..the next 3 months are bound to be the longest 3 months of my life

es347 · « **Reply #40 on:** 22 Oct 2014, 01:54 am »

..yep "I forget" never seems to work in court however....I forgot it was illegal to rob a bank judge....sorry

Holli82 · « **Reply #41 on:** 24 Oct 2014, 03:16 am »

I have an Arcam Alpha 7r integrated that I am now running with a pair of Cambridge Sound Works knock off of the old KLH model 6 speakers and an iPod nano. Total invested less than $500 and it's ridiculous how good it sounds for near field listening. I'm beginning to believe that the most fun one can have in this crazy hobby is putting together good musical sound for cheap. Not sure chasing the mega buck audio golden fleece is where it's at.

Mmmmmmm. I remember this^

HAHA HAHA HAHA HAHA

Holli82 · « **Reply #42 on:** 24 Oct 2014, 04:00 am »

Here's my car that you asked about. it's all I can afford after buying VR-9's

es347 · « **Reply #43 on:** 24 Oct 2014, 07:16 pm »

Quote from: Holli82 on 24 Oct 2014, 03:16 am

I have an Arcam Alpha 7r integrated that I am now running with a pair of Cambridge Sound Works knock off of the old KLH model 6 speakers and an iPod nano. Total invested less than $500 and it's ridiculous how good it sounds for near field listening. I'm beginning to believe that the most fun one can have in this crazy hobby is putting together good musical sound for cheap. Not sure chasing the mega buck audio golden fleece is where it's at.

Mmmmmmm. I remember this^

HAHA HAHA HAHA HAHA

Yeah, well...go sit in your timeout chair....NOW!

Albert Von Schweikert · « **Reply #44 on:** 24 Oct 2014, 07:24 pm »

Hello Fellow Audiophiles,

This response is to answer the question regarding the MSRP of the current series of VR-9SE Mk2. As many of you know, we have revised this model several times over the past seven years, with each version raising our costs substantially. The latest Mk2 version costs us about twice as much to fabricate than the original model.

Current MSRP on the "standard" VR-9SE Mk2 is $90,000. With all upgrade options, price is $100,000. We have an Asian Distributor who buys only the upgraded version but sells almost a pair per month, showing how strong the demand can be in some parts of the world. Combined with other Distributors, this model's sales volume has risen to the point where our lead times got out of hand.

To make our customers happy, our cabinet shop manager hired another person to reduce lead times from 90 days to 70 days. Each cabinet has more than 200 pcs of HDF, stone blocks, and rubber dampers that have to be cut with CNC and bonded together in a jig.

The paint process takes about two weeks; a sealer coat, then two primer coats are applied, then wet sanded. Finally, several finish coats are applied. After curing, the top coat is then machine buffed. By necessity, all of this is done by hand; if you have ever priced a custom paint job on a European sports car, you know that can cost up to $20,000.

Building a pair of VR-9SE Mk2's is a big project, but as many of you know, the end result is well worth the wait!

As always, Happy Listening.
AVS

kgturner · « **Reply #45 on:** 1 Nov 2014, 02:05 am »

I've found the correct answer to "how much did you pay?" is "I paid what it cost."

Kevin T

harley52 · « **Reply #46 on:** 8 Nov 2014, 12:00 am »

I had to wait 6 months to get my Vaporsound speakers.

Correction, I have been told by Ryan that it was 4.5 months.

Holli82 · « **Reply #47 on:** 28 Jan 2015, 09:20 pm »

Soooo......do we have 9's yet?

Chrisandalex1 · « **Reply #48 on:** 28 Jan 2015, 10:05 pm »

Man, I so envy you guys and your systems.

I am just a mere mortal, and my VR4jr's are going to have to suffice for 1 more year. Albert is working his magic on them as I type.

However, I am 99% certain that since I just ordered two V-10 subs as well as the Visiun Center, that I am going to have to splurge and order a set of VR55's this coming year.

It is perfect as I am planning to build a new listening room/theater at the house over the coming year. The guest house was converted to a gym that has never been used, so now I think it is time to make it into something that I will use.

Damn I love and hate this hobby.

kernelbob · « **Reply #49 on:** 28 Jan 2015, 11:49 pm »

It is indeed a slippery slope. A couple of months ago I added on pair of Masterbuilt Ultra interconnects to my set of Masterbuilt Signature IC's and SC's. Now, I have this thought rattling around my head about a bucket-list set of cables and going all-in for a full loom of Ultras. Somebody stop me...

I expect once you get your upgraded system in place, that won't be the end of the ride, but instead just the start.

Chrisandalex1 · « **Reply #50 on:** 29 Jan 2015, 12:09 am »

Quote from: kernelbob on 28 Jan 2015, 11:49 pm

It is indeed a slippery slope. A couple of months ago I added on pair of Masterbuilt Ultra interconnects to my set of Masterbuilt Signature IC's and SC's. Now, I have this thought rattling around my head about a bucket-list set of cables and going all-in for a full loom of Ultras. Somebody stop me...

I expect once you get your upgraded system in place, that won't be the end of the ride, but instead just the start.

I expect you are right Bob. However, I have a long way to go before I even come close to your level. I did however speak to Leif today about the VR-55's. This might be sooner than I thought.

BTW, JUST DO IT BOB.

gammajo · « **Reply #51 on:** 29 Jan 2015, 12:12 am »

Bob - I am not the one to stop you - have had the same fantasy since getting the Ultra IC. Did you perceive much difference with the Ultra SC compared to the Signature SC?

kernelbob · « **Reply #52 on:** 29 Jan 2015, 01:09 am »

I don't have the Ultra speaker cable, only the one pair of two meter interconnects. However, I did spring for the all Ultra internal wiring in my VR100 towers.

Based on Sam's "violetmachan" excellent ongoing documentation of the sound of his complete Ultra loom as it settles in, I believe my speakers, and certainly the ICs, have a ways yet to go to reach their performance capabilities. Just in the last week or so, the bass has really blossomed. I figure the ICs only have about 500 hours of playing time, and that has been just at normal/low listening levels, not with aggressive, high transient "boot camp" conditioning.

Best,
Robert

SundayNiagara · « **Reply #53 on:** 6 Mar 2015, 08:57 pm »

Update?

gammajo · « **Reply #54 on:** 11 Mar 2015, 02:49 am »

I'll be getting my VR55 actives in about a month, so have to revisit what kind of power cords to use with them. Everything else in my system including power cords is either Signature Reference or Ultra. Will start with stock and aim for Signature Reference over the next few years after the speaker purchase has been forgotten by my wife and my bank account. But in the mean time any ideas for great PC's for the amp sections of the 55s would be appreciated.

SundayNiagara · « **Reply #55 on:** 14 Jun 2015, 01:36 pm »

Bump?

kernelbob · « **Reply #56 on:** 14 Jun 2015, 05:47 pm »

Re the question of power cords for the amps in the 55's. At the moment I'm not using separate amps on the mid/tweeters of my VR100XS system, running the towers full range from one amp. So I have a pair of the Masterbuilt Signature power cords available for the moment. On a whim, I tried connecting them to the pair of the VR100XS system's 15" XS subwoofers at the back of my room. Silly idea I know, but... the deep bass took on a smoother, richer sound that was immediately obvious.

Now, I don't plan on keeping the MB power cords on the subs and will be returning them to the mid/tweeter amps soon. Since your 55's powered woofers extend from the bottom to the top of the bass frequencies, I'd expect you'd see real benefit if you try them. As far as it being worth the cost, that's a calculation that each person has to make.

By the way, the power cords that I had been using on the XS subwoofers were Shunyata Python CX's.

Best,
Robert

SundayNiagara · « **Reply #57 on:** 14 Jun 2015, 08:01 pm »

Quote from: es347 on 19 Oct 2014, 10:18 pm

..I just ordered a pair of VR9SE MKIIs from Albert in Lexus silver. He said it will take about 90 days to complete and trust me, I can't wait! I'll be selling my pristine piano black VR5 Anniversary MK1.5s here locally. Got my fingers crossed that they sell quickly and at a fair price. I may have to hire a team of Egyptian millwrights to move those 9s down the stairs to my room

What's happening with this hijacked thread?

kernelbob · « **Reply #58 on:** 17 Jun 2015, 05:08 pm »

My purpose in mentioning how the Masterbuilt Signature power cords even improved the quality of the XS subwoofers (in terms of musicality, richness, etc.) was not to hijack the thread but to underscore that the benefits of these power cords are not limited to the mid/treble drivers.

A more direct comparison to the question of power cords for the VR55 active bass amp is the difference that the Masterbuilt Signatures brought to my 100's bass performance (the towers' woofers, not the subs). I drive them with the Spectron Musician III Mk2 monoblock amps which have many similarities to the 55's bass amps. One characteristic is that they both have widely varying current draws in that they consume very little current at low volumes and proportionately more current at high volumes. This is different, for example, from a single ended tube amp which is biased to the midpoint of the tube and a draws a fairly constant current with the fluctuations handled by storage capacitors.

Back to the bass amp sound differences. The woofers' performance with the Masterbuilt Signature power cords was much better than the Shunyata CX Python power cords. Importantly, the top to bottom (treble to bass) sonic character of the system was clearly more consistent when the Signature power cords were used on both the top single ended amp and the bottom Spectron amp. The speakers become more invisible in the sound field. Pianos particularly now have a sound cut from the same cloth across the full sonic spectrum.

If you're going with the Signatures on the top, I'd recommend at least auditioning them on the bass amp and post your impressions.

Best,
Robert

es347 · « **Reply #59 on:** 18 Jun 2015, 02:36 pm »

..ok time for the OP (that would be me I think) to clear the air on this thread. After having ordered the VR9s last Fall, Albert and I had discussed the soon-to-be-released VR55s and Albert convinced me to wait to hear them before dropping the big coin on the VR9s. As a result of our several conversations I decided to wait and cancelled my order for the 9s. I have yet to hear the VR55s but hope to in the near future, hopefully driven by decent electronics and in a decent room. From the several posts here by VR55 owners they must be something. In the meantime I continue to suffer through with my lowly VR5 Annies...sigh... So consider this thread open for business...highjack at your pleasure..