[2bigears]

a shortlist of speakers under consideration;the jr is suppose to sound very good at not a bad price point, the sr at twice the cost must sound real good.can anyone advise on these two speakers.another speaker on the list is the Druid,very good rep. along with the Definition, again at more than double the price.the sr and definition are kinda outside my budget at the present sooo,which to pick?? the jr or the great Druid??,the Druid with a sub sounds very interesting.[system:sonic frontiers cd1 with their line 2 and vac 30/30 amp.]----this is a million dollar question.----any help thks much      

[jackman]

a shortlist of speakers under consideration;the jr is suppose to sound very good at not a bad price point, the sr at twice the cost must sound real good.can anyone advise on these two speakers.another speaker on the list is the Druid,very good rep. along with the Definition, again at more than double the price.the sr and definition are kinda outside my budget at the present sooo,which to pick?? the jr or the great Druid??,the Druid with a sub sounds very interesting.[system:sonic frontiers cd1 with their li ...

I can't help you with your question but I have a suggestion.  Take your time, have fun with it.  Get a few of your favorite CD's and go out and listen to every speaker you can find and develop your own taste.  Check out some stereo stores in your area...not Best Buy type, find independent shops if possible.  Tell them you are just looking and listen to everything in your price range.  Find people in your area who have similar interest and listen to their systems.  

The two speakers you reference in your post are very different but there are probably lots of people who own one or the other and are very happy.  They will probaby tell you things they like about each.  This info is important but only if it helps decide which you want to hear.  Also keep in mind that you will need to get an amplifier that compliments each.  Both functionally (enough watts for a low efficiency speaker, maybe some nice tubes for a high efficiency type, etc.) and subjectively (this one is a bit harder because it relies on your own tastes).  

Most of all, have fun with it and don't rush into anything.  There are lots of really good manufacturers, some of whom are on this forum and some who aren't.  Listen to everything and you will be more likely to make a good decision, one that you will be able to live with for a long time.  Otherwise you might wind up like those jokers who want to know how to "tame" a hot tweeter with expensive cables or the guys who think their harsh sounding speakers are going transform into sonic nirvana after a couple thousand hours of "break-in".  Most of all, don't trust anyone (except me )...OK, not even me!  Trust your own ears and verify everything you read on the internet.  

If you do those things and come up with something you really like, make sure to share it with your friends on this site!  It's always fun to learn from the real life experiences of people.  Most people are too quick to give opinions with very little knowlege or experience.  They might have good intentions or be smart people but they probably don't know what you will like!

Best of luck,

J

[2bigears]

i hear ya jackman,the topic was started as the shops that carry this stuff are 2000 miles away.the speaker chosen will most likely be sound unheard,soooo help needed.      

[JoshK]

It might help to tell us what you have heard and what you like/dislike about them, what you are looking for and what your listening habits are like.

[miklorsmith]

Good replies, folks.  Taking your time is great advice.  It's tough for an enthusiastic buyer with a burning pile of money but returning/reselling speakers sucks.

Contact the manufacturers and see if they have customers in your area that are willing to let you audition.  I know Zu will try, and I'd be surprised if VS won't.

The two speakers you name are Really Different, with opposite appetites in amplifiers.  If you like pounding basslines, the Druids probably aren't for you (unless you get a sub).  If you have interest in low-powered amps, I wouldn't recommend the VS speakers (except the db99's).

Foggy enough?

[Charles Calkins]

When I was looking for new speakers a couple of years ago I read some reviews on the Von Schweikert VR-4 GENIII HSE's I checked around audio stores in my area and nobody handled them. So I called VSA to ask about where the nearest dealer was for them. I would like to hear them before I buy. After talking on the phone for almost an hour to Mr. Paul Garner he made me a deal I couldn't refuse. The deal was I buy the speakers keep them for 90 days and if I didn't like them VSA would come and pick them up at my home for a 100% refund. No return shipping charges. That shows me VSA has a lot of confidence in their products. I agree I've still got them and I'll have them for years more.

                                 Cheers
                                 Charlie

[tvad4]

Deleted.

[audiojerry]

2000 miles? Where the heck do you live?  

I would never invest in a new product unheard unless you have the option of returning it. The return deal from VSA sounds like a great one, if you can negotiate it.

There are a few dealers that will ship and offer refunds, but shipping charges may not be refundable.

AudioCircle has at least one speaker maker, RAW, that is offering free auditions at this time. It's a very good speaker at a great price.
 
Another option is to buy used, such as from Audiogon, but only purchase speakers that have high name recognition and high resale value. At the top of that list would be Dynaudio, ProAc, B&W, but others have high popularity as well. Look for auctions or classifieds where the price seems reasonable. This gives you a chance to audition at length, and if you don't like it, you can re-sell again, knowing the item will attract buyers. I did this for several years, enjoyed dozens of different speakers, and came out well ahead in the end.

[Charles Calkins]

audiojerry:
 How long do you keep speakers? If you had dozens over several years I can't see how you could give them a good evaluation.

                      Cheers
                      Charlie

[zybar]

audiojerry:
 How long do you keep speakers? If you had dozens over several years I can't see how you could give them a good evaluation.

                      Cheers
                      Charlie

Charlie,

How long do you think it takes to get a good audition?

I think of auditioning gear just like dating...

Sometimes one date is enough to know and sometimes you need to date for months or years.

Anyway, all good advice so far in this thread.

George

[PhilNYC]

I think of auditioning gear just like dating...

Sometimes one date is enough to know and sometimes you need to date for months or years.

And sometimes you just sit there listening, not really getting a word in...

[Charles Calkins]

zybar:
 I'd say that I would like to listen to a speaker for 30 days. In my case my audio system gets turned on around 7am. Often it's on for about 12hrs. a day. I even leave it on when I'm out of the house for an hour or two. In a month speakers or audio gear should have about 300hrs. break in time. Most everybody seems to think that should be enough time to see if they like it or not.

                                  Cheers
                                  Charlie

[audiojerry]

audiojerry:
 How long do you keep speakers? If you had dozens over several years I can't see how you could give them a good evaluation.

I'd say I started about 8 years ago, and really slowed down about two years ago. I had plenty of time to evaluate speakers for as long as I wanted. Sometimes it took only a few days to know they weren't right. Sometimes I just bought because they were available for a great price, even though I knew I probably wouldn't keep them.

The longest I have kept a pair for my main system was about two years - Dynaudio Special 25's. I bought them for $2800 (a bargain), and sold them two years later for $3000. Not too shabby, I'd say - two years of pleasure, and two hundred bucks in my pocket for the effort.

The biggest risk I ever took was buying a pair of Avalon Radians for $5300, which stickered for over $11k. I couldn't afford them, and knew I wasn't going to keep them. Fortunately, I was able to sell them for $6500. That was my best speculative audio deal. It's a good thing I didn't care for them.  

[Charles Calkins]

audiojerry:
 Shame on you!!
 You have destroyed that very old saying between us audioholics "Buy high. Sell low. Or give it away!"
 Works for me!

                   Cheers
                     Charlie

[ooheadsoo]

audiojerry, you sold your special 25's?  Pray tell what you replaced them with!  I still remember your shootout with the original sp tech timepieces, which was fascinating reading.

[audiojerry]

audiojerry, you sold your special 25's?  Pray tell what you replaced them with!  I still remember your shootout with the original sp tech timepieces, which was fascinating reading.

Hi ooheadsoo,
I had to sell the Dyn's to help fund a second home in AZ. They are still my favorite speaker, but I'm getting very good synergy in my system with a pair of ProAc Response 2.5's.

Thanks for your interest, but I think we should give this thread back to 2bigears.  

[2bigears]

hey you guys post-on,this thread belongs to no man.i am now leaning to the vr-4's which are rumored to sound good with VAC.i wish i could get the sr's,but 12000.00 can is out of budget.the jr's may be the way to go.they sell used for 2500,way better than 12 large!!!! i have never heard of Dynaudio,which one of their speaker do you advise on????      

[zybar]

hey you guys post-on,this thread belongs to no man.i am now leaning to the vr-4's which are rumored to sound good with VAC.i wish i could get the sr's,but 12000.00 can is out of budget.the jr's may be the way to go.they sell used for 2500,way better than 12 large!!!! i have never heard of Dynaudio,which one of their speaker do you advise on????      

I have heard the Jr's with very expensive VAC and other associated gear sound very, very good.

Of course, if you put about $35-40k worth of electronics in front of many speakers they will also sound very good.  

George

[nickspicks]

the 4jr is an outstanding speaker.
and ... no need for a sub at all.  they are bodacious in the bottom end, as are all of VS's products right down to their VR1 monitor.

Honestly..i'd even look at the vr2.  the 4jr sounds better...but its over a grand more expensive.

[tdangelo]

hey you guys post-on,this thread belongs to no man.i am now leaning to the vr-4's which are rumored to sound good with VAC.i wish i could get the sr's,but 12000.00 can is out of budget.the jr's may be the way to go.they sell used for 2500,way better than 12 large!!!! i have never heard of Dynaudio,which one of their speaker do you advise on????      

I just traded my VR4-JR's with a dealer for some Audiostatic Wings.  I wanted to try the electrostat sound and although I like them very much they don't get nearly as loud as the JR's or have anywhere near the bass... tradeoff's...  I was driving the JR's with 800 wpc and they didn't strain at all.  Although I liked the JR's very much they weren't the most engaging speaker and a little boring at times BUT I could listen to them much longer than my previous RM40's before by ears grew tired.  The bass on the JR's is a little loose and boomy but leadshot in the woofer box helps greatly - I had 63 lb's in each speaker.  My old pair of JR's are on Agon right now for 3K - beware though the scratches on the top of the woofer boxes are worse than the pictures show    and it's on both speakers (previous owner...)

Tony