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I dropped out of the upgrade path there for a while, but if my history is correct:VR-5SE was the first of the new VR-5 models introduced (not to be confused with the old style single floorstanding box VR-5 models)... it ended up being 6 months to a year after the VR-4SR first made its debut. Both of them used the exact same raw cabinets made in China in 4 veneer choices. The standard veneer choices were african hazelwood and red cherry. for $2K MSRP more, you could get African Ebony (my personal favorite) or Sycamore (more maple like light choice). This was back when the VR-1, VR-2, VR-4jr were all made complete in china and sent via container back to the USA to be distributed. VSA wanted to keep final assembly (and the intellectual property around their crossovers, etc.) in house for the upper end models starting with VR-4SR and wouldn't have the complete speakers made overseas. So they got raw cabinets shipped to them with the container loads of the "retail line" VR-1, VR-4jr, etc. and they did final assembly at the factory in CA.VR-4SR were originally $8K MSRP standard veneer and $10K for upgrade veneer.VR-5SE was originally $16K MSRP for standard veneer and $18K for upgrade veneer.The only way they were able to hit those price points was because of the cabinet costs being so low by being made in china. I think they got quotes of $5K their cost from USA cabinet shops to do the same boxes. No way you can hit $8K MSRP for the finished speaker when the raw boxes cost the manufacturer $5K...The VR-5SE had only been out for around a year when the audax aerogel woofer situation came up. I think the plan was to buy up all the stock of the aerogel woofers and use them on the 5, 7, 9, and 11 models for as long as they could. They would use a new midrange on the 4SR and call it the MKII or something. I think the MKII version of the VR-4 came first... then they eventually had to cave and do a new midrange version of the 5SE as well because they didn't have enough stock, or Albert just couldn't stop tinkering and improving the speaker and that's where the collaboration with audax came in on the new midrange....Around this time I backed away from the line for a while. So I'm a bit blurry on versions from this point. They were in the process of eliminating the whole retail line of speakers and going back to the core product of upper end 2 channel speakers. So no more VR-1s, 2s, LCR-15s, 4jrs, etc. That was one of my core products given that I have the business name "The Home Theater Doctor". I sold a *lot* of the modestly priced stuff because it was a steal at its price points and you could put together killer complete surround packages with it that also did very good 2 channel sound. The large two channel speakers didn't sell as briskly for me because of the price points.. so when you stopped the chinese manufacture of VR-1s, etc., so too went the source for the raw cabinets for 4SR and 5SE..... By bringing the cabinet construction back to the USA, the prices had to go up pretty substantially to offset those significantly higher cabinet manufacture costs... and the resulting increases in MSRP prices for VR-4 and VR-5 further pushed them out of the reach of my typical home theater customer. I know the multi-layer damping technique came along somewhere in this mix as well...So with USA built cabinets, a new midrange driver, and the triple layer cabinet construction, the VR-5SE speaker model was no more.... VR-5 Anniversary was a new edition of the original VR-5SE. I'm sure there was a transition phase there where there might have been some hybrid models... But the version 1 of VR-5 Anniversary has been in existence now for a while.I think the new MKII version of the Anniversary is a small tweak to the design. From what I've seen posted, the only difference is that instead of using Analysis Plus internal hookup wire from binding posts to crossover boards and crossover boards to drivers, it comes wired with the Delphi wire used in the VSA branded speaker cables.... other than the hookup wire, I don't think there are any other differences... I'm sure someone will correct me, though if I'm wrong...
that 80% margin
Very happy with CT-1 Ultimate ics. Speaker cables to arrive today (Ultimate Reference). Interestingly, since my jumpers will also contain a magnetic device, Rick suggests going to the bass unit first, then up to the m/t. That way the top module will get the strongest dose of this magnetic technology. Makes sense to me, so that's what we'll do.The ics have been a total revelation - I'm hoping for even better results from the speaker cables.BTW Jack - try some of those Stillpoints (Ultra 5) between the upper and lower cabinets of your 9's - you might be very pleasantly surprised. It made a major difference for the better with my 7's by decoupling the cabinets - speakers now sound SIGNIFICANTLY better.
Starts with a V and ends with a 1.
Can I buy a vowel? or a number? "0"?
