[panomaniac]

My VR-2s came yesterday.  Yeah!
At first I thought they sounded a bit "boxy".

But after a quick modification to remove the funny outer layer - they sound darn nice.
(he's kidding folks!)

Actually they are rather nice and do just what I want.  Reveal differences in what is upstream driving them.  Very handy.  And very pleasant listening, too.
Bass is a little bit mushy, but I don't think they have the lead shot in them (heavy as they are).  Time run down to the gun shop for some buckshot.

Glad I got them.

[Delacroix]

Congratulations on the new speakers -- if you are going to do a blow by blow from unboxing through shot-ing to listening, we require pics........

[WGH]

Yes, as you are discovering they will reveal any small upstream changes, my pair let me know when my cartridge was slightly misaligned. Some albums just have mushy bass, I was listening to Bonnie Raitt the other day and the sound was bloated and tubby compared to other better recorded music. I also noticed the Sony Sony XDR-F1HD digital tuner has a sound of it's own with slightly over ripe mid-bass while my DAC and turntable has tuneful tight bass, so if the mushy bass continues then it could be your source too.

The lead shot will help with the mushy bass, you can also fine tune the sound by adding more Dacron or Kapok stuffing in the middle and lower chambers.

I happily listened to mine for a year before installing internal braces which really tightened up the bass and improved imaging, though I understand not everybody feels comfortable tearing into their new speakers.

Please keep us updated on your impressions.

And yes, without pics they don't exist. 

Wayne

[panomaniac]

I believe you are right.  Better source meant better bass.  I was on a M-Audio DAC which is strong, but a bit boomy.

Right now I'm running pretty simple - Laptop/DevilSound USB DAC/Virtue TWO/Giant blue speaker cables/VR-2.   Or running one of my prototype transformer DACs.  All good.  Will see about lead shot and maybe bracing, too.

Are you guys really sure you want to see pictures of my butt ugly audio lab?  The only pretty things in there are the VR-2s and the Virtue. (The acoustics aren't bad, tho).  The poor VR-2s were frightened when I set them up in front of the "BUS". (Big Ugly Speakers) that I've been running.  I had to calm them down and assure them they were in no danger of being run over.

Thanks for the support.

[Delacroix]

Beauty is in the eye of most beholders but in the ear of audiophiles