VMPS 626 JR

I borrowed a pair of the 626 JRs and found them uninvolving. They can also sound a tad bright and I didn't think the driver integration was very good. Overall I would grade them a solid "C" for their price.

The speaker to beat under $1K is the x-statik Open Baffle Loudspeaker. Amazing for the price.

http://av123.com/component/page,shop.product_details/category_id,21/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,266/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,37/

i heard an early incarnation of the 626jr in flint, michigan, and was pretty impressed. its unique because the driver is really a bass driver, and the rest is handled by ribbons. they should sound pretty good im ,ost systems, but as grege states, the choices in this price range are pretty good today. lots of great buys including full range ohm micro walsh's and more....mmg maggies are still available well under a grand.

Grege/Jaybo,
Thanks for your input. I had planned on spending between $1500 and $2000 on a set of speakers then I read sevearl reviews on the 626 - and they just happened to be on sale. My room is small (12' x 14') so I don't need a large speaker or a lot of power. I have come across a couple speakers that sound good and fit the room but it has been dificult finding a smaller full range speaker that is impressive. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks.

Your comments on a smaller full-range speaker made me think of this review of the Mark & Daniel Sapphire, which also has some interesting and different driver types (and I think they may have a try before you buy policy, but not sure):
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue38/mark_daniel.htm

Others that are on my list that do a decent job on bass but perhaps not full-range enough:
Usher Be-718(tiny dancer)
Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1
Silverline Minuet

Of these I've only heard the Minuets which mightily impressed everyone at the NYC Home Entertainment show by realistically placing a full standup bass in the medium-sized room, so I'd say they'd probably do a credible job in your room as well. They and the Ascend Acoustics would save you a good amount of dough if they work for you.

Obviously these are all very different speakers with varying levels of sensitivity, but all worth looking into in addition to the VMPS if you have access. Best of luck.

Ribbon/cone hybrids often polarize opinion. I don't know the VMPS, but I love (and still own) the original Red Rose mini monitor with the "roof mounted" ribbon. Strictly speaking, this isn't the most neutral system out there, but it produces beautiful extended bandwith sound from a small box. IMHO, ribbons and cones can play nicely together but the result may not be for every taste.

Good Luck

Marty

for a small to midsize room, with just about any amplification, the ohm micro walsh will rule...and you will get a speaker thats way underpriced for its comparible performance.

I think all of the speakers mentioned in this thread are better than the VMPS.