on von schweikert

today i had fun. i was looking for a jolida tube and found that the only dealer in my area to carry them also carried the VR1 and VR2. The first song was breath taking. The second had me smiling. The third put me in the zone. I compared them to Dynaudio 52. Well, there actually was no comparison. I would probably pay $500-700 more for the VR1. But they retail for only $95 more. I have the 52se on order (these do happen to be $500 more than 52) and i am wondering how these two will compare.
Anyway, i discovered my new favorite under $1K monitor speaker today. The Von Schweikert VR1 is a killer speaker. And the VR2 is totally awesome. Although IMO is it not worth $1500 more than the VR1. Yes, it delivers incredible awesome bass extension (i think down to 25hz which is hardle believable if you saw the size of the floorstander VR2), but it is not as clear since the bass can get in the way. I loved them, dont get me wrong, but i would be very happy to own the VR1 and use the $1500 towards elctronics.

Please, post your experiences with the VR1 and VR2. and if you dont have any, i recommend finding a dealer near you that carries them.

Just want to be clear though that Jolida has trouble with bass. A tougher speaker one with more bass can cause trouble for the Jolida. The Jolida is better suited to easy to drive standmounts.

I have heard good things about VonSweikert as well. My huge dealer here is thinking of picking up new speaker companies to go along with what they already carry and they may dump Totem. Dynaudio was up for consideration but they have not picked it up yet.

I would like to hear the VR1 among others against some of the top flight stuff out there. http://www.soundhounds.com/

[QUOTE=RGA]Just want to be clear though that Jolida has trouble with bass. A tougher speaker one with more bass can cause trouble for the Jolida. The Jolida is better suited to easy to drive standmounts.

hey rga, im not quite sure what you meant here.

i think RGA is referring to the Jolida tube integrateds, and if this speaker is anything like the Dynes, they will need more power for good bass...but Jolida has the solution, and this is an amp I am seriously considering for my Dynes - the Jolida 1501RC hybrid, has a tube preamp and 100w/ch ss amp with remote control and is spoken very highly of around the net...

http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/jd1501rc.html

I should have put this in the other thread so my apologies...

In the $1k spectrum, the VR1's should absolutely be on everyones list as a potential Top 3.

At the price that I paid for them new in the box ($675) they shouldn't be on anyone's list...THEY ARE THE LIST! There isn't another speaker near this price that I've heard that comes close to their quality of construction (real wood veneer, rhodium binding posts), warranty (10 years) or sound (natch).

Of course, this is only my opinion. Feel free to disagree...you're just wrong ;)

Love my VR-1's. I agree that even at the list price they are superb value. The design is fantastic. The off-axis response and the way they "charge" the room with sound is what puts this speaker over the top. The finish, build quality, warranty and support are above average too. I was actually prepared to buy mine new until I saw a pair on Ebay and picked them up for even less. For people interested in VR-1's or Vr-2's you can find them used on Audiogon. The reason in most cases is that the owners are upgrading to another Von Schweikert product-this says alot about these speakers! More bass and a bigger, deeper soundstage is what people will spend alot more money for which leaves a few used pairs of Vr-1's and Vr-2's behind that are great for people on a budget. Search out these speakers and have a listen!

Has anyone added stereo subwoofers to their Vr-1's?. This setup really interests me as part of a music system only. I currently run them high-passed off a PSB Subwoofer 1 Passive unit from the late 80's (very big and very musical but doesn't play very loud). The Von Schweikert VRS-1 is a natural choice but I don't need the active power. I would also like to know what others are using for amplification for their VR-1's. Since I am most likely going to biamp my system in the long run (Aragon on the bass) I am going to look at running a class A amp, Nak stasis other Nelson Pass design or even try a tube amp that is compatible with the VR-1's from say 100hz up. Look forward too hearing from other VR-1 owners.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmtjoy

Has anyone added stereo subwoofers to their Vr-1's?. This setup really interests me as part of a music system only. I currently run them high-passed off a PSB Subwoofer 1 Passive unit from the late 80's (very big and very musical but doesn't play very loud). The Von Schweikert VRS-1 is a natural choice but I don't need the active power. I would also like to know what others are using for amplification for their VR-1's. Since I am most likely going to biamp my system in the long run (Aragon on the bass) I am going to look at running a class A amp, Nak stasis other Nelson Pass design or even try a tube amp that is compatible with the VR-1's from say 100hz up. Look forward too hearing from other VR-1 owners.

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I use my VR1's in a bedroom system so no, I don't use a sub, nor do I feel that I need one with their bass response. Just so you know, I only use my sub on my main rig for HT and never for 2 channel. I guess I'm just not much of a bass hound.

I'm powering my VR1's with a vintage Marantz 2230 and it sounds incredible. If you aren't familiar with old Marantz receivers, they are built like the proverbial tank and outperform today's japanese receivers by a fair margin when it comes to sound, IMO. Smooth and highly musical would be the best descriptors. Only 30 watts, but more than enough for these speakers in my room.

I've also hooked them up to the PS Audio HCA2 driving my main rig and they loved the synergy. Interestingly enough, Albert uses another digital amp, a Spectron, in his main sound room at VSA. Along with the VAC mono's he uses at shows, these seem to be his amps of choice. I heard the VR4jr's and the VR11's through the Spectron and was impressed. How much of it was the amp, VAC pre, or the speakers I'm unsure to be honest. I'd suggest trying a PSA or Spectron along with your favorite tubes and see what sounds best. Be forwarned, Spectron has had reliability issues (do a search at Audioasylum and you'll see what I mean) although Kevin at VSA said the only problem they encountered was self inflicted (i.e. VSA screwed up).

Good luck and enoy the VR1's.