I'll end the suspense now.The Von Schweikert VR-1 is the most amazing bookshelf speaker I have ever heard.You can keep reading if you want all the details.




Mike,one of the co-owners of Decibel Audio has been loudly touting Von Scweikert loudspeakers for the longest time.It's not that I don't trust Mike's ears but he does prefer vintage gear and the associated sonics of that gear.The fact that he really likes Quads sealed the deal,he is a goof (that's a joke).I actually heard the Vr-1s at CES back in January but was unable to really get a good listen.While we were all in Vegas at CES, Mike was able to strike a deal to become a Von Schweikert dealer so I knew my chance to audtion them would come around soon.

My first impressions of the VR-1 were very good.I liked the soundstaging and bass and was very smitten by the fantastic looks.These are beautiful speakers and the sound coming from them is as gorgous as the appearance.When the guys at Decibel got the first set in I came by to hear them in the store and was in love.That pair and the next four after were all sold based on in-store auditions.I would have to wait a few weeks on my audition speakers and I was very eager to get my hands on them.

The Vr-1s stand about 12 inches tall and require stand mounts.I used the Von Schweikert VR stands which placed the tweeter very near the ideal ear-level height of 39 inches for my seating position.The VR-1s were fairly easy to position and only required minor tweaking of the rear wall spacing.Ideal spacing was 8 feet apart,three feet from the rear wall and two feet from the side walls.My seating position was twelve feet from the speakers.The Vr-1s feature a very nice set of binding posts,which are singles and do not allow for bi-wiring.The fantastic real wood veneered cabinet is available in a variety of finishes.Mine are finished in the stunning African Hazelwood veneer and look like very fine furniture.even the grilles are very nice and the fabric seems to be silk or a very close fascimile of it.The Vr-1s come boxed in very nice packaging complete with nice velour bags with silk screening and a silk drawstring.They also come with small cone feet and a test graph as each speaker is bench tested before shipment.

I have listened to many monitor or bookshelf speakers over the years and have found them to be lacking in many areas.Most have good imaging but lack proper soundstaging,instrument placement and especially deep bass.perhaps my expectations are a bit high but some of these speakers come at a very high cost.Suffice to say that the cost-performance ratio of most small speakers is skewed heavily toward the higher cost/lower performance side of that equation.I have owned Proac,PSB,Monitor and Dynaudio monitors and have auditioned probably twenty others over the past few years including Snell,Infinity,Epos,KEF,Audes, and too many others to list,none offer the front-to-back imaging and accurate soundstaging of the Vr-1s.None of them deliver the deep bass(for a bookshelf) of the "Vons"and none of them get the midrange detail as nice as the VR-1s do.The Vr-1 filled my room with music that simply defies the small size of these speakers.My wife loves the Vons and stated that these are the only speakers she likes as much as "her Maggies" ,the MMG.

The Von Shweikert VR-1 impressed me to the point that I had to purchase them.I couldn't pass up on the amazing sounds and pretty looks.I would strongly advise an audition of the VR-1 if you are considering any type of loudspeaker purchase,they are that good.

Von Shweikert VR-1 Reference Monitor:

Price:$995.00

Efficiency: 91 db @ 8ohms,100 watt max power handling,8 watts min.

Dimensions:12x8x11 inches H,W,D

Drivers: 6.5 woofer,1" silk dome tweeter

Associated equipment:

Amps:Antique Sound Labs Tulip 2A3 Tube amps-10 watts,Consonace Opera M99-plus Tube integrated-25 watts,NAD 370 Integrated-100 watts,NAD 317 Integrated amp-80 watts.

Preamp:Synthesis Harmony tubed/NOS tubes.Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline XR-2 Phono Stage.

Sources:
Digital:Musical Fidelity Trivista SACD,Philips 963SA,Denon DVD 2900,Marantz DV8400,Jolida 100A.

Analog:VPI Scout/Grado Platinum.VPI Extended Aries/Sumiko Blackbird.

cables:
Interconnects:Acoustic Zen WOW!,Synergistic Research Looking Glass,Meier Audio,Di Marzio M-path.
Speaker cables; DIY cables,Kimber 8TC

Wow! Very impressive. I've read great things about Von Schweikert speakers, but have never heard them. But to be compared with the likes of the Proacs and Snells, for less than 1K for a decent set of monitors, definitely worth a listen to.

JMT- since you're looking for speakers, how about trying these so I can audition! Or I guess if you're patient, I'll probably end up buying a set and then you can buy from me at a discount because I seem to turn my gear over every few months!

Thank for taking the time to review!

Wow, thanks for bringing these to my attention. I've just been reading reviews around the web and they are very well lauded!

Of course, these arrive at a time when I was just about to finally abandon 18 years of trying to find the perfect "bookshelf" and go with an awe-inspiring behemoth! I wanted BIG for the first time in a long time, but these certainly appear to be full-bodied speakers. The visual of a big speaker certainly has its merits, but managable speakers are just so much easier to deal with.

Now I must hear them. (And when they finally hit the used market, they'll really come into the "best bargain" category. I wish I could consider a grand bargain material). They sound incredible from your description (and your quick purchase of them) and given the range of products you've gone through -- I can't imagine a better reference. Thanks Tuberoller!

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Way ahead of you, I alread sent tubey a PM asking for retailers or if he could arrange a buy for me through Decibel.

.....do I sense a mini-meet in the making?

I saw a good review recently at soundstage for these:

Soundstage

They are sure cheaper than BW Nautilus 805 which many audiophiles use.

BTW do you own that MF Trivista SACD or does that belong to Decibel.......I need one of these

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Man you're fast! I also am dying to hear the VR-4's as well. I think they'd make great fronts for your system, then paired with the VR-1's for the rears! Just think, you can probably get away without a sub when using the VR-4's!

Definitely need a mini meet! But Sac's too hot this time of year, so we'll make you bring your new Von's out to our neck of the woods!

Tuberoller, how'd the VR-1s compare to the Green Mountains Europa's. The Europa is in a similar price range and is getting very good reviews in audio asylum and audiogon.

have any of you guy's personally heard the "Tower of Power" subwoofer, Home Theater Magazine said it sounded weird, but was supposed to be "as accurate as possible"...

Great review Fred, makes me want to......damn!

I thought I would add some eye candy for ya:

Beautiful speakers. Especially the darker one, in the middle.

Deep enclosure! That explains some of the bass. What wood is that in the center pic? Is that the dark cherry or the African wood? Which finish did you get Tuberoller?

Very interesting that your wife even compares them to the Maggies (God, you're a lucky man to have such as wife! I wish my wife was an audiophile!)

I hate to throw a gear change, but what do you think of Thiel, Tuberoller. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I don't own them yet. Just thinking the 3.6s (used) look like they offer a lot for the money.

I have been using the VR-1 as my main speaker for about a month and while they lack the bass of my reference PSB Image 7PT they better the PSB in soundstage and instrument placement.They vanish in the room and leave only the music.They are as transparent a speaker as I have ever heard.The system consists of the ASL Tulip used as a single stereo amp,The Sythesis preamp and the previously mentioned sources.The woofer cone is so focused and light that even the 3.5 watt Tulip has little trouble delivering good bass with the Vons.

To answer a question:I did indeed compare the VR-1s to the Green Mountain Europa.It's amazing that you thought to compare the two but not really suprising.Tyll from Headroom insisted that I audition Green Mountain speakers when we were hanging out in Vegas.I heard the larger model(I forgot the name) and was very impressed with it.When I got home I arranged auditions of the entire line,including the "erector set" speakers which sounded great.The Europa sounded very good too but did not have the efficiency or bass performance that I was looking for.The Europa sounded great with most of the tube amps I tried it with but suffered form poor bass extension when I used a single Tulip in stereo mode(which I prefer) instead of my usual monobloc configuration.The Europa did sound very good with all the solid-sate amps I threw at it.I also have to add that the Europa was butt ugly.That finish looks to be fiberglass though it's not.The marbeled finish looks slightly better but my Wife hated the way they looked and I have to agree.

My VR-1s are the middle finish in those pics and the pic does nothing to convey how nice they look.I'll try to post a quick pic to this thread later tonight.

Edit:

the only later model Thiel loudspeakers I have auditioned extensively are the 2.3 and I liked them a lot.They were very lacking in low bass,which was very suprising given the great low level detail and fantastic imaging but the wide open midrange and vocal performances just floored me.I would very strongly suggest you audition Thiel speakers in your own system before committing to purchase them.The Thiel sound is running at about a 50/50 split with no bridge between love and hate.It's a very polarizing speaker line but I think any headphone lover would like them.

Is the VR-1s finicky with placement? My current speakers is about 7 feet apart but only 2 feet away from the back wall. From the picture, I notice the the VR-1 has a tiny rear port. I've read a lot that the placement from the back wall in most case determine the quality of bass.

The VR-1 is not finnicky at all about placement.bookshelf speakers are by their very nature sensitive to placement and some of the imports(British and French in particular) are designed to be placed close to rear walls.When I placed the VR-1s close to the wall I heard a bit of boominess in the bass.It was not bad but I was able to eliminate it easily by tweaking the placement.Speaker placement is the cheapest, but not always easiest,tweak you can do.The VR-1s are no more sensitive to placement than any other bookshelf speaker,In fact the dissapearing act they perfrom is the biggest aid to placement.

I borrowed the Trivista from a local dealer(arranged by the distributor) with the understanding that I would assist in finding a buyer for it,which I have done.It's gone now but I am looking to buy one for myself if I can cut the right kind of deal.

Hey Tube,

Have you had a chance to hear Von Schweikert's new baby sub (I believe it is called the VRS/1)? It looks like it would be a perfect match for the bookshelves if someone wanted more bass. As always, your opinion and feedback are greatly appreciated. Take care.

Mike