Daemon Von Schweikert just posted a tribute to his dad on their Facebook page. I believe he was 74-75 years old. Another one of the “greats” has passed on to the “Great Gig In The Sky”. My condolences to his entire family.
I started my audiophile life with a pair of Quad ESL 63s and later added Gradient Subwoofers. Though I loved the transparency ultimately I began to miss the punch and presence of dynamic speakers. But anyone starting with Quads is then cursed by their quality and goes on to search for box speakers that can get as close to "Quads without the failings" as possible.
When I encountered the Von Schweikert VR line, which was garnering raves in the late 90’s, I found that speaker (for the most part). I ended up with the VR4 Gen II speakers. As boxless and open as any dynamic speaker I’d heard, astounding 3 dimensionality, yet they had that BIG midrange sound of the Quads, and went down almost to 20 Hz. I had the caps custom stained to match the room. I actually visited the VR factory at the time and met Albert who gave me a tour and a chat. Very nice guy.
I’ve always admired him as a speaker designer, but sadly didn’t have the opportunity to keep up on his later speakers in terms of hearing them. My local dealer at one point stopped selling VR (maybe it was after the flood).
Stereophile ran an exceptional review of the Eggleston Andra loudspeaker,, and I was able to buy a demo pair locally after auditioning them myself. They sounded wonderful - the only term I can use to describe their lifelike "holistic" presentation. I was told Albert designed the crossovers for them. Later on someone on Audiogon was selling a pair of VR-9's, but I was very hesitant to give up what I had. The seller insisted I would lose nothing of the realism and ease which the Egg's were known for, but with a greater degree of definition, and several adjustments on the back to modify bass and treble output.. Another Audiogon member raved over the 9's as well, and I called him to discuss what I should do. After deliberating myself into a migraine I decided to go ahead and sell my beloved Andra's for something "even better". What they say about Albert's speakers are mostly true- musical (if not the most aesthetically appealing when it comes to the 9's Darth Vader look), and easy to enjoy right out of the (3) crates. I even had the 9's upgraded with new components and cabinet a few years back, and Albert loved to talk audio with me and answer all my questions. A very friendly guy with a great track record and little regard for how much money I made or any of that stuff. He lived a good life and I can vouch for his love of music. Plus- you can buy his newest line of speakers (which are costly), but you also can't go wrong with a pair of his older speakers.
I feel 'uncomfortable' judging the man by his work; nevertheless, I have never been 'floored' as significantly as the first time I heard his VR4's in a high-end audio shop in Houston, about 30 years ago...
Sad news. Still rocking my VR-3s -- 25+ years and going strong. Met his son at Capital AudioFest a couple years ago, but did not get to meet Albert. RIP.
Very sad day. I talked to him a few times when the company was located near me in San Marcos, CA and I owned the VR-1 and needed repairs. One time he was burning in one of the new huge tower models and the room was right next to the front desk receptionist. I felt kinda bad for her, just the lows coming through the walls. He played some obscure Frank Zappa for me. A true gentleman. He will be missed.
A true innovator and perfectionist in the art and science of building exceptional loudspeakers. This and the fact that he was a kind, generous man that I loved talking to about our passion for exemplary audio reproduction. I miss him.
I only had some home theater speakers from his NY period. Brilliant planning put a lot of solid design into even his least expensive products. He was proud of every design he released. He will be missed.
I used to run into him at some of the LA/Orange County Audio Society events. Always a pleasure to speak to and immensely knowledgeable about speaker designs. RIP Albert.
I met him at the LV CES. I could tell straight away he was so thorough and with good hearing. No wonder his speakers are great! RIP Albert. Looks like son Damon is set to carry on the torch.
Albert’s speakers were my favorite in 30 years of selling high end audio until I closed in 2007 due to illness. My sincerest condolences to his wonderful family.
Sad news. In my limited experience I found Albert to be a true gentleman who was more than happy to spend time talking with someone even when they did not have the big bucks for his high end offerings. In my case, it was his VR-33's, a speaker I still enjoy in my second system. So I offer my condolences to Albert's family. Seems we are losing too many as of late who have made very significant contributions to what we all so love.
Oh Man, sad to hear this info. He was in deed one of the greats. I love his speakers. He will be missed within the audio community. My condolences to his friends and family.
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