[Brian Cheney]

www.positive-feedback.com/Issue15/vmps626R.htmhttp://

[jcoat007]

Congratulations on a very nice review!!!!

 

[Rob Babcock]

Dammit, I gotta take a trip sometime here to hear a pair.  That's one of the many things that sucks about living in Middle Nowhere!

Bet 5 of them would be killer for MC music...

[Marbles]

Dammit, I gotta take a trip sometime here to hear a pair.  That's one of the many things that sucks about living in Middle Nowhere!

Bet 5 of them would be killer for MC music...

Well, I only have 4 of 'em, but paired with the 40's for fronts and 30 for center, I'd have to say they don't suck  

[John Casler]

While as we all know our listening preferences tied to a total system,  room, and software chain will ultimately determine what we call great.

I, over the years, have explored the 626 and 626R speaker to a great degree.

I have heard them with relatively cheap receivers, and now, with what must be the optimum, Son of Ampzilla.

I have used them by themselves, and with single and dual LARGER subs (and soon to be Quad LARGERs)

I can honestly say that unless you wish ear bleeding volume levels, that these entry level offerings can, and will, satisfy those who look for soundstage, imaging, tonal accuracy, transparency and most all of the qualities that make an audiophile what he (or she) is.

Is it the perfect speaker?  Is there such a thing?  No there is not.  Is it "forgiving"?  No way.  If you have a flawed component, room or recording it will tell you the "truth".  It won't sugar coat, or Max Factor/WonderBra the sound.   What you hear is what was recorded and electronically reported by your system and room.

Most every time I add a component, or cable, or tweak, a have a really rough time wiping that stupid grin off my face,  because I know that what is available in my sweet spot is the holy grail that many search for with every new audio aquisistion.

And I am no different, here with my new Son of Ampzilla.  But the one thing that makes this journey to realistic sonic clarity come alive, is the speaker that completes the journey and conveys the emotion and completeness of the recorded event.

The VMPS 626R can, and will, when properly set up, provide one of the most incredible reconstructions of a musical event.

John Beavers, the author of the review, owns the "ultimate" 626R.  it is called the Brian Cheney Signature Edition.  It has the best of every option/upgrade available.  Is it expensive?  Well it has a list almost that of a stock RM40, but is is hundreds less that many of the premier stand mounted monitors out there, including John's earlier Dynaudio model.

This very speaker to my taste, is a solid competitor with the best stand mounts in Audio.

This speaker with a LARGER Sub (or two) will rival some of the best floor standing systems of 10 times the price.

I'm not talking about "rip your ears off/blow your hair back" SPLs, I'm talking about fatigue free, accuracy and the wonderful enjoyment of what your software collection holds.

From receiver to AMPzilla powered, these gems can help you reach the potential of your system.

At least to these ears

[zybar]

Congrats Brian.

Hopefully an equally positive review is forthcoming on the RM 30's...

George

[Brian Cheney]

Oh, yeah!

[Sa-dono]

That review (and the majority of the comments) looks awfully familiar.

Still, congrats on the Positive review.

[Stimpy]

Brian

Congratulations!  Well deserved!  

Also,  I read some the reply's, to your review link post,
at the Madisound speaker board.  Very negative replies.  
Which I don't understand?     You build some of the best
Bang-for-the-Buck speakers available, and people want to rip
you apart for that.    That doesn't make sense to me.    
It's not like you're forcing people to like your speakers.  
You don't review competitors speakers, and publicly rip them apart.  
You don't build $4K two-ways, or $100K multi-ways,
or planar speakers that look like they cost 200 bucks to build,
and sell for $3K.  So, what gives?  Why the hostility?  

Brian, you run your company, as you see fit.  You don't play the
high-end "Game".  And people resent it.  Basically, I think people
are just jealous of your success.  And, they should be too!  
I heard a fair amount of speakers, at CES, in January; and your
RM30's blew everything away (at least IMHO).  Including,
most of the high-end Big Buck speakers.  So, again, Good Job.  
The way the Internet has treated you lately, you deserve a
big pat on the back for your efforts, and more positive support,
than you usually receive!  

Take care,

Stewart

[Brian Cheney]

Thanks for the kind words.

The madisound board is unmoderated and violently hostile.  I'm sorry I ever went there, but I couldn't let the disinformation campaign from a rival manufacturer go unanswered.  My feeble efforts defending myself at madisound were insufficient, but then again I had no idea what I was up against.

When the 626R first came out we did not offer any upgrades.  The PF review shows a picture of the $1598pr base model, still available.  When we first offered premium caps I only included Auricaps ($550) since they were so highly regarded and sounded significantly better than the stock Solen/Axon polyprops.  That option and the FST tweeter brought the price to $2548pr, still very reasonable.  But owners heard about the TRT's  in the RM40 package and insisted on getting these $1200 caps because they were the best.  At first I thought the TRT's not cost effective in a $2000pr speaker and even tried to talk people out of them for that reason.  As it turns out most owners opt for one cap upgrade or the other to the point where 80% of our product shipped includes them, much to my astonishment.

As for the cost, if you direct-ordered the 16 TRT caps necessary to make a pair of upgraded 626 crossovers it would cost you over $500 and you would still not have our filter, since we pay extra for TRT to hand-peel the caps to our exact specification.

[jgubman]

It's amazing to me the level of hostility generated by the mere suggestion that your products are very high quality. Nevermind the numerous praises of your speakers by professional reviewers and end users, there seems to be a group out there hellbent on insisting your speakers and crossovers are crap and you are a charlatan, bliking your dopey customers.

These people obviously have never heard your speakers as it's clear upon first listen that they are top notch products that outperform many, many speakers. Before buying my RM-40s, I went on a lengthy, year-long audition of other speakers in the budget range (~$5k). I was unable to find a speaker that sounded better to my ears. I haven't regretted my purchase one bit and have still not heard a speaker that betters the RM-40. It's a nice feeling when you walk out of an audition and think to yourself that your system at home sounds better!!

[Stimpy]

I've worked in the CD industry for close to 17 years.  
Currently, I make my living doing audio Mastering.  
If I based my Mastering on the belief that all I had to do in
Mastering was EQ my client's project to measure with the flattest
frequency response that I could obtain; I don't think I would
produce a very good sounding CD, or be in business very long.  
What some people don't seem to get, you have to use your ears.  
And, even then, it's all subjective.

I guess it's just human nature, to want scientific support,
for an emotional judgment.  But, measurements shouldn't
be the main, and final criteria.  Listening should.  
These "Tech People" (of which I'm one), seem to live by
their measurements.  However, I learned long ago,
the sound IS the most important thing.  Not the measurements.

Stewart

[Mad DOg]

I've worked in the CD industry for close to 17 years.  
Currently, I make my living doing audio Mastering.  
If I based my Mastering on the belief that all I had to do in
Mastering was EQ my client's project to measure with the flattest
frequency response that I could obtain; I don't think I would
produce a very good sounding CD, or be in business very long.  
What some people don't seem to get, you have to use your ears.  
And, even then, it's all subjective...

i guess it's no coincidence that when I asked Jim Merod about mastering w/ the goal of flat freq response, he said pretty much the same thing.

[BrunoB]

As for the cost, if you direct-ordered the 16 TRT caps necessary to make a pair of upgraded 626 crossovers it would cost you over $500 and you would still not have our filter, since we pay extra for TRT to hand-peel the caps to our exact specification..

I wonder , what would be the best value for capacitor upgrade:
(1)  Auricap upgrade at $550, exact specification
(2)  TRT dynamicap at >$500, no hand-peel to exact specs

Bruno

[Brian Cheney]

Auricaps trimmed to exact value will sound better than TRT's several percent off.