Von Schweikert Audio VR-2 Build Quality
The designers at Von Schweikert had some great goals in mind when creating the VR-2. Just to name a few, phase correction in the crossover, full frequency range, and my favorite, transparency. I wanted to remain as objective as possible in my approach to reviewing the VR-2 speakers so I did not read any reviews, entertain any user opinions, nor did I do any research on these speakers until I had experienced them first hand. On first sight I was very impressed with their appearance. Each speaker was covered with velvet to protect the finish and for us, it made them much more transportable as we moved them between Reference Systems . We unveiled the speakers from their velvet bag to reveal a beautiful African Hazelwood veneer. This was the same finish as the VR-1 Reference Studio Monitors which we reviewed several months earlier. Upon removing the grills I was happy to see that the people at Von Schweikert also covered the front baffle, top, bottom and back of the cabinet with matching veneer, especially since I listen to music exclusively with the grills off and away from the walls. The designers also used very small pin locks to fasten the grills which enhanced the beauty of these speakers even more because the pin lock holes were hardly noticeable from my sweet spot.
The grills had a sturdy feel and the area around the tweeter has damping material for those of you who like to leave the grills on while listening. On the back of the speaker was a mid/tweeter which resembled a horn loaded dome and near the bottom was the adjustment for this ambience driver that allowed the rear ambiance tweeter to either be expressed loudly, or completely turned off. This made the speakers sound stage customizable to suite most tastes while also optimizing their performance to almost any given theater room. But we learned from first hand experience that these speakers do require time and care when installing in order to maximize their potential. This includes location, installing the plate and spikes to separate them from the floor, and adding the lead shot, all of which is outlined in detail in the 12-page owners manual.
Lead Bullets Anyone?
Under normal circumstances, we would question the need for adding the lead shot to a speaker. Upon lengthy discussions with Mr. Von Schweikert, it seemed we are not alone in questioning this requirement as many dealers and customers have asked the same. Based on our discussions with Mr. Von Schweikert and our own experiences with these speakers before and after the addition, we understood the logic behind this design concept.
The lead shot helped mass load the cabinet to the plinth which would normally done by a heavier cabinet like that found in our $10,000 Canton Karat Reference 2 DC Towers. Extra weight would in turn drive up the price of shipping, while also increasing the complexity to the cabinet design, which would drive up the labor and material cost of manufacturing. All these things would result in a much more expensive speaker to their customers. The lead shot was a reasonable and economic solution to mass load the cabinet and allowed Von Schweikert Audio to keep their entry level tower speakers at their $2,495 per pair intended price.
Mr. Von Schweikert informed us that more often than not, customers and dealers ask why Von Schweikert Audio doesn't sell the lead shot with the speakers. I loved his explanation where he stated that the shipping the lead shot would be more money then the lead shot itself, thereby resulting in the customer paying almost 3x the price compared to just buying it at a local gun store.
Leave the Sand on the Beach
Albert also indicated that there are reasons they recommend lead shot in place of sand. Sand has a significant amount of dust and traps water which could nurture mold, or even warp the cabinet over time.
