Advice on Von Schweikert VR-2 vs PSB Imagine T

[mlundy57]

I have read individual reviews for both of these speakers. I realize the VR-2s are an older model for Von Schweikert while the Imagine Ts are a current model for PSB. My question is: "If you were going to buy a used pair of speakers, which one of these would you buy and why?" Thanks

[Hyfi]

I have not heard the Image T, but have heard the Stratus Silver and Gold. I do however own a pair of von Schweikert speakers from when he worked for Counterpoint and designed and MFG'd the Clearfield line of speakers. The Stratus Gold are similar to my Dynaudio 82s, full with good bass. Where VRs shine is in the midrange and after being a bass head for many years, I would now choose awesome midrange and detail over deeper bass.

I would probably choose the VRs

[thekid]

I will just second HyFi on this. I also have not heard the Image T's but do have a pair of VR-2's. They play just about every type of music very very well. The mids are very clear but they can go as low as you need them to without distortion even at some pretty high volume.

[mlundy57]

Turns out it may be a moot point. The Imagine T's are 4 ohm. My AV receiver, an NAD T748, is rated for 8 ohm speakers so it looks like that effectively eliminates them from consideration.

Thanks for the information, especially the direct input on the VR-2's.

[blackraven]

I believe that your NAD amp can handle 4 ohm speakers. Email NAD to be sure. An NAD Dealer near me uses NAD receivers with 4ohm Magnepan speakers all the time.

[thekid]

For the record here are the specs from the NAD owner's manual;

Power output Stereo Mode 2 x 80 W (8 ohms within rated distortion)
IHF dynamic power; 8 ohms 2 x 110 W
IHF dynamic power; 4 ohms 2 x 160 W
Power output Surround Mode 7 x 40 W
Total harmonic distortion at rated power <0.08 %
IM distortion at rated power <0.08 %
Damping factor, 8 ohms >60
Input sensitivity and impedance 250 mV/47 kohms
Frequency response ±0.5 dB (ref. 1 kHz, 20 Hz – 20 kHz)
Signal/noise ratio >100 dB (ref. rated power at 8 ohms, A-WTD)
Signal/noise ratio >90 dB (ref. 1 W at 8 ohms, A-WTD)

No mention of driving 4ohms speakers in the rest of the manual or switching the settings to drive a pair of ohm speakers but I would still do as Blackraven suggests and get confirmation from NAD whether it is possible.

[mlundy57]

Those specs look like they are for the 356BEE stereo amplifier. All of NAD's stereo amps say they are 4 ohm stable. My T748 is a 7.1 channel AV receiver. The manual for this amp only states 8 ohm.

I emailed the support center from the NAD website and the answer was that the T748 would be compatible with 4 ohm speakers whose price was similar to the receiver, in this case $700-$900. Which seems strange. I would think a 4 ohm load would be a 4 ohm load regardless of the price of the speaker. I would think at that point the limiting factor would be power and as long as the output of the amp was within the speaker's range it should work.

To confuse matters more, the specs for the T748 are:

Power output stereo mode: 2 x 80W (8ohms within rated distortion)
IHF dynamic power, 8 ohms: 2 x 110W
IHF dynamic power, 4 ohms: 2 x 160W
Power output surround mode: 7 x 40W

If I read this correctly it means I can use a pair of 4 ohm speakers but the receiver would then be limited to stereo mode, so no movies. Which is a non-starter since I use my system for both music and movies.

Another interesting twist is that NAD and PSB are sister companies. PSB makes 4 lines of speakers. The bottom 2 lines, Alpha and Image, are 6 ohms and the top 2 lines , Imagine and Synchrony, are 4 ohms. Why would NAD make an amplifier that is not capable of driving their sister company's mid to upper lines??

Guess I need to give NAD's tech support a direct call.

[Hyfi]

Those specs look like they are for the 356BEE stereo amplifier. All of NAD's stereo amps say they are 4 ohm stable. My T748 is a 7.1 channel AV receiver. The manual for this amp only states 8 ohm.

I emailed the support center from the NAD website and the answer was that the T748 would be compatible with 4 ohm speakers whose price was similar to the receiver, in this case $700-$900. Which seems strange. I would think a 4 ohm load would be a 4 ohm load regardless of the price of the speaker. I would think at that point the limiting factor would be power and as long as the output of the amp was within the speaker's range it should work.

To confuse matters more, the specs for the T748 are:

Power output stereo mode: 2 x 80W (8ohms within rated distortion)
IHF dynamic power, 8 ohms: 2 x 110W
IHF dynamic power, 4 ohms: 2 x 160W
Power output surround mode: 7 x 40W

If I read this correctly it means I can use a pair of 4 ohm speakers but the receiver would then be limited to stereo mode, so no movies. Which is a non-starter since I use my system for both music and movies.

Another interesting twist is that NAD and PSB are sister companies. PSB makes 4 lines of speakers. The bottom 2 lines, Alpha and Image, are 6 ohms and the top 2 lines , Imagine and Synchrony, are 4 ohms. Why would NAD make an amplifier that is not capable of driving their sister company's mid to upper lines??

Guess I need to give NAD's tech support a direct call.

They may really be referring to a difficult speaker more than it's price. Take my Dynaudio 42s or 82s at 4ohm and 86db. Your NAD will play music out of them, but not to their potential all while putting a heavy load on the amp/receiver. I am sure there are other easier to drive 4ohm speakers and quite possibly below the $700 mark. I am currently driving the 42s with a Stratos amp at 260 wpc @ 4ohms and they really open up while the amp throws no heat and is stable to 2 ohms.

That said, I drove/drive the Danes with an HK AVR635, and now an Integra 30.3. Both did not say 4ohm in the literature. Both get very warm. Your NAD may be a tad higher quality than the Integra so I expect it will drive them, but not to full potential. It should drive all channels, the ones driving 4ohm speakers will run harder and put out a little more wattage than expected.

I would bet you would like the VRs more anyway.