[magister]

I bought a pair of VR-IVjr's in 2004 and have never upgraded them, partly because I was spending money on other things and partly because the idea of boxing them up and shipping them was not appealing.  And of course they have always sounded very good!

In the last few years I have upgraded my source components and now am beginning to think about new speakers.  I checked back in this circle and saw info about the upgrade to Mk IV of the jr's.  Albert, thank you for all the details you provided about the history of the IV/IVjr line.

So now I have a choice of upgrading my jr's or going with something else in the $3500-5000 range.  The biggest limitation for me is that the speakers must be quite close to the back walls.

I was thinking about a VR-33.  How would one of these compare to my original jr's and to an upgraded set of jr's?  I notice they have a back port which might make them work best further out in the room (?).

My jr's still sound good, but anything that flexes constantly will eventually wear out.  IIUC, the upgrade will give me new drivers, which will extend the life of my speakers considerably.  Is that right?

My current jr's work OK in the room.  I don't imagine that the upgrade would do anything that would require them to be further from the walls, but if so, I need to know that.

$5000 is absolutely my upper limit to spend, and a little less would be helpful.  About how much would the price go down if at least 20 people sign up for the upgrade?

How does one ship these things??  I have the original crates, but I think they are too heavy for UPS or FedEx.  I've never dealt with a motor freight company.  Suggestions?  About how long would the upgrade take once the jr's arrive in California?  Being without a stereo does not make me happy.

Anything else to consider as I approach this decision?  Thanks!

[Chrisandalex1]

I would highly recommend the upgraded VR4 jr's.  I too had the original VR4jr's that I bought in 2004.  The difference is night and day.  They are still giving me goose bumps. 

Call Lee at VSA, he will be happy to walk you through the process. 

[magister]

Thank you Chris -- it's really useful to hear from someone who has done this exact upgrade.  I will call VSA next week.

[Chrisandalex1]

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about them.  I am listening to them right now, and even though I know I am in 2 Channel mode, I swear I need to check to make sure the center channel is not on.  The staging is just soooo incredible.

Just do it.

Btw, the upgrade would result in a 16K, more or less speaker, vs spending 5K on a new pair. Simple....

[gammajo]

With the upgrade the distance to the back wall will not change and do not worry about the shipping to and fro. VSA usually uses Pilot freight and I have shipped back and forth across country using Pilot four times and they have been perfect in their handling and service. You would receive all new drivers and it would be like a new speaker. They even spruce up the cabinets if needed. You are correct - a rear ported design may effect the optimum distance from the wall. I agree with ChrisandAlex that you will have better value than if you put the 5K towards anything new. Hope this helps.

[BigSwede]

This is not in disagreement with the above, as I haven't heard upgraded jrs, but I wanted to clarify the following, as it might impact your decision...

I was thinking about a VR-33.  How would one of these compare to my original jr's and to an upgraded set of jr's?  I notice they have a back port which might make them work best further out in the room (?).

The VR-33s are uniquely (along with VR-22 and VR35) designed to be placed close to the wall. My 33s are 9" from the wall, for example.

I love my 33s, but with the upgrade you are paying for new hardware not cabinetry, so that might be your best bang for the buck if they work in your room.

[magister]

gammajo and BigSwede, thank you both for your comments -- they are helpful.

I am leaning towards doing the upgrade, assuming my phone call to VSA is positive (no reason to think it won't be).  I'll probably need to upgrade the amp I use on the bass modules, since it is nowhere near the level of a ~$16,000 speaker.  But I can do that later, when I can swing it.  (Right now I'm using an NAD C275BEE, which -- while reasonably priced by audiophile standards -- has done a good job for me with the original jr's.)

[gammajo]

Are you bi-amping? If so VR speakers like Nuforce amps on the bass and they can be had quite cheaply on used market (Starting about $1,000- Look for Ref9V2Se or better for bass and V3se, or Ref 18 for full range.

[magister]

Yes, I'm bi-amping.  I have a Golden Tube SE-40 on top and the NAD on the bottom.  This combination has worked very well with the original jr's.  I'll look at the Nuforce amps--I've heard the name but never auditioned one.