work for the price--immaculate, beautiful construction.)

Finally, I was hoping to go back to a tube amp with these speakers but I'm afraid that the amps that are within my budget (all are around 40-60 watts) may not be able to drive the VR-2's to the bass extension that they are so obviously capable of achieving. Do you have any recommendations for me in reasonably-priced tubes? Will 60 watts a side get the VR-2's down to a solid 25 or 30 cycles?

Thanks, again for all your help. I love this speaker.
RG


I just wanted to let you know that I'm on roughly the 30th hour of burn-in on my new maple VR2's. These speakers are incredibly good, even at this early stage. Here's some marketing: They "smoke" the Panatella, "outshine" the Celius, and make "Complete Sport" of the Thiel CS 1.6. My system is now absent of the painful ringing previously heard when anything with a pulse was played. I now seem to have a perfect (and stunning) amount of bass coming from a WE 300B 15wpc amplifier.

As for my sale, Paul could not have represented VSA any better. I can be a severely harsh critic of service, Paul's service is the best I've experienced thus far. He stayed at my home until everything was right. You simply cannot ask for more. I truly believe the VR2 can be revolutionary in terms of what they can deliver at the price point, and in sheer range totality. I will certainly be a major advocate of the VR2 in all the audio forums after the 100 hr break-in period.

My local dealer, Superior Sight and Sound (Waukesha, WI) told me they had a VSA rep in for a visit on Friday. They are great people, so I hope things went well. I truly have no regrets about choosing the VR2 over the Soliloquy 6.5 that they were selling. I'm sure if they heard the VR2, they would feel the same. It might even make them forget the Wilson Sophia in their showroom.

Thanks again,
Chris



BACK

Well I've had the speakers since early Feb. and I must say they are the best thing I've ever owned. I'm very satisfied!

True Story!!
My very good friend Carl Flowers has Wilson Watt puppy 5.1(?) speakers with two Velodyne subs. They are driven by Audio Research gear. He also uses the AR 3 CD player. Well!! He came here Friday afternoon to listen to my VR-4 HSE's because he had been reading all the good things about them. We spent about an hour and a half playing different music. His tastes are different than mine. He decided that his Wilsons and my VR 4's had just about the same very high end sound reproduction. What really floored him was the huge bass reproduction that the VR-4's have. Even with two Velodyne subs his speakers couldn't put out that much bass as the Vr-4's. I'm thinking that he may give you a call some day very soon.

C.C.

Hello Albert,
I have been living with my VR4GenIII-SEs for a couple of months now and can't tell how amazed I am by their range, speed, soundstaging, and imaging. I owned a pair of JMlab Mini Utopias before these ($8200 with stands) and was planning to move up the JMlab line. The next step up was the Mezzo ($14K) and, although a wonderful sounding speaker, still didn't reach the depths, and the impedance character wasn't as tube friendly as the dealers of these speakers suggest they are. By chance, while surfing the web, I saw the Von Schweikert site and immediately called to find out whether the hype was real or not. A local audition at Decibel Audio in Chicago made me realize it was. I didn't want to drop $14 to $18K on a set of JMlab speakers, so I looked around. Before I heard the VR4s I listened to Quad 988 and 989s (unable to move enough air!), Wilson Audio Sophias (sloppy bass, in my opinion and the JMlab inverted dome tweeter was beginning to give me headaches at home,
another reason why I was looking outside of JMlabs), Wilson Benesch ACT and Discovery models (Discovery nicer, more bass in the ACT, but a bit bloated, and both are a bit reticent in the highs, almost muted), among other much more expensive speakers. My main goal was eliminating the harsher highs of metal domes, maintaining the imaging of the JMlab and extending the bass so I could get rid of my REL subs that just never fully integrated well. With the VR4s, I found the ideal speaker - extremely good imaging, incredible soundstage, bass that knocks you on your ass and plummets the depths better than the REL subs I had (much cleaner and faster), along with a silky smooth high end with DETAIL!

I didn't intend to write this much, but I felt the need to say thanks for a wonderful design and at an incredible bargain of a price. Also, YOU NEED TO ADVERTISE! I don't think enough people know about you. I am a hard core audiophile and knew of your company a while ago, but never had a dealer in the area and never really heard that much about the line. You have the best bargains in the business.

Now, on to the actual reason why I am writing. First, I just saw a nicer designed VR4jr. I can't believe how fast you are changing models - this is on par with Apple -I hate buying items that are already past models as soon as I buy them! I realize that these are different speakers, and especially the Vifa tweeter (which I wouldn't part with), but the package is very nice - is the main difference in the low end, or will the VR4SEs still be a current model. Secondly, I would like your opinion on speaker cables. I heard you were developing a line of cables and I assume these would best match with the VR4s. I just bought a pair of Rogue M150 monoblocks to run the speakers-only single connectors - ie. no extra set for biamping. Again, an amazing bargain. One other question, do you recommend the 4 ohm or 8 ohm tap? There seems to be gobs of tight bass on the 8 ohm tap.

Thanks much. Sorry for the length of the email. I waited ~8 weeks for these to be made (a looooooong time), but it has been worth it!

JM, M.D., Ph.D.

Hi, Albert:

My name is Andrew C. I just wanted to fire off a quick e-mail describing my early impressions of the VR-4 HSE, a pair of which I recently purchased from VSA. I don't consider myself a hard-core audiophile--though I like to think I do know good sound when I hear it--nor am I particularly affluent, so the decision to purchase the HSEs was not one reached without some inner debate. I'm not terribly fond of the "flavor of the month" state of high-end, either, so I approached the StereoTimes rave with a furrowed brow. I decided to take a chance on the HSEs, though--I'm still not exactly sure why--and I'm glad to say that, even at this early stage of break-in, I don't regret my decision one whit. I won't embarrass myself my trying to describe the speaker's virtues--I probably couldn't tell a soundstage from a Broadway stage--but I trust my ears, and even though I can't accurately describe what I'm hearing, I know it's RIGHT. I also know I haven't had this much FUN listening to music in a long, long time. In fact, the HSEs are the first high-end speaker that has drawn me closer to the music rather than making it seem more distant (i.e., more distant in that I spend more time listening to speakers than to actual music). As I write, I'm listening to Tom Petty's self-titled first album--not exactly an audiophile benchmark, but one of favorite albums nonetheless--and I'm nodding my head like a stoned hippie and playing air guitar between keystrokes. With any other speaker, I'd probably be sitting on the couch, wondering if could get more bass if I adjusted the toe-in. With these speakers, I really couldn't care less. I'm having too much fun listening to the MUSIC. Anyway, this letter is turning Tolstoyesque in proportion, so I'll conclude briefly. To summarize, my early impressions of the HSEs are very, very positive. I don't part with this kind of money easily, but as I said, I have absolutely no regrets. Finally, I wanted to mention my sales experience with Paul Garner, because, more than anything, that experience led me to buy to the VR-4s. Paul is one of the friendliest, most honest people I've met in the industry, and we've had many a long talk about the VR-4s and any number of other things. He was, and continues to be, incredibly helpful and insightful. I have my speakers wired with some of his ribbon cable, and I couldn't be happier with the combination. He is a great asset to your company. OK, "American Girl" just started, and I sense a frenzied air-guitar solo in my immediate future, so I better sign off! Congratulations on building a state-of-the-art speaker and pricing it within reach of the average music lover. Let the bluebloods have their Wilsons and Levinsons. As long as we, the proletariat, have the VR-4, we'll be OK.

Sincerely,
AC


This is Tom M. and I wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying these VR-4 SE speakers. It truly is a whole new listening experience and every CD sounds like I am hearing it for the first time. The transparency is what shocks me the most. I could count on one hand the number of other speakers that have this kind of transparency. Thank you for such a musical speaker!!

TM

First, let me say, your speakers are amazing. I have had my VR 4 Gen III SE's for less then a month, and I love them. They are incredibly transparent, dynamic, and simply put one of the finest speakers I have heard. (The others being far far far more expensive). That being said, I have a question. I am currently using a Spectron Musician II amp with the speakers (Which I also love). I know you have had experience with this amp/speaker combination. I was wondering which pre-amp you currently use with the speakers. I am considering upgrading, and would like to know if there are any pre-amps you have found that mesh well with this amp/speaker combination.

Sincerely,
DH


BACK

I am the proud owner of a pair of Von Schweikert VR5-HSE speakers. Having had the privilege of building an audio designed listening room, I auditioned many audiophile quality speakers of varying price ranges. The Von Schweikerts were a brand I knew little about, but their sound was outstanding. I evaluated them to have great value for price.

I thought the speakers sounded so good in my set up until one day through a mathematic equation, I found the "magic position" for the speakers. It was an audio experience I had thought to be a legend rather than reality. As people listen to my Von Schweikert VR5-HSE speakers, they exclaim that, "the sound fills the room", "you can hear and position every instrument" and "holy cow, its unbelievable!"

I am very impressed with not only the speakers, but also the Von Schweikert company. They are very helpful and personal e-mails from Albert even more enhance the experience.

I use a Chang line processor, Sim Audio pre-amp and amp, Moon Eclipse CD player and Analysis Plus power cords and speaker wires in a room with walls from ASC. A fabulous set-up!

RVH


BACK

BACK

Thank you for your correspondence. The dB100's have recently opened up after a long run-in period. They are exquisite!! I have never been so happy with an individual component ever before. Although they are still changing, they really have no weak links. I realised recently that for the last few weeks, I have been listening to music without being conscious of the 'system'. As this is the first time that this has happened to me, I am completely shocked at just how happy I am at the moment (musically speaking). All of the traditional methods of judging speaker performance are catered for ( eg. soundstage, clarity, etc ) but what has stood out for me are two things:

(1) Incredibly tuneful bass. Prior to the dB100's, I have experienced tight, precise bass, but the dB100's have shown me just how tuneful bass can be and furthermore just how well bass can integrate into the overall sound and add to the 'musicallity'.

(2) Overall balance. The sonic presentation does not emphasise one frequency range over another. It is not only well balanced but it doesn't distort as you increase the volume to higher levels. This is the first time that I have experienced such a well balanced, musical sound.

These little things have stood out for me. In my humble opinion, there are some speakers that get the big things right but this is they first pair of speakers that I have heard that get all the little things right as well.

Bye the way, the extra time spent on getting the paint right was really worth it as they look spectacular.

Thank you for the newsletter and I hope that the move into the new factory went well.

Best regards,
GM