Dorian Turner

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $9500.00 from VAF Research

Summary:
The VAF I-66 & I-91 surround system represents the best value for money speakers in Australia & I would suspect in the world! ......Bold statement but I swear the truth. These speakers at times completely blow me away with the stark reality of sound stage they produce they are so absorbing that time passes very easily. They simply allow you to be imersed in the sound and do not distract you from enjoying the music or the virtuality of a movie.I have owned top of the range speakers from Britain and USA over my 33 years of serious interest (obsession) in audio fidelity and can say without hesitation that these are the best speakers I have ever owned. Purchasing direct from the manufacturer has also saved me a small fortune too. (VAF only deal direct with customers) I don't care what the brand it is you are listening to (at even twice price I paid) these VAF Signatures will prove to be easily at least their equal in performance. They do require the best cabling you can afford don't skimp on this very important aspect Audiquest Bedrock bi-wired is a superb option as a minimum.

Strengths:
Smooth precise control of all frequencies, non fatiguing over long listening periods. Close your eyes or leave them open you can still feel the voices and instruments in front of you. True 3 dimentional stereo imaging. Construction is rock solid and of the highest quality I have ever seen. VAF staff are also very helpful, personable and modestly proud of their product. These speakers are very responsive and are quite sensitive 89dBA with a nominal 6 ohm impedance and do not require very high wattage amps. In my tests 80 -100 watts rms/channel is all you'll need but please make certain your amp is truly rated i.e watts are specified throughout the frequency range at continuous output. VAF Signature speakers defined in a single word?....REALITY!

Weaknesses:
These are neither small nor lightweight speakers you will need a medium to large room to enjoy this calibre of system. One problem though is that they speak the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.. you may end up "binning" some of your recordings as they reveal everything. However your better recordings will sound crisper and much more detailed than you'll have ever heard before (especially live recordings) so you'll enjoy them even more, trust me so "Dont Worry as you'll Be very Happy"

Similar Products Used:
Frankly, and I confess my enthusiasm for this company has made my earlier comments sound over the top but in truth I frankly haven't owned similar products. I have owned excellent speakers from B&W, Bose, Wharfdale, Monitor Audio, and Celestion.

Summary:
This is about the best conventional cone speaker I've heard. The mid coherence is so good and fast that it is close to an electrostatic. Images really lock in their appropriate positions and lifelike with lots of depth. The secret seems to be in the expensive Seas magnesium mid drivers. The weaknesses above are very minor and do not really detract from the speaker but instead are referred in absolute perfection/ideal terms.

The sound is generally described as detailed, highly coherent, analytical, but slightly leaner in bass character. They come in beautical cabinets, have time aligned drivers and are constructed extremely well.

For the price either as kit or assembled (US $2000 - 3000) there are no speakers approaching them within 2-3 times the price.

Visit the VAF website or their showroom in Adelaide, Australia.

Strengths:
Mid coherence, detail, imaging, value, technical excellence and build quality

Weaknesses:
tweeter quality, not enough bass for size of box

Similar Products Used:
Proac 2.5, Yamaha NS1000, Lin Kan, Quad ESL

Summary:
The first thing I noticed about these speakers (apart from their tremendous finish) was their weight - a whopping 60kg's each! The signature I-66 is a large floorstanding, four driver, three-way. It is solidly constructed with some of the best materials in the world and it looks like a lot of thought has gone into the design of them.
Listening to the Signature I-66's was a pleasure! For starters, the bass extended very deep and was very fast and tight, the mid-range was audibly flat and the high-frequency performance just made the room come to life. These speakers are without audible flaw, they produce simply what is in your source and nothing more and they sounded very sweet being driven by a Marantz CD-17 KI Signature and Marantz PM-17 KI Signature amplifier. These speakers were so good that I could almost swear I could read the mood of every performer!

Also, if you are a handy-man you can build them yourself as VAF supply them in kit form! What more could you want from a loudspeaker?