Hello shane
We are wondering if you had time to compare the VR4sr to
the Usher?.
Any news on the new VR5? Description & msrp.
Thanks
Jim
I'm terribly sorry to take so long to get back with everyone on this item.
I've now got ~150+ hours of hard core break-in on the speakers and a number of hours of just casual listening. While these are not quite to the level they will be, the VR-4SRs are showing enough of the character I've heard previously to make some comments.
For the entire afternoon, I had two local audiophiles do a head to head comparison of the VSA VR-4SRs and the Usher 8571s. They didn't spend quite as much time listening to the Ushers because they listened to the VR-4SRs first and went through the CD collection they brought wtih them shaking their heads in amazement. The net result was that there was only about an hour or so to listen to the Ushers before they had to leave. It was great to see and hear their comments and compare them against my thoughts. More on that below.
Very generic comments about the speakers in question:
1) In many respects, these speakers sound absolutely nothing alike. Completely different designs, completely different sounds, completely different applications. Both speakers sound incredible, but appeal to a different taste.
2) The 4SRs have a LOT more bottom end response than the 8571s. Dual 9 inch bass drivers in a pseudo transmission line enclosure compared to a single 8 inch driver. It's really no comparison in person. Something to note here. Base MSRP for Usher CP-8571s with a satin black front baffle is $6900.00. My demo model speakers have the optional high gloss piano black baffle finish. It has an MSRP of $7735.00. MSRP for the standard finish VSA VR-4SR is $8000.00 and my demo 4SRs in African Ebony are $10k. Truth be told, the CP-8871s from Usher are more a direct competitior to the 4SRs. They're $9660.00, have dual 8 inch woofers, and are incredibly BIG sounding, not unlike the 4SRs. If you are going to compare $10K speakers, the Usher 8871 the more appropriate choice.
3) The 4SRs most definitely have the Von Schweikert house sound. The design of the speaker, with the ambience tweeter, the same midrange driver as the $120,000 VR-11s, and Albert's crossover implementation, results in a HUGE soundstage, wrap around your head, three feet behind you to 80 feet beyond the front wall kind of sound. In the sweet spot, or virtually anywhere in the room, the speakers disappear and sound great. The off axis response is legendary. It's an enveloping, intoxicating experience. Dynamics out the wazooo, a visceral impact that is chest pounding and gut wrenching. There's an immediacy and a sense of space that has to be experienced. The foundation that the speakers lay down, with incredibly detailed bass......... I think the crude term is "$hit eating grin" material. How the heck Albert does it so much better with the similar drivers to what ohers are using is beyond me. There's more to designing a speaker than sticking some drivers in a box. I've studied Albert's crossovers enough now to see what he is doing. It's genius in many respects. Simply put, this speaker is more than the sum of its parts.... and it is downright gorgeous in the african ebony finish....
4) The Usher 8571s are hard to pin down. In an absolute general sense, they are a much more laid back speaker than the 4SRs.... but they are extremely tricky. These speakers will completely morph themselves into something else, depending entirely upon the recording that is playing. Just when you think they don't have bass (or at least by comparison to 4SRs), play a track that actually has bass and WHAM!.... they come to life. Put on something that is recorded with a bit of forwardness and in your face.... so goes the 8571s. Just when you think you have them pegged as to how they sound, you play another disk and they throw you for a loop again. Good recordings sound stellar, bad recordings aren't overly prettied up. That's not to say that these speakers are in any way, shape or form, bright, or harsh, or hard to listen to.... on the contrary... they are so infinitely listenable, it's kind of frightening....Where the 4SRs can make a lot of things a bit more lively sounding, the Ushers don't impart too much of themselves on the music. They give you what is fed to them..... which is hard to describe because the VSAs are INCREDIBLY transparent and resolving..... but the Ushers, in their own way, do less to the music being played through them than even the 4SRs.... they just make music...
5) The Ushers are more precise in their presentation. I think a lot of it has to do with the design of the speakers. The Usher is a more conventional speaker whereas the 4SRs have their ambience retrieval system that turns them more into a dipole or electrostatic kind of presentation. The Ushers can be much more precise and razor sharp in their imaging, whereas the 4SRs throw such an immense and deep soundstage that the image placement is a little more generic and not as ultra precise. No matter how hard you try, the 4SRs just completely get lost in a wall of sound. You can't pick out the speakers at all. Kudos to an incredible off axis response and speaker design. The Ushers are off the charts awesome off axis compared to a lot of speakers out there costing many more times its price. But compared to the 4srs, it's a little bit easier to pick out the speakers when you are off axis. The 4srs actually IMAGE off axis. It's the freakiest thing to experience. Both speakers, sitting anywhere in the sweet spot just completely disappear. Huge floorstanders acting like little mini monitors doing a disappearing act....
6) Fit and finish on both speakers is top shelf and world class. The Ushers are gorgeous with their curved cabinetry and smoooooooth lines. The 4SRs in African Ebony just look soooo sophisticated and elegant.
Simply put... there are many paths to sonic nirvana. I have two of them right here in my demo rooms. Which flavor you like will be dependant on the other equipment in your system and your tastes. I will gladly stick either of these speakers up against anthing under $15k.... not only will each speaker compete, I feel incredibly confident that both would outrank the vast majority of the competition out there. Worth every single penny and then some..... If you're in the market for speakers of this caliber, before you make your final decision, you must hear these models. Seek out your local dealer. If you don't have a local dealer, find the closest one and drive to visit them. If all else fails, spend a couple hundred bucks on a plane ticket and come visit me on a Saturday or Sunday. I would be happy to host you for an extended audition. I know that sounds like an advertisement. But I really think both of these speakers are so darn good, it's in your best interest to hear them before settling on anything else....
and before I get the question, I will answer: For casual listening where I want to stretch out in the leather theater seat and just relax with some music, I prefer the Usher 8571s. If I am actively listening and want that tactile, emotional and physical connection with the music, the VR-4SRs are my new favorite.
Edited because I forgot to speak to the demo from today.... I get tremendous satisfaction from seeing the reactions and discussing impressions with customers and friends. Today I had a couple gentlemen who were so shocked and amazed at the quality of sound, they couldn't stop shaking their heads and were virtually speechless. I love seeing that reaction. One gentleman greatly preferred the VR-4SRs. The other gentleman liked both and wants to spend some more time with the Ushers before decided which he ultimately prefers. I think both were caught off guard with how good the sound was in my rooms today. That makes it all worth it to me.....
