Upgrade Von Schweikert VR-4 to Dunlavy SC-IV?


Greetings,

I own a pair of the original VR-4’s that I bought from Ambrosia A/V many moons ago. I had them mated with a Sumo Andromeda III for a long time, and they sounded sluggish, and lacked mid-bass impact and dynamics. I lived with them this way for 10 years. I recently bought a new amplifier (Parasound) which really livened up the VR-4’s, but they’re still not a speaker with the dynamics that I crave. I just contacted VR to see if they still offer the VR-4 to VR-5 upgrade, and unfortunately it is no longer available.

At the time I bought the VR-4’s, I auditioned the Dunlavy SC-IV’s, but I simply could not afford them at the time. I even visited the Dunlavy facility in Colorado Springs, and was mightily impressed with the effort that went into these speakers. I now have the opportunity to purchase a pair of the SC-IV’s at a reasonable price, so I’m thinking of “upgrading”.

I haven’t listened to the SC-IV’s in over 12 years, and never was able to compare them side-by-side, so I was wondering if any that has done so could give me a brief overview of the differences. While I like my VR-4’s, I would really like some marked improvement in the areas of dynamics and mid-bass “punch.” The VR-4’s sound too “studio,” and less “life-like” due to their lack of dynamic contrast, and I’m wondering if the SC-IV’s will fill that void.

Thanks!
seadweller

Showing 1 response by krell_man

If you're talking about going to a pair of the original SC-IV's, my opinion is that you're not upgrading to anything life-like.

I owned a pair of the original Dunlavy SC-IV's (bought them when they first came out) for eight years. For the first three years they were on my stereo, for the last five they were on my HT.

I replaced them in the stereo system with a pair of B&W Silver Signature's. They didn't have the bass of course, but they were much more realistic and natural.

The SC-IV's will easily slap your chest with the bass, but the midrange is not as natural as many other speakers.