Just got here. Always late to the party. Your journey was sort of similar to mine. While the Acoustat medallion mod 2+2 was really nice, I preferred the sound of the 1+1's. I loved those speakers. But being a large scale classical music listener, the power handling without crackling on strong bottom end sound caused me to consider another possible replacement. I sold the 1+1's and bought VR4's. I still miss the sound of the 1+1's though. And I still have and listen to the original VR4's. Electronics have changed, but the speakers remain. I moved from NYC to Poland where things are smaller and thought of selling the VR4's. A fellow audiophile friend of mine said I would be sad without them. Glad I listened to him. Crated and shipped to Poland and they are still working, providing musical pleasure. I have no idea what to replace them with if they decide to "retire", like me. Thanks for your insights!
Thanks for the clear, concise, accurate and non-hyped Von Schweirkert speaker description. I compare speakers to my grand piano in the same room and no other brand speaker has come as close to live music sound
Hello Joe. You've been in the camp for a while too, so I guess you can see WHY I felt compelled to try to explain just what the VSA goal and sound is, and how it differs from all their contemporaries. And thank you, I very much appreciate your kind words about my prose here. This episode was meant to try to communicate to the folks who, for whatever reason, just don't understand what the goal at VSA actually is! I'm asking them to let go of their previous understanding of what hi-fi has meant, and try to envision - and hear - what it SHOULD BE... Comparing one speaker to another, while not without its own merit, should NOT be the paradigm...right? Your example of comparing what is a stunningly difficult instrument to capture properly in all its capabilities, your grand piano, to what your reference speakers recreate in your room for you, exemplifies what the goal should be. Thanks for your support of my work here at the channel, my friend. Be well and stay safe.
Hi Greg, I have been living with VSA speakers for the last 27 years. It's interesting that you mentioned and place emphasis on the speakers crossovers. When people ask me what is it about the speakers that I like. The first thing I bring up is that Albert was an absolute crossover genius. Because no matter how many drivers there are the sound coming out of them seems of one voice. I first got the original VR-4 silvers in 1995. At first for some reason (they needed to be broken in) I didn't like them. So I thought just hang on to them and see what happens. What happened was I fell in love with them! I've lived with them for about 25 years. I then put them onto Townshend Audio seismic podiums. And believe me the podiums took the VR-4s to another level. No kidding I was blown away at the sound I was getting. However about about 2 years ago I had the opportunity to pick up a not very used pair of DB-100s for a very reasonable sum of money. So I now am living with the DB-100 speakers. They have all the VSA hallmarks. Amazing crossover, the solid state amplifier that powers the frequencies below 100hz are so beautifully integrated that it's impossibile to hear where the my tube amp cuts off and the built in solid state amp kicks in. Both the VR-4 and the DB=100 speakers have thunderous, articulate bass. They speak with one voice. And I wonder why people who want to be able to use high efficiencey speakers aren't all over these ( though they have been out of production for about 20 years). I would like to one day compare the them to one of the ultra series of VSA speakers. I think the DB-100s would not be embarrassed,.
Hello and thank you for writing. The dB100 was an EXCEPTIONAL loudspeaker. A good friend of mine bought a pair and had VSA refurbish them, and she still paid less than they sold for new... In fact, Episode 39: Building a Vintage Audio System (ruclips.net/video/vAZ9rMQhH64/видео.html) is highlighted by that dB100 rebuild and its role in her system. Take a look if you have the time.
Same experience with the podiums. The impact on the presentation must be experienced, difficult to explain. In my case, the biggest surprise was actually better efficiency. I was expecting better bass, soundstage, instrument position. This all came, but my amp does not need to push mutch anymore, meaning less to none energy going into the floor. The drum kick is real kick, at first I quickly moved as I thought I am going to be hurt.
@@petervansa2477 Better isolation almost always brings positive returns. See this piece I did, after collaborating with my friend, the late Anna Logg (Valerie Kurlichek) www.soundstagenetwork.com/synergize/synergize011999.htm
Back in the 1990s, Legacy created several great speakers, including my Signature IIIs which exhibit similarities to Von Schweikert. But VS continually improved their speakers, less so for Legacy (with their extensive use of DSP). My replacement speaker is either the VR9 SE mk2, VR55 or Ultra 7, possibly within a month (not the Ultra 7-too expensive for me).
For what it is worth, I spent over five years with the enchanting VR-55 Aktive, and can recommend them VERY highly... Here is my review from The Absolute Sound. www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/von-schweikert-audio-vr-55-aktive-loudspeaker/
@@theaudioanalyst Thank you. A very good friend of Damon's said that the VR9SEMk2 I will hear next week will cost 40% less than a new VR55 Mk2 active and a pair of VS subs, more cabling (about $100K). I live in CA and the sales tax is almost 10%. Will the VR9 have nearly all the qualities of the new VR55 combo? I love the Ultra 9 and 11 I've heard (and the 7 I haven't heard) would be perfect but too costly for me. Resolution capabilities are secondary. The recreation of the performance, wide dispersion (without superwide imaging as so many other speakers do e.g. omni's or planars) and out of the box/speaker disappearance are my primary goals in replacing the Signature IIIs.
I also watch your videos and greatly appreciate your articulate dissection of equipment. Even if your opinion is not always accurate, it sounds wonderful to hear (and read), unlike so many other on-line high end audio reviewers.
@@StephenFleschlerWhile you may choose to disagree with anyone's opinion, you may not describe those disparate opinions as "not accurate." To claim that an opinion is inaccurate is in itself an absurdity because it is only a reflection of your view, based SOLELY on YOUR opinion... Further, I would add that my "opinions" are based on over five decades of experience in and around this industry, across so many different capacities; consumer, retailer, repair and modification technician, and product consultant and developer. Add to that my time as a journalist and editor for over thirty-five of those fifty years, and I would argue that my "opinion" is not only better informed than the majority of consumers and industry members alike, but more honed and succinct as well.
@@theaudioanalyst I acknowledge your multi-generational knowledge and experience but I beg to differ as to my having an occasional difference of opinion. Opinion is not a fact, especially when we hear differently (that's a fact). I do not have your deep equipment experience but I do have very significant sonic knowledge. I am a part-time recording (150+) and remastering engineer at major and lesser venues in Los Angeles. I have been/currently am the archivist of a semi-major classical music composer and a major Jewish music composer. My best friends include the very keen eared widely known analog mastering engineers as well as friends with world renown remastering engineers. Even a very good friend of Damon's who was a manufacturer and now a dealer of high end audio equipment made a mistake. He tried a high end speaker in my home that sonically failed (badly) as it was tried using my 125w custom tube Class A/B monoblocks and and EAR 890 amp. Solid state only for those speakers. Everyone has a right to disagree with an opinion although yours is more highly informed than most and certainly more enjoyable to hear/read than most reviewers. Certainly you know more than I do and three of my best friends have extremely superior hearing attributes (one a lesser known boutique audio cable manufacturer). You should not be upset if someone has an alternative opinion. I value yours and I don't blog about mine. Music is much more important to me than the delivery system (live or recorded). I have 51,500 LPs/CDs/78s/RRs (pending selling 7,500+ excess). I am fortunate to listen to 2 hours or more of music daily and perform and/or record 6 to 12 times annually.
Greg, you are very happy, men ultra 9 are mostly a dream for an ordinary music lover. How do you assess the advanced technology of double magnets of different poles used by Dali kore new speakers using a similar vsa tweeter set.
Hello Boris. I'll have to reserve my comments on how the new KORE systems from Dali sound, as they JUST introduced them at Munich, and I chose not to attend this year. However the principal seems sound enough; essentially a double magnet motor, with one magnet's south pole facing forward, the other with its north pole facing forward. The driver then uses TWO voice coils wound on the same former, but in opposing direction. Theoretically, such a motor could offer up to TWICE the energy, and because any asymmetries or non-linearities found with motion in one direction would tend to be canceled by the similar but opposite effects of the other. This works REALLY well with isobaric loading in subwoofers. Using two identical woofers, but mounted FACING each other and wired out of phase... This kind of non-linear cancellation seems to be really successful. However, the results using motor structures and voice coils would seem to present considerably more complex and likely a less interrelated series of benefits, to my way of thinking... Speculation at this point is all I have, so I will reserve judgement until I hear them. Thanks for watching and writing...
I own a pair of Von Schweikert and a pair of Vandersteen's different but love them both. I do believe both Albert and Richard are true masters of design. What other speaker designers besides Alberts do you like?
Other loudspeakers that have merit to my ears include SOME (not all!) models from Alsyvox, Focal, GamuT, Granada, Lansche, Magico, Magnepan, Martin-Logan, Perfect8, Sonus faber, SoundLab (now gone, I believe), Studio-Electric, and YG Acoustics,
@@theaudioanalyst "SoundLab (now gone, I believe)" - Dr. West is still making speakers. There are a handful of listening rooms around the country where prospective buyers can go and listen to a SL electrostatic. If I every buy another system, the SoundLabs are on my shortlist.
@@TheDanEdwards Hey Dan... Thanks for the update. I wasn't sure as I haven't seen a SoundLab at a show or heard any friend discussing a new installation in some time.
@@txc500 Awesome. My email address - and tons more info - are available at my website, and that link is listed in every Description section of each video. It is greg@theaudioanalyst.com
Never watched another episode or a review like this where every word counts. I mean it, every single word counts. I am watching an NFL game the same time as this episode and I keep pausing and rewinding to catch every word you said. In fact, sometimes I forgot about the game. Meanwhile it's Rodgers vs Brady. You're a prof.
Hello Carey...thanks for writing. Your question is problematic in that it necessarily implies that if one thing is true (one specific "best value"), then another is not (all others are less exceptional). If we can set aside that false “if…then” relationship, we can look at this from what may be seen as, perhaps, a more sensible perspective. I firmly believe that the $25,000 a pair (price hikes pending across the entire product lineup!) ENDEAVOR SE (www.vonschweikert.com/endeavor-se) represents one of the most exceptional values in loudspeakers available today. It belies its affordability with its modest footprint and large swath of ULTRA DNA. By that same token, the $180,000 a pair ULTRA 7s MAY be the best value in the entire ULTRA line, in that they deliver SO MUCH of the ULTRA sound, and may actually be a tad more resolute and transparent through the upper bass/lower mids… Then there are the ULTRA 9s… Though they are physically the lower one-half of the ULTRA 11, they are so very close to the performance of those 11s that it is scary. And then there is the ULTRA 11, which offers the most faithful sense of musical scaling I’ve EVER heard. If the ceilings in my current room had been tall enough, I really think I’d have gone with them… Alas, the ULTRA 9s give me all but that final few percent of the ULTRA 11s magic… I hope this all makes sense…
Ok, a viewer named George Bartolo posted, “Kronos is next,” but I somehow inadvertently removed that comment and cannot find a way restore it… First, my apologies for the deletion, George - it was a mistake. And in response to George’s comment… Hey George, you may know that I've already done five episodes on KRONOS... Episode 16: The KRONOS Sparta Turntable, Helena Tonearm, and SSCPS Power Supply ruclips.net/video/Q6JKULtbHqc/видео.html Episode 56: The KRONOS Discovery turntable launch ruclips.net/video/QvKQwTwkils/видео.html Episode 65: The KRONOS Pro Limited Edition turntable ruclips.net/video/DyaT7kcgYCI/видео.html Episode 69: The KRONOS Resonance Suppression Tonearms ruclips.net/video/sbBdjHBG0j8/видео.html Episode 71: The KRONOS Discovery RS tonearm ruclips.net/video/viTo-JM6qPU/видео.html
Why is it that (many) people tend to have the greatest of brand loyalty toward their loudspeaker manufacturer of choice more than any other hifi component?.... I don't know if its because the loudspeakers can often be the most room imposing parts of the system or that they're the window into the rest of what happens upstream? .... Whatever the situation... Nice content Greg 👍🏻
While that is a VERY good question, I suspect that you know you hit the nail on the head, at least to my mind. Your supposition that loudspeakers are the window into EVERYTHING before them, good or bad, has indisputable merit. And, while ALL component choices are important, if your speakers can't provide the proper resolution, transparency, and generate a realistic sense of tone color, texture, body, and bloom, how will you get that from whatever source, electronics, or accessories you are implementing up stream? To my mind, this is an axiom at this point, and is one of the reasons my dear friend Jim Merod claims to "hate" loudspeakers.
Hello Elliot, These are the most recent in-room evaluations. www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/vivid-audio-giya-g1-spirit-loudspeaker/ www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/gamut-audio-zodiac/ www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/von-schweikert-audio-ultra-9-loudspeaker/ Further, I attend (pre-, and now, post Covid lockdowns) several shows annually where I hear many dozens of other speakers...especially at Munich and AXPONA where there are hundreds of speaker manufacturers represented. If you care to, take a look at my Show and Event coverage webpage here - www.theaudioanalyst.com/show_coverage/ I have been involved at some level of this industry or other for the past five decades and have been privileged to write about and cover it for the past 35 years. No one can hear everything, but I can comfortably say that I have heard most every significant speaker release over the past five decades, whether at a show, a dealer, or in a private installation. In fact, I spent four days in front of another pair of Focal Gran Utopia's just a month ago, and I'm often flown in to cover all variety of speaker product launches...
@@elliotg.5383 Well, sadly, different doesn't directly correlate to better... And, until such time as I hear something that has the potential to be more accurate, articulate, and authentic in this space, I will likely not be replacing this ULTRA 9s. I'm not sure if you understand just what it might take to outperform these quarter-of-a-million-dollar world-class transducers. Whatever it may be, it likely will not be easy, or less costly, for them to be bested. Thanks for watching and taking the time to write.
If AIAP member’s primary goal is to focus on high end elite systems, and components etc etc. Then it only serves an elite body of people from around the World. In other words an elite organization that cannot be bought or influenced and serving a narrow targeted audience or readership in audio.
Um, clearly you are reading things into the purpose of this Association that I never said, nor have been implied anywhere - including at the site. aiap-online.org/ The association deals ONLY with the ethics outlined in our Statement of Principles (aiap-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AIAP-Statement-of-Principles.pdf). There is NO REFERENCE to gear, or anything else for that matter, regardless of price.
Just got here. Always late to the party. Your journey was sort of similar to mine. While the Acoustat medallion mod 2+2 was really nice, I preferred the sound of the 1+1's. I loved those speakers. But being a large scale classical music listener, the power handling without crackling on strong bottom end sound caused me to consider another possible replacement.
I sold the 1+1's and bought VR4's. I still miss the sound of the 1+1's though.
And I still have and listen to the original VR4's. Electronics have changed, but the speakers remain. I moved from NYC to Poland where things are smaller and thought of selling the VR4's. A fellow audiophile friend of mine said I would be sad without them. Glad I listened to him. Crated and shipped to Poland and they are still working, providing musical pleasure. I have no idea what to replace them with if they decide to "retire", like me.
Thanks for your insights!
Welcome to the channel! I'm so glad you found it, and I hope you enjoy the content...
You are a class act, through and through. You are the proverbial shot in the arm that our industry needs to get back on track.
How very kind of you to say! Thank you...
Thanks for the clear, concise, accurate and non-hyped Von Schweirkert speaker description. I compare speakers to my grand piano in the same room and no other brand speaker has come as close to live music sound
Hello Joe. You've been in the camp for a while too, so I guess you can see WHY I felt compelled to try to explain just what the VSA goal and sound is, and how it differs from all their contemporaries. And thank you, I very much appreciate your kind words about my prose here.
This episode was meant to try to communicate to the folks who, for whatever reason, just don't understand what the goal at VSA actually is! I'm asking them to let go of their previous understanding of what hi-fi has meant, and try to envision - and hear - what it SHOULD BE... Comparing one speaker to another, while not without its own merit, should NOT be the paradigm...right? Your example of comparing what is a stunningly difficult instrument to capture properly in all its capabilities, your grand piano, to what your reference speakers recreate in your room for you, exemplifies what the goal should be. Thanks for your support of my work here at the channel, my friend. Be well and stay safe.
Hi Greg, I have been living with VSA speakers for the last 27 years. It's interesting that you mentioned and place emphasis on the speakers crossovers. When people ask me what is it about the speakers that I like. The first thing I bring up is that Albert was an absolute crossover genius. Because no matter how many drivers there are the sound coming out of them seems of one voice. I first got the original VR-4 silvers in 1995. At first for some reason (they needed to be broken in) I didn't like them. So I thought just hang on to them and see what happens. What happened was I fell in love with them! I've lived with them for about 25 years. I then put them onto Townshend Audio seismic podiums. And believe me the podiums took the VR-4s to another level. No kidding I was blown away at the sound I was getting. However about about 2 years ago I had the opportunity to pick up a not very used pair of DB-100s for a very reasonable sum of money. So I now am living with the DB-100 speakers. They have all the VSA hallmarks. Amazing crossover, the solid state amplifier that powers the frequencies below 100hz are so beautifully integrated that it's impossibile to hear where the my tube amp cuts off and the built in solid state amp kicks in. Both the VR-4 and the DB=100 speakers have thunderous, articulate bass. They speak with one voice. And I wonder why people who want to be able to use high efficiencey speakers aren't all over these ( though they have been out of production for about 20 years). I would like to one day compare the them to one of the ultra series of VSA speakers. I think the DB-100s would not be embarrassed,.
Hello and thank you for writing. The dB100 was an EXCEPTIONAL loudspeaker. A good friend of mine bought a pair and had VSA refurbish them, and she still paid less than they sold for new... In fact, Episode 39: Building a Vintage Audio System (ruclips.net/video/vAZ9rMQhH64/видео.html) is highlighted by that dB100 rebuild and its role in her system. Take a look if you have the time.
Same experience with the podiums. The impact on the presentation must be experienced, difficult to explain. In my case, the biggest surprise was actually better efficiency. I was expecting better bass, soundstage, instrument position. This all came, but my amp does not need to push mutch anymore, meaning less to none energy going into the floor. The drum kick is real kick, at first I quickly moved as I thought I am going to be hurt.
@@petervansa2477 Better isolation almost always brings positive returns. See this piece I did, after collaborating with my friend, the late Anna Logg (Valerie Kurlichek)
www.soundstagenetwork.com/synergize/synergize011999.htm
Back in the 1990s, Legacy created several great speakers, including my Signature IIIs which exhibit similarities to Von Schweikert. But VS continually improved their speakers, less so for Legacy (with their extensive use of DSP). My replacement speaker is either the VR9 SE mk2, VR55 or Ultra 7, possibly within a month (not the Ultra 7-too expensive for me).
For what it is worth, I spent over five years with the enchanting VR-55 Aktive, and can recommend them VERY highly... Here is my review from The Absolute Sound.
www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/von-schweikert-audio-vr-55-aktive-loudspeaker/
@@theaudioanalyst Thank you. A very good friend of Damon's said that the VR9SEMk2 I will hear next week will cost 40% less than a new VR55 Mk2 active and a pair of VS subs, more cabling (about $100K). I live in CA and the sales tax is almost 10%. Will the VR9 have nearly all the qualities of the new VR55 combo? I love the Ultra 9 and 11 I've heard (and the 7 I haven't heard) would be perfect but too costly for me. Resolution capabilities are secondary. The recreation of the performance, wide dispersion (without superwide imaging as so many other speakers do e.g. omni's or planars) and out of the box/speaker disappearance are my primary goals in replacing the Signature IIIs.
I also watch your videos and greatly appreciate your articulate dissection of equipment. Even if your opinion is not always accurate, it sounds wonderful to hear (and read), unlike so many other on-line high end audio reviewers.
@@StephenFleschlerWhile you may choose to disagree with anyone's opinion, you may not describe those disparate opinions as "not accurate." To claim that an opinion is inaccurate is in itself an absurdity because it is only a reflection of your view, based SOLELY on YOUR opinion...
Further, I would add that my "opinions" are based on over five decades of experience in and around this industry, across so many different capacities; consumer, retailer, repair and modification technician, and product consultant and developer. Add to that my time as a journalist and editor for over thirty-five of those fifty years, and I would argue that my "opinion" is not only better informed than the majority of consumers and industry members alike, but more honed and succinct as well.
@@theaudioanalyst I acknowledge your multi-generational knowledge and experience but I beg to differ as to my having an occasional difference of opinion. Opinion is not a fact, especially when we hear differently (that's a fact).
I do not have your deep equipment experience but I do have very significant sonic knowledge.
I am a part-time recording (150+) and remastering engineer at major and lesser venues in Los Angeles. I have been/currently am the archivist of a semi-major classical music composer and a major Jewish music composer. My best friends include the very keen eared widely known analog mastering engineers as well as friends with world renown remastering engineers.
Even a very good friend of Damon's who was a manufacturer and now a dealer of high end audio equipment made a mistake. He tried a high end speaker in my home that sonically failed (badly) as it was tried using my 125w custom tube Class A/B monoblocks and and EAR 890 amp. Solid state only for those speakers.
Everyone has a right to disagree with an opinion although yours is more highly informed than most and certainly more enjoyable to hear/read than most reviewers.
Certainly you know more than I do and three of my best friends have extremely superior hearing attributes (one a lesser known boutique audio cable manufacturer). You should not be upset if someone has an alternative opinion. I value yours and I don't blog about mine. Music is much more important to me than the delivery system (live or recorded). I have 51,500 LPs/CDs/78s/RRs (pending selling 7,500+ excess). I am fortunate to listen to 2 hours or more of music daily and perform and/or record 6 to 12 times annually.
Brilliant commentary, Greg! As a long time Von Schweikert owner and fan, I found your evaluation to be right on.
Thank you so very much, my friend!
Greg, you are very happy, men ultra 9 are mostly a dream for an ordinary music lover. How do you assess the advanced technology of double magnets of different poles used by Dali kore new speakers using a similar vsa tweeter set.
Hello Boris. I'll have to reserve my comments on how the new KORE systems from Dali sound, as they JUST introduced them at Munich, and I chose not to attend this year. However the principal seems sound enough; essentially a double magnet motor, with one magnet's south pole facing forward, the other with its north pole facing forward. The driver then uses TWO voice coils wound on the same former, but in opposing direction. Theoretically, such a motor could offer up to TWICE the energy, and because any asymmetries or non-linearities found with motion in one direction would tend to be canceled by the similar but opposite effects of the other.
This works REALLY well with isobaric loading in subwoofers. Using two identical woofers, but mounted FACING each other and wired out of phase... This kind of non-linear cancellation seems to be really successful. However, the results using motor structures and voice coils would seem to present considerably more complex and likely a less interrelated series of benefits, to my way of thinking... Speculation at this point is all I have, so I will reserve judgement until I hear them.
Thanks for watching and writing...
I own a pair of Von Schweikert and a pair of Vandersteen's different but love them both. I do believe both Albert and Richard are true masters of design. What other speaker designers besides Alberts do you like?
Other loudspeakers that have merit to my ears include SOME (not all!) models from Alsyvox, Focal, GamuT, Granada, Lansche, Magico, Magnepan, Martin-Logan, Perfect8, Sonus faber, SoundLab (now gone, I believe), Studio-Electric, and YG Acoustics,
@@theaudioanalyst "SoundLab (now gone, I believe)" - Dr. West is still making speakers. There are a handful of listening rooms around the country where prospective buyers can go and listen to a SL electrostatic. If I every buy another system, the SoundLabs are on my shortlist.
@@TheDanEdwards Hey Dan... Thanks for the update. I wasn't sure as I haven't seen a SoundLab at a show or heard any friend discussing a new installation in some time.
Very well done! Thanks, Greg!
Thank you for tuning in - and for the kind words...
I have a pair of the VSA Vortex Screen speakers. According to Albert, they are the last generation of Screens just be
fore the VR4. They are amazing.
That is SO COOL! Is there any chance I could talk you into sending pix of your Screens? Thanks for watching and writing!
@@theaudioanalystSure thing! Where do I send them?
@@txc500 Awesome. My email address - and tons more info - are available at my website, and that link is listed in every Description section of each video. It is greg@theaudioanalyst.com
Never watched another episode or a review like this where every word counts. I mean it, every single word counts. I am watching an NFL game the same time as this episode and I keep pausing and rewinding to catch every word you said. In fact, sometimes I forgot about the game. Meanwhile it's Rodgers vs Brady. You're a prof.
Of all the Von Schweikert speakers which one would you say is the best for the money in the any higher would be a significant Diminishing return.
Hello Carey...thanks for writing. Your question is problematic in that it necessarily implies that if one thing is true (one specific "best value"), then another is not (all others are less exceptional).
If we can set aside that false “if…then” relationship, we can look at this from what may be seen as, perhaps, a more sensible perspective.
I firmly believe that the $25,000 a pair (price hikes pending across the entire product lineup!) ENDEAVOR SE (www.vonschweikert.com/endeavor-se) represents one of the most exceptional values in loudspeakers available today. It belies its affordability with its modest footprint and large swath of ULTRA DNA.
By that same token, the $180,000 a pair ULTRA 7s MAY be the best value in the entire ULTRA line, in that they deliver SO MUCH of the ULTRA sound, and may actually be a tad more resolute and transparent through the upper bass/lower mids…
Then there are the ULTRA 9s… Though they are physically the lower one-half of the ULTRA 11, they are so very close to the performance of those 11s that it is scary. And then there is the ULTRA 11, which offers the most faithful sense of musical scaling I’ve EVER heard. If the ceilings in my current room had been tall enough, I really think I’d have gone with them… Alas, the ULTRA 9s give me all but that final few percent of the ULTRA 11s magic…
I hope this all makes sense…
I miss my Vsa's so much. I will own them again one day.
I may be selling a super nice pair of VSA Vortex Screens. Last generation prior to the VR4.
Ok, a viewer named George Bartolo posted, “Kronos is next,” but I somehow inadvertently removed that comment and cannot find a way restore it…
First, my apologies for the deletion, George - it was a mistake. And in response to George’s comment…
Hey George, you may know that I've already done five episodes on KRONOS...
Episode 16: The KRONOS Sparta Turntable, Helena Tonearm, and SSCPS Power Supply
ruclips.net/video/Q6JKULtbHqc/видео.html
Episode 56: The KRONOS Discovery turntable launch
ruclips.net/video/QvKQwTwkils/видео.html
Episode 65: The KRONOS Pro Limited Edition turntable
ruclips.net/video/DyaT7kcgYCI/видео.html
Episode 69: The KRONOS Resonance Suppression Tonearms
ruclips.net/video/sbBdjHBG0j8/видео.html
Episode 71: The KRONOS Discovery RS tonearm
ruclips.net/video/viTo-JM6qPU/видео.html
No worries Greg.
Why is it that (many) people tend to have the greatest of brand loyalty toward their loudspeaker manufacturer of choice more than any other hifi component?....
I don't know if its because the loudspeakers can often be the most room imposing parts of the system or that they're the window into the rest of what happens upstream? ....
Whatever the situation... Nice content Greg 👍🏻
While that is a VERY good question, I suspect that you know you hit the nail on the head, at least to my mind. Your supposition that loudspeakers are the window into EVERYTHING before them, good or bad, has indisputable merit. And, while ALL component choices are important, if your speakers can't provide the proper resolution, transparency, and generate a realistic sense of tone color, texture, body, and bloom, how will you get that from whatever source, electronics, or accessories you are implementing up stream? To my mind, this is an axiom at this point, and is one of the reasons my dear friend Jim Merod claims to "hate" loudspeakers.
Great one Greg! VSA is not only one of the best in the business, they are very customer oriented too. By the way, love that shirt!
Thanks, Henry!
Just out of curiosity when was the last time you had a different brand of high end loudspeakers in your system?
Hello Elliot,
These are the most recent in-room evaluations.
www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/vivid-audio-giya-g1-spirit-loudspeaker/
www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/gamut-audio-zodiac/
www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/von-schweikert-audio-ultra-9-loudspeaker/
Further, I attend (pre-, and now, post Covid lockdowns) several shows annually where I hear many dozens of other speakers...especially at Munich and AXPONA where there are hundreds of speaker manufacturers represented.
If you care to, take a look at my Show and Event coverage webpage here - www.theaudioanalyst.com/show_coverage/
I have been involved at some level of this industry or other for the past five decades and have been privileged to write about and cover it for the past 35 years. No one can hear everything, but I can comfortably say that I have heard most every significant speaker release over the past five decades, whether at a show, a dealer, or in a private installation. In fact, I spent four days in front of another pair of Focal Gran Utopia's just a month ago, and I'm often flown in to cover all variety of speaker product launches...
@@theaudioanalyst thank you Greg. Maybe someday you might be up for something different in your room. One never knows :)
@@elliotg.5383 Well, sadly, different doesn't directly correlate to better... And, until such time as I hear something that has the potential to be more accurate, articulate, and authentic in this space, I will likely not be replacing this ULTRA 9s. I'm not sure if you understand just what it might take to outperform these quarter-of-a-million-dollar world-class transducers. Whatever it may be, it likely will not be easy, or less costly, for them to be bested. Thanks for watching and taking the time to write.
If AIAP member’s primary goal is to focus on high end elite systems, and components etc etc. Then it only serves an elite body of people from around the World. In other words an elite organization that cannot be bought or influenced and serving a narrow targeted audience or readership in audio.
Um, clearly you are reading things into the purpose of this Association that I never said, nor have been implied anywhere - including at the site. aiap-online.org/ The association deals ONLY with the ethics outlined in our Statement of Principles (aiap-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AIAP-Statement-of-Principles.pdf). There is NO REFERENCE to gear, or anything else for that matter, regardless of price.