[meilankev]

 And still driving them full range with tube monoblocks (Kora Cosmos). It has been such a comfort to know when I go upstairs to my listening room (no video allowed!!! ), music is going to sound the way I prefer it.

When I recall the 3 hours that Brian spent with me on the phone back in late 2000, it was clear I was in the hands of a man who genuinely loved what he did for a living. No, not design and build speakers - but instead a man who wanted to bring joy to audio lovers around the world.

Rest in peace kind sir.  And thank you.

[Evoke]

I couldn't agree with you more about Brian. It seems so wrong that a soul like his should be taken ever. I remember one chat in particular about one model and we spoke for hours. There may be better or worse, more expensive or cheaper - but Brian is one of a rare breed in the speaker business that had a passion for music. I cherish that memory.

[zybar]

And still driving them full range with tube monoblocks (Kora Cosmos). It has been such a comfort to know when I go upstairs to my listening room (no video allowed!!! ), music is going to sound the way I prefer it.

When I recall the 3 hours that Brian spent with me on the phone back in late 2000, it was clear I was in the hands of a man who genuinely loved what he did for a living. No, not design and build speakers - but instead a man who wanted to bring joy to audio lovers around the world.

Rest in peace kind sir.  And thank you.

Kora Cosmos amps and RM40's...I remember that great combination.

Glad to see it is still working for you.   

George

[7x57]

My Ribbon Monitor 1 speakers will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. Do not need anything bigger in my modest sized living room, and the larger speakers would probably produce too much bass. Mine are driven by C-J EV-1, PV-14L and MF-2250 combination.

The RM1 speakers have proven reliable and are easily tuned to my environment. I had my doubts that a single midrange driver that covers such a wide frequency band would hold up for long under my preferred listening levels. I do intend to locate some lambs wool and stuff the midrange driver cavity with that substance, as Brian said it was the best midrange damping material in existence. However, it already sounds better than anything else I ever heard, with the factory supplied fiberglass material. Crossing my fingers that my neopanels keep holding up. They are the key component in the post-2000 range of VMPS loudspeaker models.

I am too old now to seriously consider the opportunity, but so many people will want to hold onto or acquire a good working example of the later neopanel VMPS speakers that some sort of repair and rebuild business will most likely exist as these loudspeakers age and need service. B-G makes some panels that can substitute for the neopanels, at least for my loudspeaker model. Still, I would think that if the neopanels could be manufactured, they can also be repaired economically.

High End Audio has survived on a relatively few people being constantly dissastified with their system components and trading in for something else on a regular basis. VMPS sort of flew in the face of that mindset and it resulted in VMPS being a small part of a relatively small market to begin with. When I acquired my VMPS speakers driven by my C-J amplifiers, I made an exit from the equipment upgrade brigade. The audio rags who depend on manufacturer ads for survival do not support this thought pattern. However, if the audio rags had fully supported companies such as VMPS, the total number of audiophiles would be much bigger and the tendency to promote audio nervosa not so overwhelming.

Due largely to VMPS, I am free of audio nervosa and loving it.

[G E]

I have the RM 30 speakers that I upgraded to series 2.

The VMPS brand enjoyed a reputation for reproducing music at the highest level.

Initially I could not understand why mine sounded so bad.

Then began a long journey to upgrade sources and amplification.

Now I can not imagine having another set of speakers. The RM 30's are immensely satisfying.

I count myself so fortunate that I did not give up and bag them for something else.

[Tunz2]

Hey Kev,

It's Mike from out Brandon way. Been a long time. I still have my 40s too. Guess Ive had mine for what 13 or 14 years. Just a couple of Tampa guys keeping their VMPS. Running mine with a modded Aragon 4004mkii. I also have a Parasound 2200mkii that I put in now and then. My 40s do get a bit of rest from time to time. Don't know if you have heard of Roger Russell, he was the head speaker designer at McIntosh for about 15 years. He got old and they ran him off and he retired to Orlando area. He had an idea for a speaker made from a tall thin cabinet of 20, 4 inch full range drivers. I have the prototype that led to a commercially available speaker called the IDS25. IDS25s are 19K with a dedicated eq. In my big room, not bad. Hope you are doing well...

Michael...