Thinking about upgrading the guts of my VR-4SRs

boe · « **on:** 24 Mar 2019, 02:56 pm »

Hello,

I have some beautiful dark cherry VR-4SRs I purchased used and unfortunately they just don't seem acoustically as good as my old VR-4s. I've put off the project for years but I have the time now. I don't want to go through shipping again as I'm on the 3rd floor of an apartment building with no elevators. I've upgraded the components of other speakers in the past to improve the sound and made a tidy profit doing so. It has been a long time since I've done that sort of work and was wondering if others have done it in the past with their VRs and the results they've had.

Thanks.

kernelbob · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 Mar 2019, 04:52 pm »

I owned a pair of VR4-SR speakers. Albert recommended upgrading them to the VR5-Anniversary. The cabinets of the VR4-SR allow dropping in the VR5's drivers. The crossovers are completely different and the upgrade included the (extremely heavy) triple layer cabinet damping system. I don't know if that conversion is still available, but the VR5-Annis are far superior the VR4-SR speakers. I've since moved on to the VR100XS with MB Ultra internal wiring. A friend is using a pair of the VR5 Annis (MkII) to great effect. You can give VSA a call regarding availability and price of the upgrade.

Best,
Robert

es347 · « **Reply #2 on:** 25 Mar 2019, 09:15 pm »

..I went from the VR4 SRs to the VR5 Anniversary MKIIs and the improvement was not subtle...go for it..

Delacroix · « **Reply #3 on:** 31 Mar 2019, 05:32 pm »

I had the full Anni 5 upgrade done, but shipping was involved. And when I got them back from VSA, the new lined cabinets were so much heavier the delivery guy was struggling just getting them off the truck. If you can handle the driver and crossover installation yourself then you could get a nice upgrade for sure but I do think the cabinet lining makes a real difference too.

es347 · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Apr 2019, 04:32 pm »

Quote from: Delacroix on 31 Mar 2019, 05:32 pm

I had the full Anni 5 upgrade done, but shipping was involved. And when I got them back from VSA, the new lined cabinets were so much heavier the delivery guy was struggling just getting them off the truck. If you can handle the driver and crossover installation yourself then you could get a nice upgrade for sure but I do think the cabinet lining makes a real difference too.

..the VSA triple wall treatment does indeed make a dramatic difference 😎

kernelbob · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 Apr 2019, 01:11 am »

As far as "upgrading" the crossover and drivers yourself, you're talking about do-it-yourself changes that will change the VonSchweikert-engineered solution into... something else.

Even replacing specific crossover parts with other similarly spec'ed parts will have a major deviation in the character of the sound. Then, swapping out drivers as a do-it-yourself improvement is another level of changing the speakers into non-VSA speakers. Compare this with the possibility of upgrading your VR4SR into the VR5 Anniversary Mk-II.

When I had my VR5 Anniversary Mk-II speakers returned, I also noted that they were much heavier. That's due to the Annis including the VSA multi-Q vibration cancellation cabinet lining. When the Annis are returned, you'll note that the shipping crates are clearly labeled "Team Lift Only". I of course paid no attention to that and damaged my back hauling them into my house.

Best,
Robert

Tom Bombadil · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 Apr 2019, 03:08 am »

I had a pair of the original VR-4. Many years ago, way back around 2001-2002, I shipped them off to have the VR-5/7 upgrade. They replaced all internal parts. Took a while to break it all in, but it was all worth it. The sound was cleaner, especially in the deeper bass. There was a slight reduction in mid-bass output, which took some time to get used too. Using test tones & a calibration microphone I found that the updated speakers were nearly ruler flat across the mid-bass, which is rare in a speaker.

Over the years I have come to truly love the way these speakers sound. So clean, such precise imaging, such an open, natural sound.

They continue to be my main speakers. Auditioned many others over the years but always come back to these. Haven't heard VS's recent designs, kinda afraid to.

Delacroix · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Apr 2019, 09:29 pm »

Quote from: kernelbob on 13 Apr 2019, 01:11 am

When I had my VR5 Anniversary Mk-II speakers returned, I also noted that they were much heavier. That's due to the Annis including the VSA multi-Q vibration cancellation cabinet lining. When the Annis are returned, you'll note that the shipping crates are clearly labeled "Team Lift Only". I of course paid no attention to that and damaged my back hauling them into my house.

Best,
Robert

Indeed. I broke a handcart trying to maneuver them into my house from where the delivery guy left them. No warnings on the boxes but it was clear this was not really a one-man job. And like Robert, I just had to get it done as I was too impatient to wait. I had the cabinets flat on the kitchen floor, removed the cover, and slowly slid each module out onto towels and blankets which I then slid gently across two rooms to get to my listening room. Luckily for me, no stairs involved or I would have had no chance. Even then I told myself, I'd never manage to get them back into crates. Luckily, I've not been tempted to sell but I'm of an age where I would not even attempt to pack these myself if needed. Still kept the crates though.