Von Schweikert VR4 jr

Jenkster

Bonzo!
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A fiend of mine is selling his VS VR4 jr's in beautiful dark cherry wood finish. He has offered them to me at what I think is a very good price. They are the original version but he was told by the previous owner that they were upgraded to the MK II's. However, he said he lost the paperwork to verify it. An inquiry to Von Schweikert wasn't much help. Anyone know what to look for to confirm or deny the upgrade was done?

Another hesitation is the quality of my other gear. Will they do the VS's justice? I would hate to sink some cash into speakers that I can't get the best out of them. Any advice or suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

NHT Power 2 amp, restored Marantz 2245 as pre-amp, Marantz CD6005 player with Channel Islands DAC, Denon DP-47F table.
 
What I can tell you about von Schwiekert speakers is that they excel in midrange and clarity. Although that model is older, it should have held up just fine.

I have a pair of VSs from before he had his own company. My Clearfield Continentals are his design and build from when he worked for Counterpoint.

I also emailed VS to ask about re-capping the crossovers and got a nice reply right from Albert.

Although you could probably get way more out of them, your gear should drive them.

Here is a link with decent info

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1204/vonschweikertvr4jr.htm
 
I can't speak to the upgrade issue but I can say that the gear you have will do them justice. I have powered my VR 2's with a variety of gear. More power helps bring out the lower a little bit IMO but it's not crucial for you to enjoy them. If you have done your research and think the price is right then I would pull the trigger.
 
Mine are older Von Schweikert VR4s, not juniors ...
but I love the heck out of them, VERY efficient and good sound to boot!
I've been running them with a 60w/ch Jolida tube amp (quad 6550s) -
I tried them with a Carver PM175 for a while and they were great on that as well.
 
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback. I can't wait to give them a good listen. My friend has a few higher end speakers. He prefers his big Martin Logan's, forget the model, to the VS but just marginally. He's running them with PS Audio gear and they do sound good. There is just something about the electrostat's that I can't warm up to.
 
Jenkster

The Jr. received rave reviews when first released back in 2004 and there were at least four versions before it was discontinued due to materials cost. There is no way that speaker could be built today for the $4000 original cost. There is an extensive review of it on ETM.
 
Great review and information, thanks. Looks like tomorrow is the day. My friend is one of those who has several irons in the fire so to speak. He's always on the go, go, go. He wears me out sometimes but is a very good guy.

I have a mostly restored HH Scott LK72 tube amp that is on loan to me. I'm always amazed at it's ability to drive difficult speakers with relative ease. I think it has something to do with those big ass transformers. I kind of hope they don't match well as I don't think I could pry it out of the possession of the owner. It used to be mine and I have kicked myself ever since I parted with it. What was I thinking???
 
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Thought I would share a couple of pictures of the Scott. As mint as any amp I have seen that is 50+ years old and with the original cabinet!
 

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My friend dropped off the VS speakers late this afternoon. It had been awhile since I saw them and they have suffered a bit of damage. While moving them a couple of months ago, he tripped and dropped the mid-tweeter section.:mad: It has a pretty good ding on the top left rear corner. They are a few other more minor dings as well. But, the sound, well in the immortal words of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Hokey Smokes! They sound amazing! Oh, they do have a few pounds of lead shot in the bass cabinets.

I plan to do a lot more listening but the damage concerns me. He would have to cut me a really good deal.:idea:
 

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Jenkster

I would imagine that with a Minwax pencil and a good application of Restor-a-Finish you could make those marks pretty much invisible unless you stood over the top of them which you won't do, plus they are twelve years old. Not sure that Scott will do them justice for anything but background listening unless the room is small but what do I know well worth a try. Congrats on getting a great sounding speaker.
 
Very very cool buy!

This encourages me to clear the darned black paint off mine and get down to the wood finish.
(My original VR-4s are stacked cloth boxes with a gloss black wood cap top & bottom)

I wrote Von Schweikert when I got them, said I wanted to strip the black paint and see the wood underneath, and Albert replied (!) -
He thought it was a cool idea and sent me an owners manual (pdf) and directions for how to dissemble them to get to the top and bottom plates.

Its so cool you can actually get in touch with the designer!
 
I am doing some long thinking on them. My friend is also selling a Canary tube pre-amp and a de Havilland, don't recall the models. If I like one of them, maybe we could work out a package deal?:deal:
 
I have my friend's de Havilland pre-amp in the rotation. My initial impression is I am going to owe him some money. The clarity and resolution improved significantly. The bass bloating is gone and intrument and vocal separation is amazing. If I do buy the VS and de Havilland, I know I will "have" to upgrade everything else.$$$

The de Havilland is apparently a proto-type. According to my friend, it was built by the founder of the company for demonstration purposes back in the day. Here's a couple pics.
 

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