Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: VonSchweikert Audio VR4 GenII/Mod-5 Speakers by P.Barua

I had originally planned to write this review well into summer 2000. However, I have noticed an increasing number of former VR-4 and VR-4 GenII owners trying to sell their speakers on the web. This review is aimed at them. For those of you who don't know as yet - Von Schweikert Audio is back in business! Now located in El Cajon, CA (albertvonn@aol.com). In addition to two new speakers the VR-5 and the VR-7, Alnert is also offering an upgrade for VR-4 owners to the new VR-5 standard. I understand Albert is about to put details of the mod up on his new website.
But here are the salient features of the mod. All of the old drivers are removed and the latest inserted. This includes the SEAS silkdome Excel T25 for the main tweeter. It is a 'huge' inprovement over the Vifa aluminum dome dome used in the past Vr-4's. It's highs seem limitless with no ringing no matter how high the volume, and there is absolutely no listener fatigue anymore (something no amount of vibrapods on the old Gen II's managed to cure). A Vifa silkdome - the same as used by the top of the line Dunlavys - is used for rear ambiance. The modrange is a 5.5 in Audax wonder made out of 'Aerogel'. I do not know the technicalities but it is a very stiff and light composition mimicking the natural sound of paper cones. The entire mid-range tweeter assembly is mounted in a new enclosure that is more inert than the old one and adds fifteen pounds to the original weight.
The original woofer cones have been replaced by larger SEAS aluminum cones. Although I have not taken off the grill cloth to inspect them closely, they seem to be similar to the ones used by Joseph Audio. All these new drivers are integrated by a new crossover system utilizing high qaulity components including Solen and Hovland caps. Wiring is Analysis Plus. All of the changes have not altered the outer dimensions of the Gen II's, but they are a lot heavier.
So how does all of this sound? In one word - Fantastic!!! This is not just an upgrade it is a completely new speaker! The advances in driver technology, the new crossver and Albert's magic touch have transformed an already good speaker into a landmark product! the price of the upgrade - $2,500 plus shipping - is a major investment for me, but well worth it.
When the modified speakers arrived in late March 2000 I put them through the break in process. the timing was just as well as I was grading papers at the end of the semester. I thought I would sneak down and grade while while the speakers broke in. It was astonishing at how much improvement I could hear right off the bat!! I was diligently working when track nine on Patsy Cline's (Heartaches MCAD 2065) - "wayward wind" came on and I just had to stop. I have never before heard the sweetness and amazing huskiness of her voice on this particualr track. It was painful to turn off the system and get back to my graduate student term papers.
For the past month I have - to borrow a well worn reviewer term - been literally rediscovering my CD collection. What am I hearing now from the Mod-5 that I did not hear from the Gen II? The most apparent change is the creation of depth in the soundstage. When I talked to Albert on the phone about the improvements, I must confess I was somewhat skeptical when he told me you could literally walk around the performers on the imagianry soundstage. He was not exaggerating! Microdynamics! Another area of phenomenal improvement. Subtle aural clues on recordings that seem to have been drowned out before are crystal clear now.
What about the bass! You bet! Startling! the sheer speed of the aluminum cone woofers is astounding! It is hard to believe that Albert has actually managed to improve on the already tremendous bass perfromance of the Gen II's. I slapped on two of my favorite bass discs. The first is the remarkable (For Your Ears Only Dorian XCD-90258) by the Proteus 7 Jazz ensemble. On the track "chase through the streets of Paris" by D'Lorenzo you can almost feel the big V-8 of the BMW revving next to you! The obligatory crash literally shook the rafters! Ditto for Douglas Brown's "Terrorists Attacks". The sheer speed of the bass attacks was gut wrenching! The second disc an old time favorite - Antal Dorati's interpretation of Tchaikovsky's (1812 Overture Mecrucy 434-360.2) utilizes actual canon shots. I have never before heard those shots recreated with such depth and precision. This, even when I used the same disc in some highly capable demo rooms! A word of caution on amplification. I feel the MOd-5's are even more current hungry than the Gen-II's. My Electrocompaniet AW-180 monoblocs were stretched to their limits during large volume orchestral crescendos. Although the Mod-5's are rated at a decent 90.5 db sensitivity they are 6 ohm nominal and may well dip to 3 ohm.
But the speakers are exquisitely delicate too. With small ensembles or individual performers the music is vivid! Three additional 'test' CD's of mine do a good job of enabling me to test the ability of a system to recreate the truth of intrumental timbres, the human voice and imaging. For instruments, I am most familiar with South Asian instruments and I rely on Ustad Ali Khan's outstanding (Art of the Saranghi KICC 5173). Here the maestro plays the Ragas 'chandrakaum' and 'bhairavi' on the revered Saranghi - a 36 string vertically held string instrument. Not only can one hear Ali Khan's fingers dance on the strings, but the three larger animal gut strings also stand out! The rustle of Fazal Querishi's hands of the accompanying Tabla (Indian hand drum) is electrifying! On Jai Uttal's (Footprint's Triloka 183-2) all of the instruments - harmonium, bells, shakers, electric and midi-guitar, the Tabla and Lakshmi Shankar's lilting voice all emerge within a clearly defined soundstage. Wow! I never realized my source player and amplifiers were capable of such illusion! Speaking of imaging and soundstage. On Vangelis's new age CD (The City Atalantic 782248-2) track two "the morning papers" follows a man getting his morning papers and coffee in a cafetaria. For the first time I could actually place the people in the recording - the customer the proprietor - and the fallling change on the table was eerily there.
Recently I have been enjoying the new soundtrack CD from the movie (Galdiators Decca 289467094) by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. Tracks three and fifteen "the battle" and "Elysium" encompass the sheer scale of this soundtrack. The first depicts Russel Crowe's attack (as a Roman General) on the Germanic Tribesmen and the second the haunting melody of his dreams of his beloved family. From the rauccous battle scene to the delicate dream sequence the VR4 GenII/Mod-5 remained fluent and coherent. I was literally transported back to the movie hall! OK enough with the Cd's!
I used to refer to my Gen II's as a ppor man's Wilson WATT/Puppy. Not so with the Mod-5. No compromises here! It competes directly with the Wilson's and even bests some vaunted designs from Thiel, B&W and Eggelston Works. Frankly if you are planning to from your VR-4's to a full range speaker system REGARDLESS of it's price! You should give serious consideration to this upgrade. For an addiitional $2,500 you will have the ultimate sleeper! To be quite honest I think the VR-4/Mod-5 and the VR-5 will even give the Vr-7 a run for it's money at $15,000! Furthermore, I think that the Mod-5 may even be superior to the $6,000 VR-5. the latter is housed in a single, alniet, beautifully finished cabinet and it does not benefit from the separate housings of the Gen II's.
To conclude, I think this upgrade is a give away in high end speakers today! I do not know how long Albert and the gang in El Cajon can continue to offer this mod. Given the fact that their new speakers have been so well received. They will most likely have their hands full!! So get in line before this deal slips away!! Highly recommended!!!!

REVIEW: VonSchweikert Audio VR4 GenII/Mod-5 Speakers Review by P.Barua at Audio Asylum