Von Schweikert VR-3 Floorstanding Speakers

Von Schweikert VR-3 Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

(See reviews)

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 15  
[Mar 15, 2003]
JJM
AudioPhile

Strength:

Smooth honest midrange, refined highs & bass. Beyond belief soundstage. Can be played real loud without getting screechy & in your face.

Weakness:

A pain filling them with sand (an absolutely necessary step). Build quality could be better, but keep in mind the exterior finish is fine & the quality of components is good.

Superb speakers! These were going cheap on eBay so I picked up a pair with the intention of re-selling them. Fired them up & I was blown away!. I didn't think I could do much better than my Stratus Gold i's (excellent speakers) but now the Gold's are sold & it's the VR-3's cranking out the tunes. It's been a long time since I put in a component & started hearing significant improvements in resolution. Usually the improvements, if any, have been incremental. The Gold's are no slouces in the resolution dept but the VR's are much better. How good? The best that I've heard from speakers under 5k. Most importantly it's what I would call "organic detail". No harshness, no added zing. Some speakers are prone to "highlighting" & a cymbal splash will sound like its in your face & 10' tall. Not with the VRs. Everything is in its proper perspective. However, resolution is not this speakers best quality. The holographic soundstage it throws is unbelievable. A rock solid 3-D image. If you've heard OHM Fs, you know what I'm talking about. The sweet spot is enormous. Midrange clarity is exceptional, however you must fill the mid/tweeter cavity with sand(as per owner's manual)to reach full potential. This is not an optional step, its mandatory for best sound. Although it's messy, the reward in focus & upper bass/mid clarity is well worth it. Bass is great too. Nice & tight with lots of it. A real surprise was with some organ cd's (rock the house, shake the floor types) in which the bass went down a few more registers than expected. I had been conditoned with previous speakers (all respected manufactures) that the bass went only so far and was never disappointed as they went down plenty, but then the VR's showed me where the bottom really is! The only item I can fault these for is the somewhat sloppy build quality. But its not something that you can immediately see since the grill cloth is not easily removable. If you do get them off you would see sloppily routered openings & glued joints that looked like they were troweled on. But, it is the sound, the sound, it is to die for & that's whats really important. Plus the exterior finish (grill cloth, cherry end caps) are fine, so it's only when you peek inside that you might be a little disappointed. In the scheme of things I view this as a very minor issue. Listening to these is an eye opening & gratifying experience. If you have a chance give them a listen. You'll be impressed.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Stratus Gold i's, NHT 2.9s, Martin Logan Aerius

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 04, 2003]
rag
AudioPhile

Strength:

Overall sound, great tonality, lot's of air around instruments, large sound stage, fabtastic build.

Weakness:

I would have liked them to be even smaller

On the look out for a compact monitor, I compared the Von Schweikert VR1 with other models like the Totem 1. Actually I could not believe the sound coming out of those high quality mini monitors. Surprising bass, sweet highs and real mid's. To my ears the Vr1 was a bit more forward than the others and the sound really involved me with the music. It was difficult to keep the volume down. Expansive sound stage, no compression at the loudness I used them, good with classics, pop and jazz. Build quality is exemplary.

Similar Products Used:

Totem model 1

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 13, 1998]
Bob
an Audiophile

I think these speakers are a steal at the price. Mids and highs are detailed and give a good soundstage. Bass lacks the last word in quickness. Incidentally, for those new to this forum, Leland Li seems to comment on almost all components ever made. I really doubt that he has really tested any of the components he has commented on. He appears to have an agenda and loads of free time.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Feb 13, 1998]
David Lee
an Audio Enthusiast

Leland doesn't have that much spare time, but he did wastes a whole afternoon on my computer. I went with him to hear the VR-3's and I was more impressed than he was. They are not as good as my Aerial Acoustic 10t's, but the cost a lot less. I also heard the VR-4's. They are exceptional speakers. Dynamics and bass were outstanding. My 10t's however image better.
By the way Leland did listen to all the of the equipment he commented on

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Dec 08, 1997]
P. Maison
a Casual Listener

$2,000 seems to be my cut-off point for speakers, and just about any audio component for that matter. I currently own a pair of Von S. VR-3s and I amgreatful for two reasons: 1. These are absolutely awesome speakers. A great big and quite detailed soundstage, lovely, sweet highs and gut wrenching BASS!!
These babies aren't that picky about room placement, mine are 24" from the back wall and 33"(left) and 34"(right) from the sides. And, boy am I enjoying my CDs. The second reason is price. To get this level of performance from any other speaker, one has to probably add another $1000 - $1,500!!! No KIDDING!!
I've had equally great pleasure with ProAc's Response Two's, but at $3000, you get the point.

The rest of the system consists of:
CD PLAYER: MICROMEGA STAGE 6 (UPGRADED FROM STAGE 2) $1,550
TURNTABLE: ROKSAN RADIUS $1,050 W/ ROKSAN CORUS BLACK $400 ($1,450)
TAPE DECK: AIWA AD-F750 $350
PREAMP: Mc CORMACK LINE DRIVE TLC-1 $1,000
AMPLIFIER: Mc CORMACK DNA 0.5 $2,000
INTERCONS: KIMBER KABLE SILVER STREAK $180/m
KIMBER KABLE PBJ (TAPE)
SPER CABLE: MIT TERMINATOR 2 $400/8' PR

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Feb 14, 1998]
John

You have got to be kidding, I don't know who you are trying to fool but Leland went with me to hear the VR-3s. As Bob thought, Leland really does have an agenda.
Getting to more important matters. The VR-3s are significantly surpassed by the VR-4s but great value for the money.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Dec 12, 1997]
an Audiophile

The VR3s were my first enty into "audiophile audio" They blew away my Alons (Model 1) hands down. I using them with a OCM500, which caused earth shattering vibrations throughout my house. I had to step back to a more laid back Proceed Amp 2. The speakers are a bargin. You may not even need a sub if you use these speakers with surround sound and have an amp with some 'ass' Hurry up and buy them bebore old Von gets wise and raises the price a $1000.00.
I just purchased the VR 4.5 as my main listening speakers with a levinson 331. The speakers are also increadible.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Apr 06, 1998]
Tom
an Audio Enthusiast

These speakers should be called Von Vandersteen's. These are a direct rip-off of the design of the Vandersteen 1B's and 2Ce's, without the sound quality. The VR-3's were soft sounding, not very detailed with slow bass. For the money, I'll take any of the Vandersteens.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
[Apr 16, 1998]
Sean
a Casual Listener

This is going to be a mixed review. On one hand, these speakers can't be surpassed for sound quality by any other floor standers under $2K. Great soundstage. Various models by Hales and PSB were probably the closests in terms of sound quality. On the other hand, the construction quality of these speakers stinks. They look like they were assembled over a weekend by a guy named Bubba in his garage with the help of Mr. Bud and Mr. Schiltz.
Also, the visual appearance of the speaker is very poor. Von Schweikert should be ashamed to charge extra for the "cherry" top panels that seems to be plywood with a very poor quality stain and sealed with clear epoxy. Frankly, if I lived in a 20 year old mobile home green shag carpet and a tobacco stained couch, the VR-3's would detract from the ambiance.

Summary: 5 stars for sound quality, less 2 stars for build quality

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
[Jan 04, 1999]
Olu
an Audiophile

I just bought a pair of VR3s on Thursday. I like 'em. I auditioned speakers for about 6 months including Linn, Hales and B&W. For 2 grand they are a steal. I don't have a very good room but they sound great anyway. Connected to my Meridian 506 CD, Rega Planar 3 Turntable and B&K electronics I am in heaven. I only wish I could have affordedd the VR4s. But hey, half the price. You can't beat it. Take a listen.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
Showing 1-10 of 15  

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