VR 35 Mk II

walterslw · « **Reply #20 on:** 22 Jun 2014, 11:17 pm »

Quote from: gammajo on 22 Jun 2014, 10:04 pm

Walter -Wow! Prepared to be absolutely delighted! I could live with my Anni MK2's the rest of my life happily. What will you be using for front end, preamp and amps? To my putting tubes in someplace (for me preamp) really helps with how these speakers are voiced.

Front end is a PS Audio Direct Stream Dac, pre amp is a highly modified and upgraded Sonic Frontiers Line 2 SE ++ (all tube). Power is Bryston 7B SST monoblocks. I run balanced front to back. Speaker cable is MIT Magnum 1.3 BiWire - which was amazing with my vr3.5's so expect to be a great match for the Annies.

gammajo · « **Reply #21 on:** 22 Jun 2014, 11:53 pm »

Sounds like you are good to go - congratulations!

walterslw · « **Reply #22 on:** 23 Jun 2014, 01:31 am »

Quote from: gammajo on 22 Jun 2014, 11:53 pm

Sounds like you are good to go - congratulations!

Thanks @gammajo I'm really excited, and my plan is to live with these new babies for a very long time - my intention is this is my last speaker purchase.

JackD201 · « **Reply #23 on:** 23 Jun 2014, 02:18 am »

SWEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Delacroix · « **Reply #24 on:** 23 Jun 2014, 10:57 pm »

Walter -- that's some upgrading.....reaching for a VR35 but then leaping to the VR5 Anni -- welcome to the club

And you maintained matrimonial harmony too.....you should run for office!!!!

Keep us posted....

P.

walterslw · « **Reply #25 on:** 24 Jun 2014, 12:40 am »

Quote from: Delacroix on 23 Jun 2014, 10:57 pm

Walter -- that's some upgrading.....reaching for a VR35 but then leaping to the VR5 Anni -- welcome to the club And you maintained matrimonial harmony too.....you should run for office!!!!

Keep us posted....

P.

LOL - I have an amazing wife who understands what the upgrade will bring to our musical enjoyment. That and she basically told me that this is it for audio equipment for a long time.

I'll keep everyone posted once they arive.

-Lou

walterslw · « **Reply #26 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 04:23 pm »

Well - Pilot Freight was supposed to deliver yesterday but for some reason they had the incorrect phone number. That has been rectified, and the delivery of my brand new (broken in by VSA) VR 5 Anniversary MK IIs (actually the very last ones out of the factory) will be here today!!! I am so excited, and I think it is going to be a very very late night of listening and set up

JackD201 · « **Reply #27 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 04:28 pm »

You beat me to that last pair by a few hours Walter, you lucky dog! Congratulations

Delacroix · « **Reply #28 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 05:51 pm »

You might need some muscle -- the Freight guy who delivered mine left them at the door for me to haul in and I am not sure I ever recovered, LOL.

walterslw · « **Reply #29 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 06:15 pm »

@ Delacroix - you aren't kidding! HOLY COW. I helped the truck driver move one box at a time into my living room - he told me they are not allowed to move into the house.... I managed to twist his arm.

Anyway - VSA - you guys ROCK!!! - what a well packaged and built speaker. I managed to take each part out of the shipping crates, and the speakers are sitting in their velvet bags, within the cellophane wrapper on my living room floor! I will not touch or move them until I can enlist some help from the neighbors to help me move down into the basement. Tonight I will assemble and set them up !

gammajo · « **Reply #30 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 06:36 pm »

EXCITEMENT TIME Walter !!! Dont drop them -save the beer for your friends till they are safely downstairs

I just some new amps today and again am blown away anew at how terrific the Anni MK2's are. You are in for a years-long treat

JackD201 · « **Reply #31 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 11:13 pm »

Watcha get Joe? Did you decide to go Ayon all the way?

I'll begin burn in of Annies for a client today in my main room. So you can be sure I'll be doing what Walter is doing. Getting a work out!

I'll post pics.

I'll be toggling between the client's Kronzilla DX monos and my personal Lamm M2.2 to stretch out the surrounds and put some time on the caps.

gammajo · « **Reply #32 on:** 25 Jul 2014, 11:34 pm »

Got what I think is the first pair in the USA of the new Nuforce Reference 20 mono amps. They are handily sounding better than my Modded Nuforce Ref 9 VESE's and better than my auditions of the nice sounding Hypheus Anvils, Channel Island D500's, Merrill Vertitas, and Hegel H30's - so I am a happy camper tonight!

walterslw · « **Reply #33 on:** 26 Jul 2014, 01:21 pm »

Nice amps gammajo. It was after 10 pm last night when I got the 5's assembled and connected up. No cones on the base units yet and they are totally not optimized yet. I listened only for about an hour because I was so utterly exhausted, I needed sleep. Right off the bat the sound stage is spectacular, the speakers completely disappear, that said, even though VSA gave them about 160 hours of break in, I don't think they have opened up yet. I'm also positive I need to move them around for optimal position. What I love is the fact that totally they are fantastic. The dynamics are not where they should be yet, but that will come with the remaining break in and proper positioning. Unfortunately for me, I have to spend the day fixing a leaking drain pipe behind my kitchen sink... I will work on further tweaking later tonight.

Oh and did I mention how gorgeous these speakers are. I almost feel guilty for having them in my unfinished basement listening area, these are a fine piece of furniture !

es347 · « **Reply #34 on:** 26 Jul 2014, 07:21 pm »

About the 400 hr mark will widen the grin on your face

gammajo · « **Reply #35 on:** 26 Jul 2014, 09:53 pm »

Glad you got them up and running and understand the tiredness. Agree they will take many more hours to sound their best - don't be afraid to stretch those cone surrounds with some loud music. What kind of floor do you have? Herbies gliders under the VSA stock spikes work great for moving them on solid surface plus do much from the sound by dispersing vibration. Also Herbies has a VR4Sr pack of dots that replace the feet between the tweet/mid and bass cabinet that I like better than the standard feet again better vibration control. This will work fine on the 5's as well. I have A-B-A'ed this several times over the years and always come back to the Herbies. Hope this helps

gammajo · « **Reply #36 on:** 26 Jul 2014, 09:54 pm »

sounds like he is already grinning

walterslw · « **Reply #37 on:** 27 Jul 2014, 12:47 pm »

things are good so far. @gammajo, my system resides in my un-finished basement. Poured concrete walls and floors. 2x8 joists in the celling... now the room they are are in is treated. The listening area is about 14 x 23 with 8 foot ceilings. Floor has thick padding and a wool 9x12 area rug. Walls are covered in R12 Fiberglass insulation and vapor barrier the wall behind the loudspeakers, in front of the insulation and vapor barrier is thick cotton drape that runs 16 feet from side to side and 8+ feet from ceiling joist to floor. In the celling directly above the 14 x 23 listening area is Roxul insulation (in between the floor joists). Tweeter to tweeter the speakers sit 9 feet apart, and the default location the front baffles were 6 feet into my listening area, with my listening chair as far back as I could go (about 8 feet) back from the front baffles. The room is completely open, so I lack side walls, as the speakers sit against the long wall that is over 30 feet wide side to side. behind my listening char is a stairwell that goes upstairs.... This configuration does sound excellent - since treating the room. There is also furniture, a sofa three feet to the left side of the left speaker (but in front of it), two Stressless leather listening chairs in the position I mentioned, one
wooden end table to the right of one listening char, and a glass coffee table to the left of the other listening chair. There is also a cotton drape behind where I sit, the stairwell is directly behind where I sit, and to fill the space in the stairwell are tones of empty boxes.

I started with the front baffles 6feet into the listening room - and 9 feet apart tweet to tweet. I found that in this config, I had to sit too far back, to get the base and image to "lock into the room", so this morning I moved each speaker 12 inches towards the back wall behind. I haven't had a chance to re-listen yet, because we are dealing with a sick 19 month baby, and a broken central air conditioner this morning ;-(

From my listening yesterday - I believe that I may be close to locking them in

I will keep everyone posted.

walterslw · « **Reply #38 on:** 27 Jul 2014, 02:06 pm »

9 feet apart (tweet to tweet) and front baffles 4 feet into the room seems to be really really close - Im gonna give em a few days before I spike them. Listening chair about 8 feet back.

gammajo · « **Reply #39 on:** 27 Jul 2014, 02:28 pm »

Each room is different but I am getting excellent soundstage (side extension, depth, and center fill) with my speakers a bit further apart than you have yours. Mine are 10 and a half feet apart tweet to tweet, Tweets are 10 feet from my ears, tweets are 3 feet 10 inches from front wall. No toe in. Ambience tweeter set at 2 to 3. Wall speakers parallel is 22 feet wide. Room is 38 feet long. Front wall treated for reflections in center, side reflection treatment and rug in front of speakers. If needed I can move speakers toward the front wall another foot and not lose much at all, just a bit of sound stage depth..