[danabunner]

Thanks danabunner. So glad to hear you preferred you VS over the B&W 803 D3. The B&W's were on my short list. I'm in full agreement to not spend $10K and HT get a whole lot better.

I'm not disparaging the B&W in any way.  Just saying that to date, I have not heard a speaker selling for under $20,000/pr which I have found to be better than my Von Schweikerts.  Be it B&W, Sonus Faber, Magnapan, Wilson, Martin Logan, Dynaudio and more.   There could well be something out there, I suspect there is. There are several I'd like to hear.   I've heard some more expensive speakers which blew me away.

[roxito]

IMO the real magic ingredient in VSA speakers is Albert's ears.
There are many vendors with a lot of tech, quality components, attention to detail, jaw dropping finishes, remarkable industrial design etc... but few also have the master's ears.
-roshan

[Audiophile]

I'm not disparaging the B&W in any way.  Just saying that to date, I have not heard a speaker selling for under $20,000/pr which I have found to be better than my Von Schweikerts.  Be it B&W, Sonus Faber, Magnapan, Wilson, Martin Logan, Dynaudio and more.   There could well be something out there, I suspect there is. There are several I'd like to hear.   I've heard some more expensive speakers which blew me away.

Hi danabunner,

What amp are you sing to drive you VSA's?

[Audiophile]

IMO the real magic ingredient in VSA speakers is Albert's ears.
There are many vendors with a lot of tech, quality components, attention to detail, jaw dropping finishes, remarkable industrial design etc... but few also have the master's ears.

I would agree!

[danabunner]

Hi danabunner,

What amp are you sing to drive you VSA's?

I switch between several amps.   Two are rather low powered at 17-18 wpc.  A Dennis Had (founder of Cary Audio) hand built single-ended amp which can use many different power tubes.  A triode-configured European amp which uses 6CA7s in a push-pull setup with Audio Note output transformers.   Both of these produce a glorious sound through the VS.  Although they cannot drive the speakers to concert levels.

I have used both also in a bi-amp config with them driving the mid-bass & tweeter module, using a dual-mono, dual power supply older Audio Alchemy OM-150 SS amp to drive the bass module.  Really nice amp which I felt punched above its price back in the 1990s.  I've also used the AA alone.   It can produce 260 wpc into 6 ohms.  Twice in the past I was going to upgrade to another amp, a Bryston once and a Classe once.  Brought them into my house for comparisons and ended up keeping the AA.   Maybe some day I will pop for a more prestigious SS amp.   But I just love the sound from the two tube amps. 

When using the tube amps & AA in a bi-amp, it is really surprising how much volume I can get out of that pair.

I also have a Cary SLA-30 EL84-based amp, and two older amps from Rotel and Parasound.  Mainly for my bedroom system. But I've had them paired with the VS and was surprised at how good they sounded. 

[danabunner]

IMO the real magic ingredient in VSA speakers is Albert's ears.
There are many vendors with a lot of tech, quality components, attention to detail, jaw dropping finishes, remarkable industrial design etc... but few also have the master's ears.

A lot of truth to this.  When I sent my original VR-4s in for the VR-7 upgrade, it was done at Albert's insistence, we spoke at a high-end audio show.  He promised to personally tune them before sending them back, which he told me that he did.  I must say that he did a fantastic job.

[Audiophile]

I switch between several amps.   Two are rather low powered at 17-18 wpc.  A Dennis Had (founder of Cary Audio) hand built single-ended amp which can use many different power tubes.  A triode-configured European amp which uses 6CA7s in a push-pull setup with Audio Note output transformers.   Both of these produce a glorious sound through the VS.  Although they cannot drive the speakers to concert levels.

I have used both also in a bi-amp config with them driving the mid-bass & tweeter module, using a dual-mono, dual power supply older Audio Alchemy OM-150 SS amp to drive the bass module.  Really nice amp which I felt punched above its price back in the 1990s.  I've also used the AA alone.   It can produce 260 wpc into 6 ohms.  Twice in the past I was going to upgrade to another amp, a Bryston once and a Classe once.  Brought them into my house for comparisons and ended up keeping the AA.   Maybe some day I will pop for a more prestigious SS amp.   But I just love the sound from the two tube amps. 

When using the tube amps & AA in a bi-amp, it is really surprising how much volume I can get out of that pair.

I also have a Cary SLA-30 EL84-based amp, and two older amps from Rotel and Parasound.  Mainly for my bedroom system. But I've had them paired with the VS and was surprised at how good they sounded.

Thanks! The right amp can really make a speaker sing. Ever since I upgraded to the McIntosh MC452 it really makes my VR-5 HSE sing.

Makes it hard for me to upgrade but it's still gnawing at me to upgrade. When auditioning speakers with other than the MC452 amp it's difficult to know if it's the speaker or the amp I'm actually listening to.