[VR-35DeluxeExport]

Hello Albert,

thank you for the anwers, Cor is coming over tomorrow.

regards Joris

[O.D. Yeo]

Don't you think the drapes behind the speakers might be part of the problem?

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

Don't you think the drapes behind the speakers might be part of the problem?

I don't think so, otherwise Albert von Schweikert should have mentioned it I guess.

[ceedee]

The VR 35 Export Deluxe on spikes.
Sound is OK now.

[mdconnelly]

Marble stone caps top and bottom?  Wow, must look great.   Are they primarily for cosmetic reasons or does the marble actually add  stability and affect sound quality?    I'm quite happy with my VR-35s but can't help but wonder. 

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

When I'm playing on low volume the sound is great!
But when I set the volume higher the sound is different, it's less controlled, it's sounding more boomy.
So I think the speaker placement is not optimal for playing on high volume (which I do a lot)

[JackD201]

playing on high volume (which I do a lot)

Me too! More than I should really    A few inches forward should fix you up quick 

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

Me too! More than I should really    A few inches forward should fix you up quick 

would the drapes be the problem that will cause this?

how many cm (in europe we don't measure in inches ) have you placed them from the wall?
Do you have them (slightly) toe-ed in?

Can you place a photo how your set up is?

[JackD201]

I helped set up O.D. Yeo's pair at approximately 9 inches (22cm) from the front wall with only a few degrees of toe in. We did have about a meter left to the front corners. Rule of thumb is to avoid a ratio of 1:1 from front wall to corners so as not to corner load. If you can move the speakers slightly more into the room and get a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio from the corners, that should help a lot. If by listening loud you mean routinely breaching 100dB with mean SPLs in the high 80s or 90s then you might want to consider bass trapping. Standard architectural practices don't anticipate usage of domestic spaces in that way. VSA woofers also tend to take some time for their suspension to break in, about 300 hours, after which the bass will tighten up. Good news is if you play loud, it won't take you very long.

Drapes shouldn't be a problem contributing to boominess since at those frequencies they are pretty much transparent and only slightly absorptive.

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

I moved them more from the backwalls en have them toe-ed in slightly, the sound is still not controlled when I play loud.

My amp is a Plinius 920 who delivers 200 watt per channel (8 ohm), I don't think the Plinius is the problem.

[JackD201]

No I don't think it is an amp problem either. Do you mean Plinius 9200, a great integrated that does 200wpc into 8ohms? Never heard of any Plinius that was rated at 800 wpc RMS. Not even their biggest mono amps as far as I know.

I'm still thinking it is a break in issue along perhaps with an acoustical one.

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

No I don't think it is an amp problem either. Do you mean Plinius 9200, a great integrated that does 200wpc into 8ohms? Never heard of any Plinius that was rated at 800 wpc RMS. Not even their biggest mono amps as far as I know.

I'm still thinking it is a break in issue along perhaps with an acoustical one.

Indeed Plinius 9200 with 200 wpc into 8ohms.

Breaking in is all ready happened enough, Cor told me that.

[JackD201]

I'm at wits end then. I hope Cor can sort things out for you.

[SundayNiagara]

Move 'em around!

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

I have sent Albert von Schweikert a personal message.

A question to owners of the VR-35 (export deluxe), is this speaker build to play loud?
Or is it an audiophile speaker which is build for listening on low to normal volume?

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

I read the following:


While the lower powered amplifiers were fine most of the time, when it was time to crank up the volume to loud listening levels, the Threshold with all its Class A power was necessary to avoid distortion caused by the ten inch woofer.

source: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0711/von_schweikert_vr_35_export_deluxe.htm

So is my Plinius amp  the reason why I'm not happy when I listen  on louder volume?

[Delacroix]

Hi there

I am sure Albert will give you a clearer answer but I am wondering if you can be a little more detailed in the control issue you mention. The article you cite mentions that when played loud the reviewer felt he experienced some distortion. I note in the review he was using either lower powered tube amps or a 70-80w pair of solid state monos when this happened, but all was fine with a 200w solid state amp. It's not entirely clear from his review if he had distortion with all three lower powered amps at high volume, but it seems the 200w Threshold, which seems to have comparable power to the Plinius you are using worked fine for him. As others have said, the Plinius is unlikely to be a problem here. But I presume you are not hearing distortion or are you?

You mention everything is great at low volumes but not at higher volume, when the bass starts to boom. Is this what you mean when you also talk about loss of control? Just trying to be clear. And have you tried moving the speakers away from the drapes or further out into the room? I know you want to leave them close to the wall, which is fine, but it might help to narrow down some of the possible interactions if you can determine how much of this is location based. If moving them out into the room still gives you the boom and loss of control then we know it's not the drapes or rear wall location, perhaps it's time to explore some fill for the rear ports or checking that everything is connected properly etc. Just trying to explore options here as it's clear you are having some issues.

Keep us updated on this and we'll try to help.

Best

Patrick

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

Hi there

I am sure Albert will give you a clearer answer but I am wondering if you can be a little more detailed in the control issue you mention. The article you cite mentions that when played loud the reviewer felt he experienced some distortion. I note in the review he was using either lower powered tube amps or a 70-80w pair of solid state monos when this happened, but all was fine with a 200w solid state amp. It's not entirely clear from his review if he had distortion with all three lower powered amps at high volume, but it seems the 200w Threshold, which seems to have comparable power to the Plinius you are using worked fine for him. As others have said, the Plinius is unlikely to be a problem here. But I presume you are not hearing distortion or are you?

You mention everything is great at low volumes but not at higher volume, when the bass starts to boom. Is this what you mean when you also talk about loss of control? Just trying to be clear. And have you tried moving the speakers away from the drapes or further out into the room? I know you want to leave them close to the wall, which is fine, but it might help to narrow down some of the possible interactions if you can determine how much of this is location based. If moving them out into the room still gives you the boom and loss of control then we know it's not the drapes or rear wall location, perhaps it's time to explore some fill for the rear ports or checking that everything is connected properly etc. Just trying to explore options here as it's clear you are having some issues.

Keep us updated on this and we'll try to help.

Best

Patrick

Hi there

I will try to explain myself better, for me that is a little bit difficult because I'm Dutch, so English is not my primary language.

Underneath this explanation you see 3 photo's of our living room, this for illustrating the situation.
When I listen to the VR-35's on low/normal volume they sound great, I love them at this point. But some music I normally crack up the volume, music like Metallica, Iron Maiden etc, you know the feeling when you just want to play loud!
The loudspeakers that I had before where Tannoy D900's, a complete other loudspeaker but I loved them (besides the looks), I could play very loud with them without losing control!
They stood in the exact same living room, ok they were not on the exact position, but the reason that I bought The Von Schweikerts was that I could place them against the wall.
I pushed to Von Schweikerts futher in the room, but I still have the same problem. I also put them on the place where I have the 2 floor lamps are.. no difference 

The problem is NOT only the lower frequences (bass) but the complete picture, it's hard to explain this but with louder volume the VR-35 sounds bad, everything is not controlled, the bass is boomy, the high and mid tones are screamy, nothing what I was expecting from such an expensive speaker 
Do I play to loud?  I think that should not be a problem, it's not that I play loud all the time, but sometimes I wanted to....

I also have placed a photo when I had the Tannoys, man I miss them more then ever...... 

[JackD201]

I don't know what to say but I will say this, you have a beautiful home.

[VR-35DeluxeExport]

I don't know what to say but I will say this, you have a beautiful home.

thanks