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Vifa branded speakers - legit or white van specials?

Natertots

Natertots

Well-Known Member
Came across these recently. Seller says they were purchased “oversees” but doesn’t say from where. I have done some searching and found a few other instances of “vifa” banded speakers but no one had any information on them. Additionally, the ones I have found appeared older and do not resemble these at all. There also seems to be a number of quality kits using vifa components but these don’t look like kits. However, the look gives me a white van speaker vibe.

The amp might be a Sansui UX800 MKII. Found a picture on Alibaba with that model number but can’t find anything about it. It seems reasonable that these are brands/items only available in markets in Asia.

Any thoughts or insight?




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They're from Denmark and have been around since the 1930's. Those don't look very white van-ish to me. The finish looks fairly high quality, though I can't say I recall ever hearing any. Not sure if they ever had a USA distribution.
 
The logo on centre channel looks right for Vifa but they could still be a cheap knockoff. The woofers don't look like any Vifa drivers I've ever seen. They do look kind of white vannish to me.
 
mikeybc said:
The logo on centre channel looks right for Vifa but they could still be a cheap knockoff. The woofers don't look like any Vifa drivers I've ever seen. They do look kind of white vannish to me.
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And the dust caps are properly pushed in as required.

To the OP:
First, asking price?
B, do you have the opportunity to audition?
3, can the seller provide any model #'s, pictures of the back?
 
I once owned a pair of Vifa speakers. They look nothing like the ones in your pick. Mine were octagon shaped with drivers in the front and back. 4 woofers and 2 tweeters. Mine were actually designed by Vifa and was used to demonstrate their products. I don't think they were mass produced however I have seen other pairs before
 
galactus2 said:
They're from Denmark and have been around since the 1930's. Those don't look very white van-ish to me. The finish looks fairly high quality, though I can't say I recall ever hearing any. Not sure if they ever had a USA distribution.
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I am familiar with vifa as a brand that produces drivers but I haven’t been able to find any concrete info on speakers marketed by vifa. Based on what I could find on the amp pictured I suspect these were purchased in Asia. Are you familiar with vifa selling speakers in Denmark or elsewhere?
 
Natertots said:
Came across these recently.
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And this discussion is to keep you from driving for hours to check them out or just for us to talk about? If they are of interest and close enough, go and give em the once over. Vifa speakers will have weight to them, not a brick weight glued into them. Could be a sweet Vifa surround system.

Of course, there is the white van possibility. Different but a Chinese Vifa system:
https://tracyling.en.ec21.com/offer_detail/Sell_Denmark_Vifa_Home_Theatre--4697140.html
 
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darkblue94 said:
Why is it that so many here when unfamiliar with a product immediately jump to the "white van" conclusion? Why not just admit that they haven't got a clue? o_O
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I am certainly in the haven’t got a clue crowd. I suppose “white van” might be too strong of a term here. They may be “counterfeit”, they may be decent or even nice speakers, or they may be inexpensive speakers that have a glossy finish to make them look higher end (similar to some white van speakers). Regardless, I think we are all here because we don’t have a clue. The internet is a wealth of knowledge but only speaking one language I still find it challenging to dig up info on products that are not distributed/common in English speaking countries. So, here I am.
 
It's totally a legit speaker. And this van is grey. Really. Look at this catalog! Only today I can offer you...
 
Grenadeslio said:
And the dust caps are properly pushed in as required.

To the OP:
First, asking price?
B, do you have the opportunity to audition?
3, can the seller provide any model #'s, pictures of the back?
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A relative pittance ($50). But It’s the time and space that are more of an issue. Also, weighing my wife’s reaction vs. satisfying my curiosity.
B) Not sure. I usually have equipment in my car to do so, Incase the need ever arises.
3) Haven’t asked, trying to decide if I want to peruse them based on my answer to the first question.
 
Blue Shadow said:
And this discussion is to keep you from driving for hours to check them out or just for us to talk about? If they are of interest and close enough, go and give em the once over. Vifa speakers will have weight to them, not a brick weight glued into them. Could be a sweet Vifa surround system.

Of course, there is the white van possibility. Different but a Chinese Vifa system:
https://tracyling.en.ec21.com/offer_detail/Sell_Denmark_Vifa_Home_Theatre--4697140.html
Click to expand...

A little of A and a little of B. They are not that far away (maybe 35-45 minutes) but I have a challenge finding time to work on my existing products so I am always debating on if I should spend time on something like this. As for B, sometimes I feel like a toddler who is constantly asking “why”, always curious!
 
Vifa reference series same style and trim ring

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I often used Vifa tweeters in my DIY projects and while I've never seen any that looked like those the OP posted these don't strike me as typical white van junk either. Can't really say about the paper-cone woofers though, other than they look nothing like Vifa.
 
turnitup said:
My Vandersteins have vita drivers in them...
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Yeah, from my knowledge vifa is known to make quality drivers from nice inexpensive drivers to units used in more expensive speakers, like Vanderstein’s. I am also aware that brands will produce different products for different markets. For example, most of the Kenwood products of the 80’s and 90’s sold in the states are forgettable but I have read that they continued to sell better gear in Japan where they had better name recognition. This practice is true in many other industries as well. Different markets have a different tolerances for products based on brand perceptions and exposure.

Thus, my curiosity about these speakers. They could be nice, crap, great, or mediocre. I was hoping someone here would have firsthand or detailed knowledge about them in order to help me determine if they are worth the time/wife aggravation.
 
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