Von Schweikert VR-4.5 Opinions

I bought a pair of VR-4.5 as well as the center channel and surround channel speskers for my home theater system. The VR-4.5 are certainly very good speakers but I can't attribute any glowing praise with respect detail and midrange. These subjective conclusions I suppose could be influenced by the room charateristics and associated equipment. My room is about the same size as your basement but with a cathedral ceiling that at its peak is at least 16' high. My electronics are the Acurus ACT-3 Pre-amp, Acurus A200 and A300 2 channel and 3 channel amps with a HSU 12" subwoofer. When listening to music in 2 channel stereo through the VR-4.5's I am quite frankly not as satisfied with the musical envolvment as with my critical listening system in another room in the house which includes Thiel 3.6 speakers driven by an Audio Research LS7 preamp and Aragon 8008 power amp. I get a greater sense of the music through the Thiels than through VR4.5's. Admittedly, I have better electronics driving the Thiels. If I had to go with only one pair of speakers, the Thiel 3.6's would win , no question.

I have owned a pair of 4.5's for 3 years. I love them. In fact, there was not a speaker at the NY Audio show for under $25,000 that could beat it. I have a Krell KAV 250 driving it with the Linn Ikemi CD player. The 4.5's are bi-wired. I just go the Linn and it made a huge difference improvement from an older Meridian CD/DVD player.
Check the cabinet beore you buy the 4.5's. The wood veneer on mine is starting to bubble. The sound more than makes up for it however.

Sylmack, how can you make a recommendation against the VR-4.5 and for the Thiel 3.6 without ever hearing what the VR-4.5's really sound like? Odd. The Thiel 3.6's are being driven by great 2-channel products...Audio Research and Aragon. The Von Schweikerts are being driven by a lower line Home Theater PROCESSOR, Acurus. Talk about Apples and Oranges.

Please dont get me wrong, the Acurus gear is great for a Home Theater, as far processors go with movies it is one of the nicer sounding ones. The same goes for thier amplifiers, however in the Home Theater you have a subwoofer, muddying up the bottom end which the VR-4.5's dont need and you have inferior* Home Theater products driving what should world-class speakers.

The VR-4.5 in opinion, do alot of things better than the Theil 3.6, to name a few things bass extension, top end extension, and a relatively bloomy midrange. Now the Thiel's do better the VR-4.5's in the overall mid-range catagory, as well as a nice sense of balance to the sound. But I would still choose the VR-4.5's because they can be driven unlike the Thiels which are rather frail when it comes to playing rock, rap, alternative, and generally music that can be driving in its playback. The 4.5's are just plain Fun to listen to. Oh well, just my two cents.

*=In comparision to the 2-channel rig you have.