I just bought a set of VR-4's and wish to bi-wire them. My challenge is that the distance from the top speaker post to the bottom is about 25". I don't, for looks sake only, want to run two separate cables.
The first cable I tried, a cheap one thank goodness, didn't reach both speaker posts. I've heard that Analysis Plus is a good match but am not sure they would reach either. Does anyone know of a bi-wired cable that would match the VR-4's distance challenge while still sounding great? Thanks for any insight you can all shed.
Thank you so much for bringing this up! I ran my Alpha Quad Actives into the woofer posts directly (which I highly recommend: damping factor and all that) and then ran a pair of Guerrilla Audio pure silver speaker wires from there to the tweeters bypassing the jumper plates and woofer to tweeter jumper altogether. Synergistic Research uses this particular approach to bi-wiring and has an interesting article that you may find interesting.
Cohesion, I get it now! Voices are less sibilant and more liquid. There is a much greater sense of air and ambience.
If you jacket your seperate cables, you will loose the benefit of bi-wire. On another idea...don't think that a marketed cable by a speaker or amp manufacturer is a preferred combination. I thought so, but was bitten hard when I realized how awful the cables were. The electronics are wonderful.
...and one more thing. Albert Von Schweikert now produces his very own speaker cables for his very own speakers. Imagine that!!! You can find a review on enjoythemusic.com under Rick Becker auditioning of the VR-4 Sr MK2 He did a pretty good job there, he did! The other fellow's name that produces cables specificly for The Von's is one Paul Garner, not Paul Varner. He's worth talking to. btw The price for those Verbatim cables in Texas(?) here on the gon are about 1/2 price. Have fun
Thanks to all for your useful feedback. I'm going to try giving Acoustic Zen a whirl. I had never heard of "Herbies Big Fat Black Dots" before this but now am anxious to incorporate them as well. Thanks again!
This question has been raised with respect to VS speakers regularly here. I have the VR5 and chose, for now, to use two runs of cable (Audio Art SC5, cheap, flexible and easy on the ears). I went this way as VSA stated rather bluntly that it was the best arrangement for their speakers. In terms of neatness, if you buy the cable long enough, the top run can dangle down behind the speaker and not dominate when lying in a pair across the floor (their combined size seems less visually intrusive than some of the mega-size cables one can buy. The Anti Cable would take this approach to the extreme, they are probably invisible from 10ft they are so thin.
But as others have noted, several companies make a biwire that is joined at the amp end and split apart early enough at the speaker end to span that 24" gap (Analysis Plus for one, which Albert used (uses?) in the speakers). As Mfsoa also noted, using a jumper to link the modules in conjunction with a good run from amp to speaker can work very well -- have a word with Moon Audio who will make such a run for you that they feel works very well with VSA. But in fact you can use any cable that can be made in 3ft pair.
FWIW, the Audio Art cable is cheap, well terminated and really good sounding. I suspect Rob who runs the company would make up a pair for you too if you asked.
Some have reported excellent results with single run to upper module and then jumper down to the woofers.
This configuration, to me, can offer an improvement in the coherence of the overall presentation.
I currently use 'em this way but admit I do not obsess over this and don't do a lot of switching around anymore, so maybe there are gains I'm not extracting.
I had these same speakers and did in fact run the Analysis Plus sivlers biwire version. These cables start out as connected (all 2/4 cables) at the point that they connect to the amp but split immediately at this point so that you have no problem attaching these to the VR 4 JR.
Additionally, I found that with my other equipment at the time that the silver cables were a good match with the VS VR 4 JRs. Look for a pair of the Analysis Plus used and inquiry or request a pic from the seller.
Acoustic Zen will make one run a little longer for you if you went them.....however, I second the Herbies Big Fat Black Dots VS Special once you get your cable situation straighten out, just did it to mine a few weeks back and it was truely amazing what it did to for my sound.....
Verbatim speaker cables for sale were just posted. Research them on the Forums and you'll find that VS used (still uses?) the cables at many shows. I don't know how the 25" thing will work, but Albert Von Schweikert speaks highly of the match with his speakers. The cables are made by Paul Varner at verbatim1@earthlink.net
I like the idea of Canare 4S11. I have used it with great success. That said, I now use Speltz anti-cables in two runs from the amps to the speakers. SInce that does not appeal to you, you would most likely get the same result by running one pair to the lower module and another pair to the upper posts. The wire retains its bent shape and you can hide it behind the speakers. Any magnet wire would probably do, but I wanted mine pre-terminated, and they are not expensive. The terminals on the 4JRs should handle both set of spades, or you can order them with bananas, or bare wires, or call them and they can rig up the set with only one spade each for the lower module. By this I mean one spade with two wires running to it and two different length wires. Good luck!
Another possibility is to go with the two seperate cable runs then cover/combine them in inexpensive cable covering from Home Depot - usually costs about $2.50/10' run available in the electrical department - and doesn't look any worse than any other cables while permitting you to reach both modules easily.
The advantage of doing this is that it saves you the cost of replacing cables if you decide later to bi-amp the VR4JRs which is what I did and it really makes the sing.
The Analysis Plus Oval 9s are a great match for the JRs and richer-sounding IMHO than the Kimber TCs; both of which I've used. But I found I like the sound of the JPS Labs speaker cables MUCH better than either of the former cables - more open, detailed and natural sounding.
One tweak to seriously consider is Herbies Big Fat Black Dots to replace the small spike interface between the upper and lower modules. They offer a big improvement in detail retreival and imaging on what already superb speakers.
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