Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: VMPS 626R Speakers by J Harris

Model:	626R
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1600
Description:	Stand Mounted Hybrid Ribbon Monitor
Manufacturer URL:	VMPS
Model Picture:	View

Review by J Harris ( P ) on June 29, 2003 at 13:55:28
IP Address: 216.220.98.235

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for the 626R

This is an extraordinarily musical speaker, easy to integrate, and lovely-sounding right out of the box. I have been on a loudspeaker whirlwind for 5 years now, and if I haven't made a final purchase with the 626R, I think at least I have found the family in which my final speakers will reside.

Specs and build:

The VMPS 626R (or QSO 626R, it's official name) is the smallest ribbon-based speaker in the VMPS product line. It's hard to locate on the VMPS website - you need to go the main page, and then hit "New Products" (even though it's a few years old).

The speaker uses an 8-inch carbon fibre "megawoofer" (originally optional, now standard), a proprietary neodynium ribbon midrange unit that covers the frequency range from 166 Hz to 10 KHz (!), and another proprietary tweeter (or almost a supertweeter) reportedly flat from 10 KHz to 25 KHz.

The use of the ribbon midrange for such a wide band puts the crossover points outside the very sensitive area occupied by the human voice. This helps ensure a smoothness from the mid-bass through the lower treble that is wonderful on the ears. A simple series first-order crossover is used. The speaker is claimed to be -3dB at 42 Hz. Sensitivity is 90 dB. The standard version of the speaker is 8 ohms. It is not a particularly difficult load to drive.

The speaker may be ordered with optional Soundcoat on the interior of the cabinet (which I got) and the new VMPS "free-swinging tweeter" used in their top-model speakers (which I didn't get). The "FST" is available as an upgrade later on, but the speakers must be returned to the factory for installation.

The drivers and XO are housed in a simple 3/4" MDF box that is somewhat bulky and heavy: 24" X 10" X 13", weight 40 lbs. Inside, the XO sits in an empty space directly behind the woofer. Above, an subenclosure stuffed with fibreglass occupies the area directly behind the ribbon midrange; the fibre stuffing continues up to the top inside of the speaker, behind the tweeter. There is a 1" port behind the midrange unit, exiting at the rear of the speaker. Exceedingly sturdy gold-plated single-wire binding posts sit below the port.

Also on the back are two recessed potentiometers for adjusting the level of the midrange and treble units. These exist due to the designers' special focus on speaker-room interaction - his larger designs notoriously include large passive radiators with removable putty for bass tweaking.

VMPS's finishes have come under some criticism on the online discussion forums. I ordered mine in full-wrap piano black. While not perfect, it is quite nice and lustrous. A friend who owns ProAcs was impressed with the look. They're not up to the standards of British cabinetry, certainly, but I am not at all embarrassed to have them in my living room.

Finally, the designer recommends that the 626es be placed atop "bearded" stands for best bass performance. (He actually recommends this for all standmount loudspeakers.) This means a stand with a solid front extending from the baffle of the loudspeaker to the floor. A piece of MDF can be attached to the front of a regular stand to achieve this effect. Some VMPS users have suggested mounting the speakers on top of a pair of VMPS dedicated subwoofers. I have mounted mine on my pair of ACI Titan subs while I await bearded Sound Anchor stands to arrive.

My particular system goals:

I listen exclusively to vinyl, I have a huge record collection in all genres. While I want to get the best from my well-recorded records, I want poorly-recorded performances - from Cortot/Thibaud/Casals in 1928 to Status Quo in 1969 - to sound musical. I'm searching for fidelity to the music, not fidelity to some kind of absolute sound or ideal.

I play records using a vintage Ortofon tonearm and a modern version of a '60s Ortofon SPU cartridge. I use tube preamplification and 100% Class A (Pass Aleph 3). Cables are Cardas. As you might guess, this all should produce a sound that is somewhat less than bright.

However, my room is a huge problem. Its dimensions cause peaks and nulls over all the place - 25' X 12' X 8', with two openings in the side wall and a wall of windows at the end facing the speakers. Cement floors, 11th-floor NYC apartment. I have put in carpeting, furniture, window treatments, and tried acoustic solutions such as Argent Room Lenses. All help to some extent but don't solve the problem entirely.

The net effect of the room is to make any system I've tried to date - with the exception of the VMPS speakers - sound bright and edgy, with obvious bass holes. Conversation is difficult with the stereo on. Fatigue often sets in after extended listening. This with every combination of components and power conditioning and cabling imaginable, from SETs and horns to high-powered SS amps to single-wired single-crystal magnet cables to Kimber and Cardas Golden Cross.

The VMPS 626R is the first component I've tried in my current system that seems - to some extent - to defeat the room. For me, this is an enormous step forward from everything I've tried in the past 5 years, since I moved into this apartment.

Sound:

Right out of the box the 626Rs sounded natural, smooth, different from any other speaker I'd ever tried. I've heard ribbons with big amps, and wanted more dynamics. I've owned 3.5 watt SETs and a variety of horn speakers, and wanted more delicacy and realism. The 626Rs were completely different.

On female vocals in particular, the 626Rs excel. Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill appear to be in the room with me. More important, their voices are ravishingly beautiful and palpable.

The VMPS line is often criticized as having a narrow vertical and horizontal sweet spot (the FST upgrade, which I don't have, is supposed to alleviate this considerably). This put me off my initial purchase because I do much of my listening outside the "listening chair". Right now I am typing in a corner of the room, for instance. I am listening to the 1928 LP (not a particularly brilliant pressing on HMV Great Recordings of the Century, not even in great condition) of Cortot/Thibaud/Casals referred to above, performing Beethoven's 'Archduke' Trio. It sounds round and immediate, Cortot's piano percussive and convincing, and the rosin on Casals' cello bow audible. Best of all, it sounds like a continuous musical flow. This from a 1928 recording, well out of the sweet spot.

Of course, things sound better in the sweet spot. The New Pornographers' "Electric Version" (disclaimer: my label released this record) rocks heavily, the bass lines tauter and easier to discern from the listening chair than from the corner by my computer. But my toe continues to tap nonetheless.

These speakers, at least coupled with my Titans, excel with solo piano. Victor Schioeler on Chopin's piano sonatas (HMV mono LP) leaps into the room. Likewise Yves Nat performing Brahms's Handel variations (Discophiles de France mono LP), where the fortissimo passages literally pressurize my ear the way an actual concert grand does - you can feel the hammers striking the keys.

On the legendary private-pressing British folk LP "Rosemary Lane" by Tickawinda (Pennine, 1978), the close harmonies on "John Barleycorn" similarly leap from the speakers almost startlingly. It's a true "They are Here" experience.

Weaknesses:

That brings me to the first weakness I noticed about these speakers, at least in my room: they will not transport you to the concert hall or club. Imaging and soundstage - again, in my room - are not their strengths. Sitting in the listening chair with my eyes closed, I can picture Judee Sill standing in front of me. But I can't picture myself at the Bottom Line or the Troubadour, nor can I pinpoint the location of the drum kit or the violist. This may be important to you. To me, these features are nice, but not crucial. I'm more concerned with timbre and rhythm and "continuousness".

The second weakness is congestion in orchestral tuttis and in heavy rock recordings, such as Mozart's "Posthorn Serenade" conducted by Karl Boehm (DGG LP), or Status Quo's "Dog of 2 Heads" (Pye LP). The speakers are unable to separate out all the details, and the bass in particular is not as taut and driving as it should be when there's a lot of other stuff going on.

My suspicion is that this second weakness is due to my Aleph 3 amplifier, and possibly also due to the current configuration of having the 626Rs on top of my subwoofers. When the Sound Anchor stands arrive I'll be able to play around with subwoofer location some more. But ultimately for bass control and better performance on dynamic peaks, I suspect the 626Rs would like a more powerful amp.

I am currently investigating more powerful amps, though I love the Aleph's midrange clarity and gorgeousness so much I'm loathe to give up pure Class A simplicity. One option would be more powerful Alephs, such as the Aleph 1.2s, but I will be heating my room and adding to my electricity bill to an enormous extent (I leave my amps on all the time). Another would be the Pass X250, the Parasound Halo JC-1s or the Ampzilla 2000s (the latter endorsed by VMPS's designer, Brian Cheney), all much more expensive and all operating partly in A/B mode... I fear getting the rhythm and the dynamic range into my music at the expense of my beloved midrange lusciousness.

But I have to say I'm less afraid of experimenting with amplification now that I've found speakers that match my room without causing any nastiness. ANY. I can turn these up and up and even with the Alephs' measly 30 watts per channel, they just sound louder. Not edgier, not more distorted - more congested eventually, with some music, yes, - but always musical, always a joy.

Summary

I think these are fantastic speakers. For the price, I haven't heard anything that comes close. Some speakers I've owned in the past 5 years include: Castle Durham IIs, Monitor Audio Gold 5i's, Klipsch RB5s, Klipsch Heresy Is, Klipsch Cornwalls, Theater Four Pi's, Spica Angeluses, and Advent Originals. The 626Rs, in my system and my room, blow them all out of the water. These are the sweetest speakers I've ever owned. Best of all, they make me want to do nothing besides play records.

Product Weakness: Imaging and soundstaging, congestion in some busy music (both very possibly a fault of first my room and second my amplification).
Product Strengths: Fantastic midrange, smoothness, continuousness. Detailed without being bright in the slightest. Work in a difficult room with no problem.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Pass Aleph 3
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Rogue Audio 99 Magnum
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Acoustic Solid One/Ortofon RS-212/Ortofon GM Classic/Jensen step-ups/Bottlehead Seduction phono stage
Speakers:	VMPS 626Rs
Cables/Interconnects:	Cardas Golden Cross
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Everything (many details above)
Room Size (LxWxH):	25' x 12' x 8'
Room Comments/Treatments:	Two openings in side walls. See above.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Audio Magic Stealth
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Imaging and soundstaging, congestion in some busy music (both very possibly a fault of first my room and second my amplification).
Product Strengths:	Fantastic midrange, smoothness, continuousness. Detailed without being bright in the slightest. Work in a difficult room with no problem.