Von Schweikert Audio VR-4jr - Manual (Page 13)

Von Schweikert Audio
930 Armorlite Drive, San Marcos, CA 92069
Ph (760)410-1650 Fax (760)410-1655
E-mail: [email protected]
World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film
~ Website: www.vonschweikert.com
13
power. In these cases, it will be necessary to move either the speaker position or the
listening position in order to optimize the response. By playing a recording with a
repeating bass line, try walking around the room until you find the places where there is
apparent bass. It will be necessary, in some cases, to reposition the speakers in order to
allow the room to boost the bass by using the natural ‘gain’ of the boundary reflections.
Simply move the speakers closer to the rear wall or side-wall in small increments until
the bass sounds right.
LEAD TRAP
The VR-4jr has a special compartment at the bottom of the cabinet, hidden by the
removable bottom plinth. This compartment was designed to be filled with lead shot in
order to damp spurious cabinet resonances. Bass and lower midrange frequencies will
be tightened when the Lead Trap is filled, as the movement of the damping particles
adsorbs vibration. We have found that two 25 lb bags of lead shot from a gun or
sporting goods store is sufficient to fill the cavities in both speakers (the lead will not
completely fill the chamber, it takes around 180 lbs to fill both chambers, but that may
be excessive).
• Place the VR-4jr upside down on a soft surface, such as a towel, and remove the
bottom plinth.
• Poor approximately 25-50 lbs of lead into the opening. Shake the speaker until
the lead settles.
• Replace the door and plinth and you're done. Note that the midbass/lower
midrange frequency bands are now cleaner and tighter.
ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT
The VR Series is far more transparent than any other competing design, including
electrostatics. (If you don’t believe this, put any electrostatic next to a VR and use a
transparent switching device such as a copper knife switch to directly compare the sound
of the VR to the electrostatic. Make sure that you use the same channel, since the
electronics may have a large difference in sound between the channels, and the same
brand of cable. It may be necessary to use a metal film resistor to equalize the sensitivity
of the louder speaker in order to make a fair test.) Since the VR design is quite
transparent, lacking audible coloration and distortion, it is necessary to use only the
finest sounding equipment available to drive the VR-4's. This does not mean you must
purchase the most expensive gear, just good sounding electronics, especially in the front
end. Many digital products have limited depth and excess treble brightness caused by
overemphasis of harmonic structure. The VRs will enable you to easily hear the
differences even between digital cables, which theoretically, should have no sound at
all. Any sonic qualities you attribute to the VRs are actually coming from the chain
preceding the speakers. When using neutral driving equipment, the VRs will be found to
have virtually no sound of their own!