[bside123]

Greetings!

Due to listening room considerations, as well as being impressed by user and press reviews, I've become interested in the possible purchase of the VR-35 Export Deluxe speakers. I had a brief conversation with Lee at VSA yesterday. As a real help in making my decision, I would love to actually hear a set of the VR-35s in a real, listening situation. A couple of years back, I heard the V-33s at RMAF, which the hotel room was NOT optimum. I would be willing to take a a small road trip of a few hours just for a listening session. Here are some metro areas that could be doable:

St. Louis, MO
Memphis, TN
Nashville, TN
Chicago, IL (possible)
Louisville, KY

** Austin/Houston, TX - I spend holiday, family time there on occasion. I will be in TX this year from 12/26/14 - 01/03/15 (Can't believe I'm actually writing those dates. 2015!!!)

- Are there any VR-35 owners in any of these vicinities who would grant a AC member a visit and a listen?
- I would also be willing to consider a purchase of a preowned set... if there were to be any available.
- Any other thoughts or comments would also be helpful.

Thanks all and best regards!

[es347]

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-von-schweikert-audio-vr-35-mki-new-2014-12-07-speakers-80302-boulder-co

[mcallij1]

I brought the VR 35's off of audiogon back in May. They were new and took a while to break in. I am so happy now that I got theses speakers they sound great. I can listen to them everyday and still enjoy them. My friends enjoy them as well and love to come over. I hope you get the chance to hear them I think to will be buying a pair.

[bside123]

Still looking for an audition of VR-35s. 

[Saturn94]

Does VSA not offer an in home audition period for their speakers (I thought they did)?

[Delacroix]

90 day in home audition still available for the 22/33/35: http://www.vortexacoustics.com/#!about/ccjb but not everyone wants to deal with the process. I think the requester just wants to listen to them first in a real listening room.

[bside123]

90 day in home audition still available for the 22/33/35: http://www.vortexacoustics.com/#!about/ccjb but not everyone wants to deal with the process. I think the requester just wants to listen to them first in a real listening room.

Yes, I am aware that VSA offers an in-home audition for 90 days and that is very generous of the manufacturer. Delacroix is correct. I would like, if possible, to hear the VR-35s in a real listening situation. I'm interested enough in the speakers to spend some time to do this.

New, VR-35s are only available on a per order, custom basis. There are no stock or demos units available. That means: 1) place the order including finish and color scheme, 2) pay upfront in full, 3) wait up to 12 weeks for delivery, 4) audition your new one-of-a-kind VR-35s in-home for 90 days hoping that it's enough time for break-in (these speakers are notorious for taking a good long time to break-in properly), and 5) either be really happy and keep them or 6) start the process of returning them. For so MANY reasons, I would hate to be in position #6 for both me AND the manufacturer. #6... everybody loses, bad feelings on custom built speakers all they way around.

Better, I continue my sincere interest in the VR-35s and find somewhere to at least initially listen. As I originally posted, I've never heard the speakers but am very curious if they'd meet my needs. I'd love to hear them. Hope this makes sense.

[Delacroix]

Makes perfect sense -- shipping speakers is one of life's less attractive tasks.

[Albert Von Schweikert]

Hello!

We have sold almost 4,000 pairs of the VR-33/35 series since their 2009 release date.  According to industry data, this is one of the most successful speakers in their price sector. They fill the needs of audiophiles that are forced to place their speakers close to the wall due to the room layout.

We could have saved money and had them built in China, which would lower our cost by 75%.  However, we could not live with the lower level of quality and lack of professional QC standards.  Have you ever bought an inexpensive DVD player, only to have it break a year later?  You don't fix them, you throw them away and buy a new one.  I didn't want to get into the "disposable" product category, I want to offer heirloom products that you would be proud to pass down to your children in twenty years.  Try finding a pair of Vortex Screens or the original VR-4; they have become "classics" during their heyday and their owners will not part with them!

To guarantee our quality, we chose to build them ourselves, by hand, on a custom basis.  You will not find any mass produced speakers that have our build quality or drivers and crossovers; they would end up costing 5 times more money so we decided to sell these two models Factory Direct.  Did this limit our sales?  No, it increased them!  Who would pass up a Ferrari if you could get their "entry" level 458 Italia for 1/5 of the MSRP of $295,000?  I got a little crazy a few years ago and went to the Ferrari dealer to get a test drive.  I was wearing very expensive clothing, a designer watch, and looked like I could afford to buy the car (which I can).  The store manager told me "no one gets to drive a Ferrari until he or she pays for it."  I asked him "what would happen if I didn't like it after paying for it?"  He said, with a straight face: " You are not a Ferrari type of guy."   Well, he was right.  It was too much money for such a toy.  (I would rather buy a $300,000 stereo system, which I did).  That is why I chose to risk letting our customers do a "test drive of a Ferrari" at no cost to them!  For 90 days!  Who else does this?  It is really not that difficult to pack the speakers and call us to have the truck come to pick them up, and no, we don't cry if someone doesn't agree that our speakers sound close to a live performance.  We're all grown up here and are well adjusted to sales and picky customers.  Heck, we're picky too!

The reason why we offer the 90-day in home trial period is due to the period of necessary "audible adjustment" while you are getting used to a different sound.  Whether the sound is far superior to what you've heard elsewhere is not the point.  Most audiophiles cannot come to a good decision based on a 2 or 3 hour listening session; it is not enough time for the sound to "sink in."   That is why most audiophiles go from store to store for months or years: they are afraid of commitment.  They are worried that the speakers will not sound good in their system.  Our 90 Day In-Home Trial period solves all of those worries!

The other part of this equation is that no other room or set of electronics will sound exactly like yours.  If your audition amazes you and your jaws drop, that does not mean that the speakers will sound good in your room!  The reverse is more often true:  we have gotten bad sound a few times at shows, but when the customer comes here to take a further listen, he often remarks that the speakers do not sound anything like what he heard at the Show.  Different room, different electronics at play.  99% of the customers that come to our Design Studio end up buying the speakers.  Not bragging, just the truth.  You can see our Design Studio and read Robert Harley's description of our speakers and sound room in the Absolute Sound print magazine two months ago or online at their website three months ago.  Mr. Harley wrote some very kind words to the effect of "world-class sound" and he awarded us with Best Sound Of The Show at the Newport Beach show in June.  You don't get that kind of press and attention if you're not building speakers that sound very close to live music. Wouldn't you agree?

The best way to find a speaker you can live with is to determine what type of sound you like, then find the speaker that does what you want it to.  There isn't such a thing as a "designer" sound that you should strive for.  You want to find an accurate speaker that has full range response, has an exciting dynamic range, and has incredible imaging.  You want to find a speaker that sounds so alive and non-distorted that you are fooled into thinking that you're hearing a live concert.  You don't want coloration or other speaker artifacts to continuously remind you that you're listening to speakers instead of live musical instruments or singers. 

That "invisible sound" is what I design and build, and I've been doing this for 36 years now.  I am also a musician and so we use a live music feed to compare our speakers with.  If the speakers alter the sound of a human voice, acoustic guitar, harmonica or sax or clarinet, we kick the speaker back into the lab for further study and development.  It took me four years to finish the design and technology of the VR-33/35 series, I don't rush anything to market just to have something to sell.  The speaker's technology is quite different from anything on the market; it uses your rear wall to complete a sound stage with depth you will not believe.  If you can find a speaker with better orchestral sound, please let me know, as we haven't heard anything better.  Maybe just as good, but not better.

That is what I like: a speaker that does not sound like a speaker.  And that is what I design.  Out of almost 4,000 pairs sold of VR-33/35 series, only three pairs have been returned.  You might find that to be incredible and maybe unbelievable.  However,  I feel that I just did my job.  An interesting note:  all three customers had a common trait.  They were nervous and returned the speakers almost immediately, not bothering to break them in.  In all three cases, the customers also stated that they had not consulted with their wives in advance, so I can understand the refund since I'm married myself!  By the way, we are not disappointed if someone calls to complain about the sound; in fact, most customers call with "problems" at least once per week during the break-in and placement process.  It is very true that the speakers require a long break-in period, but that is to get the maximum sound quality.  Right out of the crate, they sound fantastic. However, they DO get better a couple of months later.  Buy a complex and expensive speaker from somewhere else and try to get good customer service;  after your second call, you'll find that they have lost their enthusiasm to talk with you!  They are more concerned with making a sale than keeping a customer happy.  We are here to give you advice, from placement, up to analyzation of your room and how you can improve the overall sound of your system when using VSA speakers.

The odds are that you will LOVE the VR-35 IF you can place them close to the rear wall and you own electronics that are not colored or harsh sounding.  If your goal is to find a speaker that excites you every time you turn them on, you just might have found your next system....

Happy Listening!

[bside123]

Dear Albert,

Thanks for your extensive response. Your reputation for integrity and high quality products precede you as well as your willingness to participate in dialogue about your products is a great sign. I'm sure that your speakers are high quality, and I hope that in my call out to hear them hasn't put you on the defensive.

Having had an interest in autos as well, I find your comparison to test driving a Ferrari interesting. At another time when I was more interested in exotic cars, I was able to find friends and referrals who were proud owners of Ferraris, Porsches, Maseratis, and the like, and I actual did go out on test drives by finding those owners. In the case of the VR-35s, I've never even seen a pair... not on a show room floor, nor in a neighbor's "driveway," not at an audio show, and of course this means I never even heard them in any situation nor have I ever had a chat with anybody who's owned them. I hope this doesn't mean that I am "not a speaker guy." BTW, I can afford the VR-35s as well as the car you mentioned... should I choose. I also have no WAF issues in my home.

I would simply like to chat with an owner and hear the speakers in any real listening setting before making a spec purchase. I know all of the reasons for needing to ultimately hear them in my listening space with my equipment, etc., and I would still like to see, feel, touch and hear a pair before purchase... if possible. You could very well be right that I would "LOVE" them, and I trust that you would be there with customer support to help me maximize the pleasure and performance of my purchase of your product.

I'll still take a little more time to see if I can't find a pair for a listen. If you have any customer referrals for the VR-35s who may be willing to chat with a prospective new customer, please consider forwarding me their contact info...  only with their permission of course.

Thanks again and best regards.

[mdconnelly]

Very imformative post, Albert.

I can relate to bside123 because I was in that situation 3 years ago.   While I had listened to a few VSA speakers in demo rooms (and very much liked them), I had never heard the VR-33s or 35s.  But, I (and, moreso, my loving spouse) loved the idea of being able to place the speakers against the wall to get them out of the living space.   

Of course, I did my homework googling reviews and forum comments from owners.  I knew enough of VSA to have a high degree of confidence despite not actually having heard the VR-35s.  So I popped for the VR-35s and had the very good fortune of being able to place them on a long, outside wall in my living room. They sounded glorious right out of the box.  Huge soundstage and deep, tight, tuneful bass (which was my biggest concern about placing them against the wall).  In that room, I found that as long as I had them placed within 9" of the wall, and far from the side walls (it was a 24' wide room), they just sounded fantastic.

I then had to move them to a smaller room and place them on a 12' wide inside wall... that proved to be more challenging to get the sound quality I had become accustomed to. I found a good bit of help on the forums and from Albert via email.  I now have them 8' apart and just 3" from the rear wall.  IMO, the sound quality is not quite as glorious as that first room, but damn nice anyway.  I suspect the limiting factor at this point is that the rear interior wall is dry-wall and hollow.  Perhaps I'll tackle that someday.  But it's certainly clear that the room is a huge influence and the only way to discover that is to have speakers in that room for an extended period of time.

[gme109]

Yes, I am aware that VSA offers an in-home audition for 90 days and that is very generous of the manufacturer. Delacroix is correct. I would like, if possible, to hear the VR-35s in a real listening situation. I'm interested enough in the speakers to spend some time to do this.

New, VR-35s are only available on a per order, custom basis. There are no stock or demos units available. That means: 1) place the order including finish and color scheme, 2) pay upfront in full, 3) wait up to 12 weeks for delivery, 4) audition your new one-of-a-kind VR-35s in-home for 90 days hoping that it's enough time for break-in (these speakers are notorious for taking a good long time to break-in properly), and 5) either be really happy and keep them or 6) start the process of returning them. For so MANY reasons, I would hate to be in position #6 for both me AND the manufacturer. #6... everybody loses, bad feelings on custom built speakers all they way around.

Better, I continue my sincere interest in the VR-35s and find somewhere to at least initially listen. As I originally posted, I've never heard the speakers but am very curious if they'd meet my needs. I'd love to hear them. Hope this makes sense.

I know exactly where you're coming from, as that is how I have approached every audio purchase I have ever made, except one, the VR-35s.
I decided, after hours of research on the internet, to take an educated chance and order the speakers before ever seeing or hearing a pair. Based on everything I read, they seemed to be the musical transducers I was in search of. Right out of the box, with probably only 200 hours on them, (they were a demo pair) and with a super cheapo $40 CD/DVD player, didn't want to use my expensive tubed player to burn them in, they sounded very good.  A year and a half later, I can say without hesitation, the VR-35s are the best audio purchase I've ever made.

Thanks to Albert and the VR-35s, my neurotic nit picky audiophile side has been reduced to a minimum, while my inner music lover has never been happier!