Von Schweikert VR2 vs. VR4 Gen III

The VR4s will give you a bigger sound,more depth,and larger soundstage,plus you can always get them upgraded to the SE for a fee and that will bring you right up to date.The VR2s are very good and have the soft dome tweeter which may be a plus for certain types of music.Either way you end up with very good speakers.

The detail I forgot to mention is that my call was originally to find a dealer in my area. There is no one in New England that sells Von Schweikert. (I live in Boston.) Hence, my having to make a decision sight unseen. (Or unheard, which is the actual problem.)

We ended up on the phone for 1 1/2 hours. His total recommendation included vr2 speakers, LCR15 center channel, 2 VRS/1 subs, and vr1s on stands for rears. Do you think the subs would make up for the VR2s not going as low? Supposedly the VRS/1 is a very musical sub.

We have a 15 x 20 ish room, with 9 ft ceilings. Lot of hardwood (ceiling and floors). Electronics are Outlaw Audio 950, ICMB, and 200 Series Monoblocks (7 pf 'em); Denon 5900 w/ Bel Canto DAC2 for redbook.

We had been looking at the Martin Logans, which I like, but I've heard these compare favorably and they would probably be more cat/dog/kid proof.

He gave me the name of a dealer in Chicago, where I'll be for Thanksgiving. I'm going to call to see what they have on the floor. But he offered me 45 days, full money back including shipping, so I'm not committing fully. (See, just like the guys here. Totally joking. I'm SO not a male baser. Just conscious of being one of the few women obsessed with audio equipment.)

I've owned the VR4 GenIII's for 1 1/2 years & a few months ago auditioned the VR2's at home for about 5 days.

I liked the sound of the 2's but would not give up my 4's for them. There is nothing wrong with the 2's, it's just that the 4's do it better. I've never had a speaker that needed a sub & the systems I've heard with subs were not seamless.

I tried the 2's because I thought my room wasn't big enough for the 4's due to room placement/constraints but after having a listen to the 2's, decided to make a few adjustments to bring out the best sound I could. Even in my situation the 4 was the better speaker. From what you posted, you have plenty of power & a big enough room to get the speakers away from the wall & still have plenty of room.

Another one for your consideration is the VR4 junior, which should be available soon for auditioning. I've also heard the SE's but only at the dealer's. Not as fair an audition as in home but I preferred the GenIII's to the SE's.

There is a dealer in Burlington, Vermont. So no dealer in New England is not exactly right.

I own both the VR-2 and the VR-4. Anyone who tells you to buy the 2 instead must have a pretty good reason. Maybe its your electronics or room size.
In terms of performance, they both make good music. The 2's are kind of silly for the price, with bass down below 26Hz. That's velodyne kind of bass, and in a loudspeaker that also had great soundstaging.
The 4's are a completely different animal, they sound alike as one would hope, since they should, tonally, etc. But the 4 is more dynamic, and much more textured.
If you need real help buying, email me. I can direct you to the right person.
Larry

Albert Von schweikert called me personally today (!!!!!!), because I sent him an e-mail asking for clarification. He spent an hour on the phone with me going over the designs, sound characteristics, a little about his childhood :), etc. I was blown away by his company's commitment to customer service. That's 2 1/2 hours his people have spent with this _weekend_ helping me make the right choice, so that I will be happy in the long term. Truly exceptional. From their commitment to sound quality, to affordable, to customer service, this is what I consider an amazing company. If the speakers sound even half as good as I think they will, they have won a customer for life.

I have decided to go with VR2's paired up with the matching VRs/1 subs. (Yes the system Paul originally recommended.) If it's good enough for MTV, JVC, and Albert, it's good enough for me. :)

Thanks everyone for all of your help.

Joy Elyse

I think the VSA crew steered you in the right direction. Just like big Wilsons, to get the full advantage of the big VR4's, from my experience, you need to have them on a long wall, AT LEAST 12ft apart, even further apart is possible, and, I've found you should have the seat in an equilateral trianagle, so pretty far off as well. You also need to get the big dawgs about 5ft off the back walls, 3-6ft off the side walls (never the same distance off front/side walls), so you can appreciate the size of a room needed for these to really settle in comfortably. If you really want to hear the amazing bass that they can produce, down into the teens, you need closer to a 40ft long room, if not more....not that loading up and pressurizing a smaller room isn't fun too!

With the VR2's and subs you'll be more then happy, me thinks. The VR1/2's make a killer surround setup and you can place them much more easily and actually move them around by yourself. The aesthetics of the VR1/2's don't hurt either, though I personally don't mind a black sock, many hate it. Anyways, I'd be willing to bet that you'll completely forget about Martin Logans after a couple weeks of break-in....

p.s. don't forget the lead shot or sand, it's mandatory, not optional.

Joy,

Best of luck with your decision and I hope you had a fruitful call with Paul of VSA. Yes, customer service, and excellent dealer service in concert with the manufacturer, is what it is all about. VSA certainly provides that. Not to mention world class equipment. Best of luck and email me if any assistance is needed.

Brian in MA (BOK)

Well, my VR2s (VRS/1s, LCR15, VR1s, and stands) are ordered. I expect them to arrive next Friday. I am so excited! I'll break them in over Thanksgiving week, and report in after. Talk to y'all in 100-200 hours. Joy Elyse