Well, I just bought the VR-4 gen II, the lcr-31 and the 210 rear surround speakers, Paradigm Servo15 subwoofer and Yamaha DSP-A1, plus assorted other equipment. I find the VR-4 to be breathtaking, accurate, so true to what instruments and the human voice really are. I am unbelievably impressed, awed to live at a time when technology can give me such musical perfection in my own home. The imaging and spaciousness and dimensionality are all there. I am hearing differences in sound on CDs that I have for 12 years and thought I knew every nuance of the music. Boy, was I wrong!

Amazingly lush vocals, brilliant sound stage, powerful yet unobtrusive lows.

I've seen better looking...

I fooled around with solid state amps/preamps and the VR4 gen2 performed well. I switched to tubes and the VR4's assumed a new personality, which seemed to take them to another level entirely. I just purchased a second Conrad Johnson MV55 Amp for the purpose of bi-amping. That with the CJ preamp and valved CD player, sets the stage for an audio experience that must be heard to be believed. The VR4's truly exceeded my expectations, which is rare.

Similar Products Used:

MB Quartz

Open, transparent sound with wide sweet spot. Good, firm, accurate bass without mid-bass heaviness that is so frequently found in today's speakers.

Not wild about styling. Needs a medium to large room.

I was listening to speakers costing up to $10,000 and these nearly won - to my great surprise! Easily the best all-around speaker I've ever heard in the sub-$5,000 price range. Despite their being rather large boxes, sonically they disappeared right into the room. Had the transparency of Maggies & Magneplanars and the bass depth and tightness of a good $6,000-$8,000 dynamic cone speaker. I eventually went with a speaker that listed at over $9,000, but not without giving a second thought to these.

Similar Products Used:

Aerial Acoustics, Vandersteen, B&W, NHT, Thiel, PSB

I listened to a large number of speakers, both in Europe and the USA, before I purchased the VR-4 genII and my conclusion is that for all-round ability it has to be one of the best speakers for the money on the market. For me the mid-range and treble transparency are absolutely stunning. BUT it has to be partnered with the best front end and amp that you can afford as it is extremely revealing. As with most equipment at this level if you find that it doesn't sound any good look at how you have it set up!!

A long time ago my knowledge in hi-fi was limited to mass-produced Japanese multi-national companies (i.e. Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Sharp, Kenwood, etc.) and an American company called Bose whose theories on reflected sound seemed convincing for a beginner like I was then. Then when I was in Singapore I had a chance to listen to valves and huge solid state components, Oh boy! they mesmerized me and from then on I got hooked on high-end gear. I swore to myself I'd get rid of all the mid-fi equipment at home.
My first system was made up of a Conrad-Johnson solid state pre/power amp (PF2L/MF2100), Wadia 21i, Vandersteen Model 2Ce, and Synergistic Research cables. I enjoyed it very much compared to the mid-fi system. A year after, I decided that I had to upgrade something in the system. The weakest link seemed to be the Vandersteen speakers. Although the Vandersteen had fine imaging, soundstage, focus, and midrange/treble quality; the bass was not satisfying enough for me, had a laid back presentation, limited transparency, soundstage and focus could be better, narrow sweet spot, and I needed a more powerful speaker.

So my quest began, I hit the magazines and internet reviews. Then I came across Von Schweikert Research which was a new company and their VR4 ranked 16th in Stereophile's HiFi 96 Show beating the other expensive speakers such as JMlab Eutopia, Cabasse Atlantis, ESP Concert Grand, etc.. I was intrigued, I have to hear these speakers. Fortunately, they have a dealer here in the Philippines so I auditioned the VR3 (VR4 was on order basis) hooked up to a Cello pre/power amp, Wadia separates, and Transparent cables. I was overwhelmed by the sound quality, it was much, much better than my Vandersteen 2Ce. Much cleaner and the bass was much more defined and goes deeper. Right away I ordered the VR4 Gen. II and had correspondence with Albert for quite some time. When they arrived (4 boxes to be exact) they sure are heavy. I have to ask someone to help me carry it to my room. You have to break it in for at least 100 hrs. (maximum of 300) before any serious listening. You also have to pay attention to proper placement since these are full range speakers, the bass can easily overwhelm your room if you don't have the optimized placement. Remember that these are not your run of the mill speakers so they require a lot of work and prefers to be matched with high-end gear to sound at their best. Upon reaching 100 hrs. there were so many qualities that knocked me off my feet. The soundstage was very wide, great imaging, wide sweet spot, presentation was just right(neither laid back nor forward), focus was stable enough, midrange was open and uncolored enough, very good timbre, highs were good, bass goes deeper and had much more weight, dynamics was excellent, and most awesome of all were the details that I have never heard before in my CDs. All the instruments were all there intact in the soundstage, no matter how many of them were playing. These babies simply disappear and were much like electrostatic speakers. I listen to blues, jazz, female vocals, pop, dance, new age, classical, rock, and country.

They may not beat the best electrostatics in the mids and highs but they're headed towards that direction. They could not compete with high quality subwoofers but hey, they're full range speakers it's impossible to have it all at this price range. Sure you may find other speakers in the $4-6k mark that are superior in some areas but the overall sound can't beat this. It's an above-average electrostatic paired with a good sub. My next upgrade path would be to change amps. Any suggestions? Anyone interested in buying Conrad-Johnson solid state pre/power amp?

Too bad Von Schweikert Research is out of business! Seems we lost a great high-end company whose products offer outstanding value especially for the VR3 and VR4. I wonder what went wrong, can someone tell me what really happened to Albert Von Schweikert and his company? Hope he will back soon.

I recommend this to everyone looking for full range speakers below $6000. They are no longer in production so hurry while they may still be available in your nearest dealer.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, THIS SPEAKER DESERVES TO BE IN THE HALL OF FAME!!!
SO I GIVE IT A FULL 5 STARS RATING


Don

So, P.J.CARLISSIMO,
Was this a review of a recent Golden State Warriors Game or of the aforementioned speakers?