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Any Von Schweikert owners in here?

angelaudio

angelaudio

Super Member
VR-3.5 Owner here. I had these on the sideline for quite some time and just put them back into the rotation yesterday. I’m very impressed by what they can do, and that’s that I haven’t even tried bi-amping them yet. I’m powering them with a Sansui 8080DB and they sound great. Has anyone here had a good experience with Von Schweikert speakers? If so let’s hear about it. Cheers!
 
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Super old thread I know but I am reviving it because I pulled the VR3.5’s out again and actually read the manual while setting them up and was rewarded handsomely with the best imaging, soundstage, depth and articulation I’ve ever heard from a speaker.

Albert VS was very thorough in the manual and addressed various placement scenarios which really helped me dial in my 3.5’s. They’re about 20” from the wall, 9ft apart and they sound incredible. I have them bi-wired to my Soundcraftsmen A5002, which is being fed by a Yamaha C-70. Excellent synergy with this setup especially for vinyl (Denon DP-59L with Denon DL103).

Albert made another statement in the setup guide which really Mae me rethink my approach to hifi in general. He mentioned the visual appeal of speakers and how sometimes we choose them more for their looks than their sound. That really hit home and made me realize that I am guilty of this. I think to some extent most of us are, but I had never really thought that much about it. In my search for the ideal sound I realized I had been giving the looks of the speakers almost as much weight as the sound they produced. I feel like I have matured as an audiophile, and although it sounds cheesy it’s true.

Dont get me wrong, I love vintage. I have come across some excellent looking and sounding speakers throughout my journey and I will continue to seek out and collect them, but with these VR3.5’s now back in the mix I can focus my attention on other parts of my signal chain. And before you dismiss this as infatuation take into consideration that this isn’t the first time that the 3.5’s have impressed me this much. I’ve had these for years and because they’re not that visually striking, they’ve always stupidly gone back into storage. Bottom line is I think im listening with my ears now more than I am with my eyes and it’s giving me the chance to really listen to the music now. It’s pretty neat how good speakers can just draw you in to the point where you almost forget about them. And when they do the disappearing act as good as these, you almost forget the rest of your system is there too.

Cheers,
Ernie
 
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For a while, I was effectively part-owner of a pair of Ultra 11s.

I was part owner of a high-end audio store- which bought a pair of Ultra 11s, and had them on display in our showroom for several years. They were, frankly, the best sounding anything I have heard, in many ways, up to very recently. There was literally nothing they could not do.

I also arranged for one of my best friends to first get a custom-painted pair of VSA E3s (the front baffles were McLaren Volcano Orange- that was an adventure in itself, trying to crack the paint code for that!), and later, as we were closing the store, a pair of VSA E-SE. Both of which he still has. So, I still get to listen to them, fairly often. The E-SE in particular, is a pretty special speaker- it just does things that a speaker of that size, should not usually be expected to do, in terms of bass, dynamics and scale.

They make some fantastic sounding speakers. Great tonal balance, good dynamics, great bass.

Though, I find myself a bit less enthusiastic about their newest models. The voicing seems to be going in a direction that's a bit more "polite" than I care for, the last year or two. Not saying that there's anything wrong, just not my cup of tea, compared to the models from 5 or 10 years ago.

Regards,
Gordon.
 
I have a pair of Alberts Vortex Screens, Kevlar Reference Edition from ‘92 or so. They are fantastic!
Gorgeous to look at also!
 
GordonW said:
For a while, I was effectively part-owner of a pair of Ultra 11s.

I was part owner of a high-end audio store- which bought a pair of Ultra 11s, and had them on display in our showroom for several years. They were, frankly, the best sounding anything I have heard, in many ways, up to very recently. There was literally nothing they could not do.

I also arranged for one of my best friends to first get a custom-painted pair of VSA E3s (the front baffles were McLaren Volcano Orange- that was an adventure in itself, trying to crack the paint code for that!), and later, as we were closing the store, a pair of VSA E-SE. Both of which he still has. So, I still get to listen to them, fairly often. The E-SE in particular, is a pretty special speaker- it just does things that a speaker of that size, should not usually be expected to do, in terms of bass, dynamics and scale.

They make some fantastic sounding speakers. Great tonal balance, good dynamics, great bass.

Though, I find myself a bit less enthusiastic about their newest models. The voicing seems to be going in a direction that's a bit more "polite" than I care for, the last year or two. Not saying that there's anything wrong, just not my cup of tea, compared to the models from 5 or 10 years ago.

Regards,
Gordon.
Click to expand...

Thats pretty rad that you’ve gotten to listen to a few different VSA models. The ultra 11 I will probably never get to see in person, but it’s a beaut. The E SE looks like it could be the evolution of the VR3.5’s with its slim cabinet and driver array. Those I would assume are more common than the U11. Maybe I’ll come across a pair on the used market someday :idea:

Do you have any pics of the McLaren Volcano orange custom job?

I did get a chance to hear one of their newer models at THE Show earlier this year in SoCal but I don’t know which one it was. Sounded pretty good but I wasn’t listening critically. But yes I agree that they have great tonal balance, dynamics etc. I’ve only been into hifi for about 7 years now so I’m still training my ears but these VSA’s really let the source shine through, for better or worse, more than anything else I’ve ever had in my system. I think that really speaks to what Albert endeavored to create when he designed his speakers. Thank you for sharing, I’m enjoying looking up the models you mentioned.

This is the VR3.5 with its sock off. IMG_8022.jpeg
 
mike j said:
I have a pair of Alberts Vortex Screens, Kevlar Reference Edition from ‘92 or so. They are fantastic!
Gorgeous to look at also!
Click to expand...
Nice! That was his first design right? Do you have any pics you could share? What are you powering them with?
 
angelaudio said:
Nice! That was his first design right? Do you have any pics you could share? What are you powering them with?
Click to expand...

That (from 1992) would be the second version (as Von Schweikert Audio) Vortex Screen. The original Vortex Screen (from 1978, when the company was still known as Vortex Acoustical Engineering) was built until the late 1980s.

Here's a review of the original one (1978 design):

Vortex Screen loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

One of the joys of reviewing audio reproduction equipment is discovering a little-known product that provides an extraordinary level of performance and musical satisfaction at an affordable price. These components, sometimes made in a garage, reflect the designer's single-minded zeal for musical...
www.stereophile.com www.stereophile.com

Regards,
Gordon.
 
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