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....how did you like the Sr.s?
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Conclusion reached: For now, staying w/Maggie 3.6R's & REL combo. The VSR's had many strengths (bass drive-excellent dispersion-mini-monitor imaging) but the overall soundstage seemed smaller (shorter for sure) and didn't have that "wall of sound" presentation that I prefer. The ring radiator tweeter seemed a bit harsh (could have been the mid-fi cd player however) vs the true ribbon of the maggie. The 3.6R's with the REL (Storm) just have a greater sense of ease and swing that seems more natural. Having said that.....the VSR's were not spiked, filled with leadshot, or broken in. They were driven by huge Denon mono blocks (200 watts per) but a Krell processor was used as the preamp, along with a $500 or so Marantz cd player. Owner Chris Moon said that hearing the Mark II's set up this way in this system, will provide me with a benchmark of the worst sound that can come from these fine speakers. He hadn't had the time to match them with better components or have them broken in. I plan to go back and listen again soon.....I also liked the fact that the VSR's don't dominate the room as the Maggies do...and the fit & finish of the VSR's is gorgeous.
VR4 Jrs have that "ambience" speaker in the rear. I suspect it's a takeoff on the supertweeter idea. Whatever, you need to play with that (or even turn it off) in a specific room to know what's going on with those speakers.Second, all the wrong setup will defeat some of the quality sound of those speakers. Don't form a final judgement until youu've heard them properly placed in an acoustically good room and filled and rear speaker settled.
Third, having loved the VR4 Jrs, I can also say that I love Al Sekela's Maggies more. The way he has them set up in his room brings out all the subtlety that a planar can deliver, and he was able to dispense with his REL altogether and still get great bass. It couples with the air/reflectance of his room to create an incredible illusion of imaging and soundstage, while those massive door-sized speakers really do sonically disappear. Al has them placed with the "front" facing and parallel to the side walls of his room, which makes them perpendicular to the listening position with the "backs" in the middle facing each other. Did you get that? If not ping him on Tweaks for directions.
That Maggie setup is not so much like a Bose 901 with its predominance of rear projected sound but more like a dbx Soundfield 1. With the Soundfield 1s there was more sound aimed at the other speaker than in any other direction. Interesting.
Some like reflected sound, just as some like steak sauce on their steak.
Yes I've heard about doing that...I do have casters on the Mye stands so I'll give that a try...
Albert likes the "wall of sound" too!
That's what my Vortex Screens are all about!
Unfortunately, they are not really a production speaker, YET.
They have a REALLY wide baffle for a huge wave launch, kinda look like Quad 909's, on Steroids!They combine the "wall of sound" of a big planar with the slam of a multi driver dynamic system.
Albert does not think such a wide speaker will sell.
I also own B&W 801's and VR 4 JR's and hear what you are talking about.
They kinda sound "little" once you are used to the huge wave launch of a big planar.
> Owner Chris Moon said that hearing the Mark II's set up this way in this system, will provide me with a benchmark of the worst sound that can come from these fine speakers <
How stupid is that? C'mon in my showroom and let me demonstrate how lousy these speakers can sound. I bet I can make them sound far worse than what you own now......
Ok, you wanna buy them now? C'mon, you KNOW they will sound better in YOUR system.....
Geez, and people question why brick and mortor stores are folding up? Look no further than this for your answer.
Ozzy- I thought that I had explained that he just didn't have the time necessary to get them up and running to their best level...I beleive he told be he just got them in the listening room an hour or so before I arrived.
I guess I missed that part of the story. But still, go back and listen after break in, and preferrably with tubes. My original VR4 Silvers took 500 + hours to come around. You might still prefer your maggies, but at least then you will know for sure.
type too fast at times....it should be: believe and me.
Some observations from a former 3.5r owner and current Gen III HSE owner.The ring radiator tweeter is very detailed like the true ribbon, but can get a bit hot if toe in is too much. When the speakers are firing straight ahead, or only slightly toed in, I find it to be the best tweeter I have heard. This includes the maggie ribbon.
As I said before, my opinion is that the HSE sounds better than the Sr., but I may not have heard it optimally either. It may be just as good, or even better. But the price difference makes it a no brainer for me. The soundstage in my room is wall to wall, and as for depth versus the 3.5s it's no contest. The VR4s are far better.
I agree with you. Go back and listen again if they weren't broken in. Another thing is I have always liked Von Schweikert speakers with tubes, and I suspect the Denon/Krell combo was mostly responsible for what you are hearing. I also agree with you about how the big maggies are way too dominant in a room. As good as they can be it's sometimes hard to get lost in the music for their sheer size.
I agree as well that the HSE is a far superior speaker to the SR and I believe it lies in the drivers and different crossover points. The HSE was also the longest in production VR4. The SR MK1 having lasted just about a year and we know Albert is a madman for change, this alone costs him lots of sales.
Have you heard the SR-Mk II?
Yes I have. The HSE outclasses it in every way and is much cheaper used.
at times older can be better...maybe that is one reason for such a large discount?? (retail 14K available for $8400)
> retail 14K <So these things are 14K now? They started out life at 8K, then 12K. And now they've gone up again? Albert just doesn't offer the value he did 10 yrs. ago.....
not 14K------Which is a whole other story...I was told that the brick and mortar dealers are selling them for 12K...and here is this online company selling them for $8400....Now I appreciate brick and mortar dealers, have supported and bought many pieces of gear over the years, but this is a 30% discount, a huge deal for some I'm afraid.
Or the sound.
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