Disappointing. I generally prefer panel speakers (e.g., Magnepan, Martin-Logan) because just about every box speaker sounds "boxy". The VR4's are like that - boxy. The bass is deeper than most, but sounds enhanced (i.e., not realistic). Too much hype.

I tested this speaker connected to an ARC ls 15 and d300 and vt100.They were A/Bed against Theil,and the PROAC 2.5 and my old dq10s.
Later compared to sonus fabers.

Overall they are a great speaker! I loved the proacs for opera,
the theil for symphonic, the dahlquists for strings, and the sonus fabers were
very sweet. I then switched amps to the vt 100.

The sound was a superior, any harshness was gone and I'm. confident that I
made the right decision.

Last week I E mailed Albert Von Schwieikert to discuss his new VR4 type 2.

He said that although the footprint is dramatically smaller, they sound better. Cant wait to here them, but it will be tough to convince me that I could have done much better for my audio dollars! (3/1/98)

I've heard the VR4 in several environments. Given the right associated equipment, they offer tremendous value for even twice the money. This includes not just amps and preamps, but speaker cables and interconnects. If you've listened to them and found them to have anything less than spectacular imaging, depth of field, low level detail, tight and controlled bass... try other components or another dealer. I've been most impressed with the Pass amps driving the VR4. Even the Aleph 3 mates well, but again, using anything less than the most coherent interconnects and cables will lose the soundstage imaging and cause the free-standing instruments/performers to be trapped in a bas-relief sculpture with the nuances "spackled" over.

This review is for the VonSchweikert VR-4 and VR-4 Silver.I have owned both of these, and I want to communicate the huge difference between the regular VR-4 and the VR-4 Silver. (The now equivalent model to the VR-4 Silver would be the VR-4.5, which has a few additional changes).
The VR-4 Silver was like putting an entirely different design with the same exterior outer appearance. Most noticable was the dynamics, immediacy, detail, and more clearly defined and faster bass.
I had to call Albert VonSchweikert to assure me that all they had done was replace the regular internal copper wiring with Augio Magic Silver, and they confirmed that it was true! I told them that I felt that the VR-4 shouldn't even be produced with the copper wiring, but they then explained the price difference (over $1000 extra), a fact of which I was already aware.
Both speakers are good, and each requires over 200 hrs+ to fully break in, in addition to careful room placement. But the VR-4 Silver is in a completely different league and should and can be mated to very high end front end and power amp equipment.

I am a young Swiss student of Electrical Engineering. My hobby is High-end (what a coincidence). I have heard quite a lot of different loudspeakers in different classes of price. I must say: VR-4 is - for its price - the best sounding thing in the world (that I have heard). Compared to other - mainly European speakers - I must admit: they have not the slightest chance against this dream-machine from Watertown.For those who want to make the speaker better sounding, try the Von Schweikert active Subwoofer! The speaker will be better in every way, not only in bass, also soundstage, imaging...
My system contains: VR-4, Aronov Integrated, Metronome Tube CD-Player, Rega Planar3 turntable with Transfiguration Esprit, JPS and Marigo cables.
(PS. Sorry for my bad language)

I have had several highly regarded speakers...Alons,Logan "requests",Ariel 10Ts but none of these were as satisfying as the Von Schweikert VR4 has proved to be.They are STUNNING in every regard.I use them with an EAD 9000 III dac EAD T1000 transport and a Genesis Digital lens.Mesa BARON on the highs.500 watt Luxman MO3 solid state on the bass,no elect xover used.The speaker cables are MIT MH750 "tube"and MH750 "plus"The digital cables are a mixture of Illuminati,MIT Digital Ref and Audioquest optilink Pro2.NBS signeture AC cables. It is bliss to listen to !!DAVE M Australia

I auditioned many speakers in the $3000 - $6000 price range. The VR 4's were clearly superior. They take some time to break in. Also, speaker placement is critical to achieve superior results. One must also rememeber to use the spikes. You can get very good performance if you are not interested in room setup experimentation. Many have suggested that the Aerials are superior in this price range....thats a joke!

I've now had my VR-4's about 2 weeks and they are finally broken in. The imaging is superb, the detail outstanding and the bass is excellent. One thing I noticed on the VR-4's that I've not heard before on another speaker
is imaging of the lower bass. Also, these speakers seem to handle jazz,
classical and rock equally well.

These VR-4's are very good speakers. I spent a bit more money and bought Aerial 10t's instead of the VR-4's.

After listening to loudspeakers for over seven months I came across the VR-4's. This is where my search ended. These loudspeaker can do it all. Bass that hits the bottom of the barrel,mids and high that are crystal clear. Soundstaging that is unreal! I highly recommend these loudspeakers to anybody that wants fine music reproduction at any price range!