VSA VR4 Gen III SE biamp questions.


I own a pair of Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III SE's which I drive (comfortably) with a pair of Electrocompaniet AW220 mono blocks.

The bottom is end is wonderful, however the mids and highs (at least to my ears) are just OK, but nothing special. Specifically, they sound lacking in body and texture, and just a tad to dry for my tastes.

So, I think tubes would be the answer. But, I love the bottom end, so I've been entertaining the idea of biamping the VR4's using the AW220's on the bottom, and using tubes on the midrange - treble.

What I am want to get is more texture, body, roundness, fullness and air (I guess I want it all).

Now, for the questions:

First, do I use a 'Y' connector out of the back of my CD player (Audio Aero Capitol Mk II) with one set of IC's to the AW220's (for the bottom) and one set of IC's to the tube amp?.

Secondly, if you've tried this arrangement with your VR4's (or other like speakers), what do you think? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?

Lastly, if you've tried this with the VR4's, how much power do you think I'll need for the tube amp (remember, this amp will be dedicated for the midrange / treble speaker - no bottom end) and any suggestions on a good tube amp (stereo of mono) somewhere in the $4k price range, give or take $1k (preferably take). New or used.

In conclusion, thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing back from anyone who has gone this route.

Happy Listening!!

Louis
louisl

Showing 1 response by apollo

You are right to finger the ss amp. In my humble view, one loses much more overall than one gains in bass tightness with a ss amp. With just a little more tube power, you won't even remember what is was about the ss sound that you liked. I achieved a sound much BETTER than expected when I removed the ss amp and connected 200 watt/ channel tubes to my VR-4 speakers.

And keeping it simple with one amp is ALWAYS better. Back in my TRI amp days, I could easily entertain the neighbors with soundlevel, but I was not happy!