Von Schweikerts VR4 JR's and SR's?

Greetings,

You like myself really love the VSA line. I have the VR4jrs and continue to be amazed with them. Having had chance to listen to them and the Sr's I could not attest to a REAL big difference. For myself the 4jr's fit not just my budget better, but the intended room they would live in, so they were factors considered as well in my choice. For the additional cost I could better spend it elsewhere in my system, a subwoofer,(I don't use a sub with them or feel the need too.} big screen tv or whatever. Given your room size and wallet, certainly let your ears decide. My advice,if you can hear the difference, pay the diffierence. And always buy something you feel you can grow into. You will then keep it longer and be happier along the way. Let us know your choice. Glen

Chgolatin2,

I have heard both the JR(mkI) and SR(mkI). They both are great speakers and one of the best in it's respective price class. In absolute and relative terms, to me, the SRs are better and they should be for the price difference. What's more important is your room. If your room is small to medium, you can get by and save money and buy the JRs. But if you have a bigger room like I do, I went with the SRs. But keep in mind, as you go up to the SRs, your equipment should follow up and be in-line too. You need a bigger more powerful amp that's for sure. I also felt that the front end (player and preamp) should step up too, to get the maximum potential of these speakers. But that is not a hard rule, but the amp piece must be mated accordingly. To get the SRs moving and sound correctly, do not put a low powered amp (especially driving the Bass module section). Anything less that 200 solid state watts will not sound that good. So definitely give the bass module a strong, powerful, refined amp as you can afford. If you get the JRs, you don't have get a too powerful amp as you would for the SRs. So it's not as simple as just buying a larger speaker, but the aftershocks that go along with it. Be prepared for the down stream affects(more money spent) when you go up to the larger SRs, so pick wisely.

Anyways, both speakers would sound great if mated with the right equipment and setup properly. You will be amazed of the 3D soundstage, precise imaging, true timber of instruments and voices, thunderous tight, deep,fast, defined bass, and great separation of the notes, but performs cohesively to convincing manner. Either one of these on the used market is a great buy especially the mark I versions, it's a steal IMO.

Harvey

Member Ozzy has the SR'S and I could be wrong but I think he jumped up from the JR'S.

I've owned The VR2's,4jr's and 4sr's.The 2's are nice,the 4jr's are better and the sr's are in an entirely different ballpark.They are truly phenominal speakers and better their little brothers in terms of dynamics,soundstage,frequency extension,air,tonality and every other parameter I can think of!!! They are large speakers and sound OK in smaller rooms,but can dominate a small room visually.Like most other speakers they are at their best well out into the room and away from the side walls.If your room is large enough and your pockets are deep enough,buy the VR4 SR's!!!

I have actually owned the VR-2,4-JR, and now the 4-SR.

I agree with courtvision on most all points.

Room size and associated components are what you need to examine before you make a decision. Yes, the 4-SR is a superior product, but it is fairly large and heavy, and not something you will want to be moving or shipping anytime soon. I'm glad I'm satisfied with the sound, because I would need to get some serious help just to package them for sale.

The JR is an excellent choice if you like your current components, and don't see yourself upgrading to the next tier anytime soon. They can be played as close as 8 inches off the rear wall without bass bloat, so they're very versatile. Both models are extremely holographic.

If your room can handle a larger speaker, I would try to get a pair of used SRs, and save yourself some serious money - and you will have a speaker you should never have to be concerned with upgrading.

Chadnliz....Ozzy never owned the JR's. He went from Legacy Focus to the VR4SR MKII.

"If you can get beyond their appearance". LOL. My cats have been lobbying for these speakers ever since I put my Quad 63's away. :-)

The advice here is good, Cbucki sums it up very well. I auditioned both and went for the VR4SR's, largely based on having a very large room and liking the type of bass foundation that the larger woofers can provide. Used MK1 versions of both these are an excellent buy. AND for me it has caused a bad case of upgraditis that I am thoroughly enjoying in that the speaker just keeps getting better at approaching the pleasure of live music as I upgrade equipment and wire. I will bet that I will be satisfied with the Sr4's for at least a decade.

Well I have a "fairly" large room 20X40 and 8 ft ceilings. The VR2 sound GREAT I was even considering adding a sub to complement the overall system such as an HSU, Sunfire or SVS but I honestly feel that an outside source such as a sub will detract or take away from the speakers since the speakers are manufactured to certain specs.

My current tube gear consist of Jolida 1000RC amp (100wpc to 120wpc with upgraded tubes) and the Jolida JD 100 with a level 2 mod from underwood wally. I am considering going the "used" market for the VR jr's! To save me a little money.

In terms of a sub, I run the Sr's both with and without a decent sub, and the woofers in the Sr's handle the bass exceptionally well. By contrast the sub sounds much less precise and dynamic, so when I run it I put it on crossing at 50HZ and very quietly. I find the sub useful only with some low organ and about three rock songs. The rest of the time the bass sounds better using only the SR's.
With a 20X40 room it would be worth considering the Sr if you want to listen at fairly loud levels occasionally - that is a big room! YMMV but I hate any sense of "shout" as speakers are driven hard and the SR's will fill the space without breaking a sweat. Guess you can always start with the jr's and if they totally please - stay there, else go to the SR's. Hope this helps.

Chgolatin2,

If your gonna run the JRs or SRs with tube amp, the bass module might require more power. They will sound ok, but you might not get the control and slam as a nice powerful SS amp for the bass module. But as always, try it out and see for yourself first. Good luck.

Harvey

To address the issue of the VR-4JRs and subs, I already had a Hsu VTR-3R mark II when I added the VR4JRs (mark I). I love the speakers and could afford them because the Mark II were released. I run the VR-4 JRs at full frequency and let the sub run using its own crossover below 30 Hz. It adds a certain fullness to the room but I have be careful to keep it at a very low setting, such that I don't "hear" it until I turn it off. The speakers don't need it since I can measure them to about 30 Hz (-2 dB) in my room, but it is nice sometimes. The sub goes to 18 Hz (-2 dB) I think Albert gives you what you pay for in speakers, but I only have the VR-1s and the VR-4JRs. Have fun!

I've heard that the Dalis Helicon 400/800 are a bit better than the VSA line but honestly I have never auditioned them. I will tweak the speakers with a sub for sure then I will see what will happen

Thanks to all!

For what it is worth. I auditioned the Dali's and VSA Jr and Sr at same dealer. He and I both like the VSA better

So what was better about the VSA's?

It is a VSA, period, and you should not dare asking. Check other posts and be wise.

Jek - To me they had more clarity, liveliness, musicality and resolved nuances of timbre and ambience better, with a warmer mid and a more dynamic yet controlled bass. Overall they strongly drew me into the music instead of one dominant feature of the music.

I have auditioned the Dali Euphonia MS5 before I bought my VR-4 SRs, the MS5 was good, but it still reminded me of listening to a good recording, but hearing the VR-4 SRs, I was listening to a live event, where I actually felt I was there at the performance. The Dali was not able to do that, and it was fed with nice gear already. But check it out yourself. Many people interpret what is "good or more real/convincing" differently.

Wow, thanks to all for all the positive info. Personally I love the VSA line and quite frankly I am not an "audiophile" however I do enjoy good sounding music. I have auditioned soooooo many speakers, Totem, Dalis, Dynaudio, US made private speaker companies and the VSA line has impressed me very much. I know everything is subjective and everyone has their own opinions however I am going to stick with the VSA line for a while unless I really find something that literally blows my mind and puts me in musical heaven, until that VSA will be.

Thanks!