Von Schweikert VR-7-HSE Owners manual

Von Schweikert Audio

World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

VR-7 MkII HSE

Instructions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNPACKING............................................................................................................................................. PAGE 2

BREAK-IN............................................................................................................................................. ... PAGE 2

INITIAL SETUP........................................................................................................................................ PAGE 2

ROOM CONFIGURATION....................................................................................................................... PAGE 3

WIRING..................................................................................................................................................... PAGE 4

BI-AMPING............................................................................................................................................... PAGE 4

PLACEMENT............................................................................................................................................ PAGE 5

PINK NOISE TEST FOR FOCUS.............................................................................................................. PAGE 6

REAR AMBIENCE DRIVER..................................................................................................................... PAGE 6

WOOFER TUNING/BASS RESPONSE ADJUSTMENTS........................................................................ PAGE 7

STANDING WAVES................................................................................................................................. PAGE 7

TUNING WOOFERS FOR TUBE AMPS.................................................................................................. PAGE 8

LACK OF BASS....................................................................................................................................... PAGE 9

TROUBLE SHOOTING............................................................................................................................ PAGE 9

ROOM PROBLEMS AND TREATMENT................................................................................................ PAGE 10

CARE FOR THE FINISH.......................................................................................................................... PAGE 10

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for investing in a Virtual Reality speaker system designed by Von Schweikert Audio. Used properly, th e
VR-7 MkII HSE will give you many wonderful years of exciting musical reproduction, closer to the emotional truth
of the composer, performer, and producer’s intent. In order to fully benefit from the VR-7s powerful magic, please
read the following instructions thoroughly. Although the VR series may appear to be conventional speakers, they
have been designed to work with the listening room. Being a Room Interactive design, there are certain setup
procedures which must be followed. The VR series is engineered to replicate the recording microphone’s signal in
reverse, allowing the original soundfield to be recreated in your home. This technology is proprietary and will allow
the full emotional content of the original performance to be heard by listeners anywhere in the room. Please see our
White Paper for more technical information on the design. As with all high tech designs, there must be a commitment
from the user to fully utilize this product. The following instructions will enable you to achieve world-class sound.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the following instructions regarding setup, as imaging and bass response must be
optimized to your particular room. Since there is no standard listening room dimensions or reflective/absorptive
standards, each setup will be different. A thorough break-in must be conducted in order to realize the full benefits of
the VRs transparency and imaging accuracy, and several experiments with placement must be undertaken. In
situations where these instructions are not followed, you may not achieve the ultimate sound the VR-7 can offer.
Although the VR series retail at very reasonable price points, they are capable of world class performance, far
exceeding conventional designs. However, optimum performance is only attainable by using the following
instructions!

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SHIPPING DAMAGE

Please unpack the VRs on a rug, making sure to avoid scratching your hands or the finish on the staples. Please note
that the spikes are wrapped up in a cardboard package.

Do not install spikes at this time however, since you will be moving the speakers around extensively while
determining the correct place in the room for final installation.

When unpacking the VRs, please note any hidden shipping damage. If you find damage, please notify the freight
company who will then send an inspector. Do not discard the boxes or otherwise alter the contents, as the inspector
will want to see the damage as you found it. Since Von Schweikert Audio has no control over the shipping
companies or their damage claim policies, it is imperative that you follow the instructions from the freight company
agent explicitly. Additionally, please retain all packing materials for later use in the even t of a move.

BREAK-IN

The VRs use proprietary drivers custom made for this system. Raw drivers are broken in for roughly 100 hours at
considerable volume to reach suspension behavior’s steady state prior to actual loudspeaker development. By
contrast, production units receive 12 to 24 hours of break-in. Since the fluidity and dynamic range of the speaker
depends on free movement, you may notice a slight brightness or mechanical heaviness to the sound for the first 20
hours. The sound engineered into the VRs will take approximately 80-100 hours to achieve, so we recommend that
you not make critical judgements of their sound until break-in is accomplished. Complete break-in occurs after 400
hours. Break-in is best done by playing loud music or a break-in disc for several days straight. We suggest placing
the speakers face to face, with one speaker system wired out of phase. Quilts may be placed over the speakers to
reduce the radiated sound. This trick will cancel a lot of the sound that may disturb others. However, please make
sure that you are not driving the amplifier into clipping or distorting the speakerC it is difficult to hear distortion
when quilts are used.

Note that it may take several months or longer to break the speakers in if only quiet music is played at

background levels.

Classical music played quietly does not contain enough bass or dynamics (in most cases) to do a proper job, so we
suggest using a CD player on repeat, using a loud rock album or break-in CD as the source. Please make sure that the
amplifier does not go into clipping, though, as the heat generated may damage the drivers over a period of time.
(Clipping sounds like buzzing or harshness). If the sound is clean, however, you can put up to 300 watts of music
power (peaks) into the VR-7s over a long period of time without any damage.

INITIAL SETUP

Please do not install the spikes until the proper placement has been determined. You will be moving the speakers
several times in order to listen to different aspects of the optimization, and the sp ikes will only make the movement
more difficult. Since the spikes tighten the bass dramatically, and also increase the image focus, do not worry unduly
about these two parameters until later in the setup process. Without the spikes, the bass may be too thick and the
image will not be as tightly focused, but these effects will be eliminated after break-in, correct placement, and use of
the spikes. Also, turn off the rear ambience drivers by rotating their volume controls counter-clockwise until the
setup is complete. Please refer to the section regarding the REAR AMBIENCE DRIVER.

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STARTING LOCATION

There are a number of considerations regarding initial placement, particularly involving bass response and basic
imaging. In general, bass response is strengthened when the speakers are placed close to the rear or side walls, while
imaging is enhanced by pulling the speakers further into the room, away from walls. With your VR loudspeakers and
the following suggestions you will be able to achieve both deep and powerful bass and an open sound stage.

ROOM CONFIGURATIONS: If you have a room with fairly rectangular dimensions, you can place the speakers on
either the long or short wall. If your room is cubic, you will have far better results placing the speakers diagonally.
See next section.

ON LONG WALL: Placing the speakers on the long wall enables you to achieve a very large and wide sound stage. In
fact, using an equilateral triangle as your starting point, you can space the speakers as far apart as the listening
distance, even if this is 15 feet. Since the VRs have very wide dispersion, th ere will be no hole in the middle effect.
Place the speakers about 1-2ft from the rear wall, with this distance being the bass optimizer. If you wish to achieve
more depth, move them further into the room. If you wish more bass, place them either closer to the rear wall or
closer to the side walls.

*Note: Do not use the same distance from the rear wall and side wall, as this distance will result in
too much boost at this wavelength. Stagger this distance by 40-70%.

Do not toe the speakers in at first, place them parallel to the side walls. In general, the sound stage will be
constrained to the distance between the speakers, so if you have th e VRs only six feet apart, you will hear a small
sound stage. Since there will be a lot of overlap between the left and right channels, the center image will be very
dense and monophonic. To correct for this, separate the speakers further; 8 feet to 12 feet apart is not too much in a
large room, but remember, the spread depends on the listening distance. If you have to spread the speakers well apart
but can not sit far enough back due to furniture and cosmetic considerations, you may have to toe the speakers in,
with the tweeters aimed directly at your ears.

ON SHORT WALL: Placing the speakers on the short wall and sitting far back in the long end of the room may give
you a concert hall experience if your room is large. Long reverberation times due to long distances from boundaries
can impart a grand sense of scale with classical music, although smaller rooms might curtail this effect somewhat.
Also, too much boundary reflection will result in echoes that may interfere with the direct sound and blur imaging
somewhat.
If you suspect this condition, clap your hands while standing at the speaker position. If you hear distinct echoes, you
will have to treat the room with specialized tuning products from Michael Green, RPG, ASC tube traps, Sonex foam
panels, and the like. If decorating is a consideration, try using rugs hanging on the side walls at the first reflection
point, and behind the speakers, directly in the center. Your dealer can recommend tuning products he/she carries and
may be able to install them. If your dealer does not offer this service, call the above mentioned tuning companies for
further information.

CUBIC ROOM DIAGONAL LOCATION: Rooms with mathematically repeating dimensions (like 16 x 16 x 8', for
instance) will have a midbass/lower midrange >loading effect due to the similar ratios of boundary distances. In this
case, it will help to locate one speaker on each side of a corner and fire the speakers diagonally into the room. Note
that you will also need to place your listening chair at a diagonal position as well, at an equilateral triangulated
distance. Diagonal placement is an extreme measure but may be necessary if you wish to achieve the ultimate in
accurate frequency response. Diagonal placement will prevent a portion of the standing wave energy from boosting

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certain frequencies, since the reflection patterns are broken up in this configuration. The distances to each side wall is
critical, and experimentation will be required with placement of not only the speakers themselves, but also your
seating position and wall treatment. It may be necessary to use absorptive or dispersive devices on the wall to
ameliorate the wall reflections which may cause tonal imbalances or imaging confusion. See your dealer.

FLOORING: If you have a hardwood floor, (especially without carpeting), there is the possibility that vibration and
resonance will be transferred to the floor, which will then act as a passive radiator. The floor resonance will sound
like extra midbass is being added to the sound, and will smear the bass notes as well, since the floor will vibrate long
after the woofers stop moving. On bare hardwood floors, it will be necessary to decouple the speakers with rubber
decoupling feet such as Sorbothane (Audioquest), Soft Shoes (McCormack), or even rubber balls. The use of cones
or spikes will result in some transmission to the wood floor and is only recommended on carpeted floors. In
two story homes with wood floors on the second floor, we have noticed a tendency for the floor to absorb deep bass
due to sympathetic resonance. In this case, the speaker will sound like it does not have bass, so the cure would be to
either move the speakers closer to a boundary where the floor is not flexing as much or to decouple the speaker
completely from the floor. That can be accomplished by making a platform from wood filled with sand, or using a
granite base several inches thick. In addition to the induced resonance, there will be upper frequency reflections
which will affect the midrange/tweeter balance, usually boosting the treble/upper midrange and destroying the image
solidity. If you have hardwood floors, installing a thick rug in between the speakers and the listening chair will
normally correct this problem.

CARPETED FLOORS: Using the spikes after break-in and correct placement will tighten up the bass and lock in the
soundstage. Make sure that you level the speakers so they do not rock, and use the locking nuts to make sure the
spikes will not vibrate loose.

WIRING

The best sound staging and transparency from the VR-7 MkII HSE results from bi-wiring the speakers, but if a
biwire set is not initially available, connect the main speaker wire to the upper midrange/tweeter inputs then run a
jumper downwards to the woofer inputs. A 6" jumper wire can be connected between the upper and lower posts.
However, we recommend using this only as a temporary solution, since we designed the speakers expressly to be bi­wired.

*If you connect the main cable to the wo ofer and then use a jumper upw ards to the M/T, you will be able to
hear a slight loss of clarity, since there will now be two connections in the signal path instead of just

one to the high resolution tweeter.
Also, make sure that you make a very tight connection between the binding post and the spade lugs on the cables. A
loose connection will be apparent as a loss of depth and sweetness. Use a contact enhancing fluid once a month on all
RCA plugs and binding posts for best results. There will be attendant increases in sweetness, air, soundstage depth,
and smoothness equal to an upgrade in cables, but at far less cost.

Although we have tried almost ten different brands and types of speaker cables, we can only give general
recommendations due to the fact that the driving amplifier has as much to do with the type o f desired wire as the
speakers. Since there are hundreds, if not thousands of available amp/wire combinations, we are not in the position of
having heard these combinations.

However, in general, stranded wire usually has a softer, fuller sound, while solid core wire has tighter

bass. You can use these traits to tune the overall sound of your system.

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Please use your VR dealer’s expertise when selecting wires and cables, as he has the experience with both the
speakers and different amplifiers and can help you make an intelligent selection.

BI-AMPING THE VR-7 SERIES: If the tightest bass is desired, use a solid state amplifier on the woofer modules. If
you value image float and liquid-sounding midrange/treble response, use a tube amplifier on the M/Ts. You will not
need an outboard crossover, since the crossovers in the speakers will still continue to work. Although it is true that
louder output can be obtained by high-pass filtering the tube amp, the loss of transparency is usually not worth it, and
the clean volume obtainable without a high-pass crossover will be usually satisfying for anyone but a metal head.
(Note: if you are a metal head, welcome to high-end audio!) You will need a preamp that has twin outpu ts, but if you
have only one set, use high quality Y-jacks availab le from your high-end dealer. Balancing of the volume levels
when using amps with different input sensitivities can be accomplished by outboard level controls available from
your dealer at very modest cost. If the amplifiers have input sensitivities which are fairly close, even if they are
different brands, there will be no need for level controls.

VERTICAL BI-AMPING: If two stereo amplifiers of the same brand and model are available, try using this method
of wiring. One channel will drive the woofer module, while the other channel of the same amplifier will drive the
upper M/Ts. This wiring may sound much better than simply switching the amp to the mono-block bridged mode.

HORIZONTAL BI-AMPING: If two different stereo amps are available, one amp can drive the woofers and the
other amp, perhaps of lower power, can drive the midrange/tweeters. This works well with large solid state amps
driving the woofers, with a smaller tube amp driving the upper end. We have heard of systems with 100 watts per
channel on the woofers, with 20-30 watts per channel of tube power driving the midrange/tweeters. This may seem
like an imbalance, but since the most power is needed to drive the woofers, it may work very well!

PLACEMENT

The VR-7s are Room Interactive, meaning that the VRs were designed to work in an average listening room, not an
anechoic chamber. Speakers that measure very good in an anechoic chamber will usually sound too bass heavy and
directional when placed in a room due to boundary effects and room gain in the bass region. The bass response of the
room (boundary gain) has been factored into the VRs, along with the reflective nature of boundary surfaces such as
wood, plaster, glass, and so forth. Since the VRs are quasi-omnidirectional transducers, designed to be the inverse of
the recording microphone, their sound output will react with the listening room in a positive manner only if properly
placed. There are two components of sound which reach the listener’s ears:

1. The direct arrival, or initial wavelaunch of the speaker itself;

2. The secondary waves which are reflected from the room=s boundary surfaces.

The reflected sound is delayed according to the distances involved from the speaker to the boundaries, then back to
the listener. It is important for the reflected sound-field to integrate properly with the initial wavelaunch, since out­of-phase reflections will interfere with both flat frequency response and image focus. It is not difficult to determine
where the best placement will be in any given room, since you will be using a pink noise listening test discussed
later. See Pink Noise Test.

In every room, there will usually be more than one magic spot for the VRs to sound their best. However, finding
those spots is not intuitive, due to the nature of reverberation characteristics and room dimensions, which vary
enormously from room to room. The VRs, being Virtual Reality simulators, are designed to load the room very
similarly to the way a live instrument would load the roo m. Only in this way can your ear/brain hearing mechanism
be lulled into believing that you could be listening to an actual performance, and not simply canned sound. If you had

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a grand piano at the end of the room where the speakers are playing, it would involve the entire room with semi­omnidirectional sound, and your ear/brain hearing mechanism will clearly know this. The VR Virtual Reality design
will simulate this huge soundfield, with its’ involving depth and dimension. However, correct placement is required
to achieve the best possible sound quality. Amazingly, moving the speaker only a few inches can make the difference
between good sound and great sound due to the reflective properties of your room! Note that this fact is true with any
speaker system.

FOCAL POINT OF ARRAY: Since the VR-7 MkII HSE is Quasi-Time Aligned by use of the specialized Global Axis
Integration Network

optimum seating distance. If you must situate the speakers close together, with a close listening position for near field
applications, such as in a recording studio, you may have to toe the speakers out slightly if you find that the image is
bunched together towards the center. In order to find the focus point of the array, use the following technique:

PINK NOISE LISTENING TEST FOR FOCUS: Play a pink noise source such as a CD with test tones or an FM tuner
set between stations (with muting turned off). You will notice one of two sonic effects when listening to pink noise:

1. If you are in the focal po int of the array, you will hear a ball of noise that appears to float between the speakers.
Although noise will appear to emanate from the speakers themselves, the center image will be stronger, with a
slightly different tone quality to the phantom center image. The sound from the speakers themselves will seem
slightly detached from the pink noise ball and slightly softer in volume level. The center ball of sound will be very
strong, and you will be able to detect that the ball of sound is round, with depth to the image. This is a locked in
image with correct focus.

2. If you are not sitting in the focal point, the noise will be diffuse, without a center image. Although you will hear
noise coming from the center, it will sound as diffuse as the sound coming from the speakers themselves. Even
though the speakers will image music when set up like this, the imaging will be diffuse and non-localized. There will
not be enough body to the images, and it will be hard to hear space between the instruments. There is a distinct lack
of image focus in this situation.

To find the focal point of the VR system, move forwards and backwards slowly while listening to the pink noise ball.
You can either rock in your listening seat, or move back and forth by several feet if you are way out of the equilateral
triangle (using a director’s chair for this works great). If you have a fixed seating position that can not be moved due
to furniture considerations, you will have to move the speakers either closer together, or further apart, d epending on
the strength of the pink noise ball. If the speakers are closer together than 8 feet, try spreading them further apart.

*Note: if the speakers can not be separated more than a few feet due to room considerations, as in a video

application, it may be necessary to toe the speakers outwards.

When placing the speakers further apart than 8 feet, try to eing them in towards yo u, listening for th e b all to lock in. It
really helps to have two people moving the speakers while you sit in the listening position, giving them orders. Toe­in is often critical, with only 1" movements being very apparent. When you have found the correct spacing and
listening distance, you will immediately know it, since the image lock-in is very obvious. The pink noise will become
a very strong ball of sound, just floating in between the speakers. Keep moving the speakers until you hear this ball
of sound. As you move the speakers either closer together or further apart, and experiment with toe-in, you will hear
changes that enable you to know if you are headed in the right direction. It is not really difficult, it’s fun. Of course,
experimenting with several types of placement schemes is valuable, for it will teach you how the speakers indirect
with your particular room. Only by careful experimentation will you find that magic spot for your new VR-7 speaker
system.

TM

crossover circuit and thus results in a focused phase-array driver complement, there is an

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REAR AMBIENCE DRIVER ADJUSTMENT: The VR design has a rear-firing ambience driver which adds depth
enhancement and 360 degree timbre fill-in. When breaking in the speakers, leave the Spatial Dimension Control all
the way up in order to break-in the driver fully. However, when optimizing the imaging using the pink noise test
documented above, turn the ambience driver off by rotating the control fully counter-clockwise. Once the speaker
location has been determined, it is time to add some rear ambience. While listening to a variety of n aturally recorded
music, dial in successively more ambience, listening carefully to the change. If your rear wall behind the speakers is
highly reflective, only a little ambience will be necessary if the speakers are fairly close to the wall. (Set control
between 6:00 and 9:00 as referenced to a clock face). In some situations, where the rear wall is highly reflective and
the driving amp/cables are somewhat overly detailed, it may be possible that no rear fill is necessary nor desirable. If
you hear brightness creep into the overall balance, it may be time to back off on the Spatial Dimension Control. In a
room that is fairly dead, with soft sounding gear, it may be necessary to use the Spatial Dimension control fully on.

BASS RESPONSE TUNING

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Since enclosed rooms will affect the bass response due to standing wave
formation, a woofer tuning feature has been designed into the VR series of speakers. Deep bass in the 20-30Hz
range is highly desirable in a reference speaker design, since hall reverberation at low frequencies is a sonic clue to
both depth and hall size. Classical music simply sounds anemic and artificial without deep bass. In addition, the wide
dynamic range found in pop and jazz recordings depends on bass slam and efficiency at low frequencies in order to
sound like a live bass instrument such as bass guitar, synthesizer, bass drums, and upright string bass. For this reason,
a hybrid triple-chambered transmission line/bass reflex system was engineered which exhibits both deep bass and
fast transient response, with a strong emphasis on tight bass. Although it is true that the measured transient response
of a sealed woofer system has less ringing than hollow cavity type bass reflex cabinets (but not the VR design), the
trapped rear wave of sealed enclosures results in low efficiency, while the compressed air load results in sluggish
transient attack. For this reason, transmission line loading has much appeal, and makes more engineering sense, since
both deep bass and fast transient response (resulting in tight sound) are optimized at the same time. Bass reflex
systems, however, which are hollow (lacking 100% stuffing fill), have very unpleasant hangover due to cavity
resonance. This problem has been eliminated in the VR design by the utilization of a high stuffing density. This
technique does not work with standard reflex woofers, nor conventional Theile/Small tuning alignments, however.
The resistive damping in the form of acoustic foam and Dacron fill must be compensated in both the driver design
and the cabinet tuning alignment. All VR Series use custom designed drivers with very high magnetic damping (low
Qes) and stiff suspensions (high Qms). The tuning ratio is derived from a proprietary over damped Theile/Small
alignment with a total Q of less than 0.6, while the woofers themselves have a total Q below 0.3. By using an over
damped alignment, maximum tightness is assured due to oversized magnets, stiff suspensions, over-volumed
enclosures, and a low tuning frequency. In addition, the midbass rise normally associated with dual woofer formats
has been eliminated by the use of Zobel conjugate networks in the VR-7 woofer crossover. The inductor coils used at
extremely low frequencies have to be massive to avoid saturation and hence are quite expensive and difficult to
design. However, the extremely clean bass response of the VR series is the direct result of engineering taken to the
extreme.

GENERAL TUNING INFORMATION: Both the volume level of the bass and the frequency response of the woofer
system can be altered easily by several methods in order to equalize the room’s influence on the bass response.
Although the VR bass systems measure ruler flat in larger rooms that have good dimensional ratios, (using both
gated sine wave and maximum length sequence FFT signals), smaller rooms tend to have bass anomalies and
overloading problems with low frequencies due to the long wavelengths involved.

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STANDING WAVE PHENOMENA: Standing waves are dips and peaks in the bass response caused by the room
boundaries. Although many people have heard the term, many do not actually know what causes standing waves and
what to do about them. Since all speaker systems radiate bass almost omnidirectionally, there are many path lengths
that the waves take before arriving at the listening position. Although the first arriving bass wave will have flat
frequency response, fractions of a second later the same waves have bounced off of the front wall, rear wall, side
walls, and the floor. These reflections both reinforce and cancel the original direct wave, depending on the wave
length vs. the path length. If the path length is an even multiple of the direct wave at any one given frequency, the
reflection will reinforce the first wave since it will be mathematically added and will cause a peak in the response at
this frequency. However, if the path length is such th at the reflected wave is out of phase with the main wave, th ere
will be a cancellation in the frequency response. Researchers have found that the dips and peaks in the response can
be very powerful, with 18dB variances across the bass range! Note that this effect occurs with ANY speaker design:
no speaker system can overcome the law of physics.

When playing a recording with plenty of deep bass, a listener can walk around the room, finding that every foot or
two, there is flat response, a peak, or a dip. By walking around the room, you can map the response, finding the
places where the pressure alternates from high to low. These alternating pressure zones are a natural part of room
acoustics and must be dealt with by correct speaker placement.

THEORY OF RECIPROCITY REGARDING BASS RESPONSE: Since standing waves are not easily amenable to
correction by equalizing the speaker passively, it is necessary to place both the speakers and listener/s in neutral
zones. According to the mathematics of the pressure zones, the flattest response occurs when both the speakers and
listener are at opposing ends of the room, directly against the wall surfaces. Since against-the-wall placement is not a
prime location for soundstage openness and imaging focus, we recommend placing the speakers out into the room, at
least 12" from the back wall to start. Then, playing a repeating bass line, walk around the room in the general vicinity
of the intended listening position. If you find that the smoothest bass response does not occur where you would like
to place the listening seat, you can use the Law of Reciprocity to find the optimum spot. The physics of bass
response are the same for the listener or the speaker when interchanged. That means that you can place one speaker
where you wish to sit, then play the repeating bass line, and then walk around on the other side of the room where
you want to place the speakers. When you find a neutral zone, where the bass is not too loud nor too soft, that=s
where you place that particular speaker. Next, do the other side in the same manner. Make sure you use a variety of
recordings, since it is possible to optimize the placement accidentally for only one frequency range!

TOO MUCH BASS OVERALL: If you have optimized the placement, yet find that the bass is too powerful due to a
very small room and/or mandatory corner placement due to the nature of the furniture arrangement, you can Atune@
the bass balance. If the entire bass range is too loud, purchase Dacron Polyfill from the local five and dime store or
sewing shop. It is synthetic cotton in appearance and is used for pillow stuffing. Simply place a handful of the
Dacron in each vent tube; this will lower the efficiency of the vent tuning. If the bass is still too loud overall, place
another handful in each vent. If the low frequency range has come into proper balance, stop there. If you have lost

the deepest octave, you can push the Dacron into the enclosure instead of leaving it in the vent tube proper.
BASS RESPONSE TUNING FOR TUBE AMPLIFIERS: Since tube amplifiers have A air and liquidity in the mid and

treble ranges, many audiophiles use them. However, the saturation, back EMF, and transient response delays of all
output transformers will cause sluggish bass response which can be heard when using any speaker that has response
below 50Hz. The deep bass can be tightened considerably by the addition of several handfuls of Dacron in each vent
which is then pushed into the enclosure with a broomstick. The stuffing can be done gradually, but if the bass
become too tight, it is a simple matter to remove the excess Dacron by reaching in and pulling some of the Dacron
back out. (It takes a small hand to fit into the vent tube).It is entirely possible to tighten the VR-7's bass response to a
degree not heard with other speaker systems, comparing directly with very small sealed woofers.

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Try using solid core wire on the woofer modules when using tube amplifiers if you are trying to tighten up the
bass, since stranded wire will emphasize the bass fullness you are trying to equalize.
However, using silver cables will also tighten the bass.

The best possible bass response is obtained from high current solid state amplifiers, making bi-amping the ideal
choice for the critical audiophile who wishes to have the best sound in every part of the frequency range. See the
section above regarding bi-amping.

LACK OF APPARENT BASS: In some rooms, especially those with soft walls such as wallboard over studs, and
open floor plans, it is possible to lose bass response. Also, when sitting in a null, it is possible to perceive,
incorrectly, that there is a loss of bass 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.

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

The VR Series is far more transparent than any other competing design, including electrostatics. (If you do not
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-7s. 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! Since there are thousands of different
combinations of components, we can not give any specific recommendations. Your VR dealer, however, is
experienced with many types of components and should be consulted for best results. We have made an effort to seek
out dealers who are experienced in the art of component matching and have full trust in their abilities, so please use
their expertise when building a system around the VR series of loudspeakers.

TROUBLE SHOOTING: Your VR dealer should have the necessary resources to investigate any problems you may
experience when setting up a world class reference system. However, if you find that you need specialized help,
either in acoustical or electronic interactions, please do not hesitate to contact the factory. Call [phone] and
ask for Customer Service. A qualified engineer will be there to assist you with any problems you are experiencing.

BRIGHT SOUND: A very common problem is brightness, and is wrongly attributed to the speakers since they are the
apparent source of all sound. Some of the causes of brightness are:

1. Powerline Noise. Can be ameliorated with a proper line conditioner.

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World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

2. Cable Resonance. Too many brands of different cables which interact improperly. Switch interconnects, including
the digital cable, to a different brand.

3. Digital Noise. Use a powerline filter on DAC
into the preamp, so do not put the preamp on the same filter as the DAC.

4. Lack of Proper Break-in. Please break speakers in 100 hours with

5. Source Material. Unfortunately, most commercial CDs are bright! Try using the Green Felt Pen and the Bedini
Clarifier. Make sure you clean the CDs and do not allow them to get scratched.

6. Transistor Sound. Older transistor gear is bright and lacks depth. Invest in newer gear.

7. Dirty Connections. Proper maintenance of a system requires cleaning of all RCA connectors once a month; do not
forget to clean the AC plug prongs. Tube sockets and pins need to be cleaned as well, and is a source of tube glare,
along with tube deterioration itself. See your dealer for cleaners.

8. Cold Equipment. The entire system must be left on (excluding tube amplifiers) continuously for best sound quality.
Cold equipment, especially transistor preamps and DACs, sound thin, sterile, and lack depth or dimension. Cold
transistor amplifiers sound harsh, lacking depth. Most experts recommend leaving the equipment on to avoid the
damage associated with cold turn-on, since the most wear to the electronic components in an amplifier results from
the inrush of current from the wall into a cold part. Once the unit is left on, the v oltages and temperatures stabilize,
resulting in better sound and component life. If in doubt, check with the electronics manufacturer or dealer.

9. Bloated Image or Poor Focus. Slap echo from hard walls, or too much rear Ambience.

10. Room Effects: Boomy Bass, Harsh Highs. Not many audiophiles realize how important their room acoustics are
to the overall soundfield. No matter how good the speaker system and driving electronics, the room will have great
influence over the final sound, whether for better or worse! Harsh highs can be created by echoes resulting from
large wall surfaces with unbroken surfaces. If you can hear any echo when clapping your hands, you will need to use
some room treatment products.

11. Lack of Bass. Check the wiring to the woofer modules and make sure they are in phase. Rooms can add or
subtract bass response, but correct tuning and placement can ameliorate these problems. If your electronics or cables
are really bright, you may feel that there is more treble than bass. Try substituting different electronics or cables and
recheck your room placement.

Many books have been written about room acoustics, and there is not enough space in this manual to give detailed
information on how to do it right. However, the general rule is to use 50% absorptive/50% reflective ratios when
covering the room’s surfaces, such as carpeting, drapes, stuffed furniture, bookshelves filled with books, records, etc.
It is helpful to damp the first reflection points, which are the boundary surfaces halfway between the listener and the
speaker cabinets. This includes the ceiling, walls, and floor. Hard plaster ceilings will reflect treble energy back
down towards the listener, and should be treated with acoustic tiles (the soft and porous type) or damping pads made
from foam or fiberglass. The walls can have a decorator rug, drapes, or diffusers at the first reflection point, and the
floor can use carpeting. We have used plants and trees to diffuse the echo in our very large sound room, and found
that this works better than simply absorbing the high frequency reverberation. Some of these diffusion devices are
made by Acoustic Sciences Corporation (ASC), Echo Busters and RPG, along with others. Tube Traps by ASC are

only. Many times the harshness is created by digital noise bleeding

loud music.

ROOM ACOUSTICS

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World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

placed in room corners and will absorb bass boom and flutter echo in the mid/treble region. Michael Green offers
Corner Tunes which are placed in the upper corner joints of the wall/ceiling junction. Call your dealer for more info.

One last thing: if your VR speaker system does not elicit goose bumps, your set-up is not optimized!

CARE FOR THE FINISH: Only Windex and a soft cloth should be used to remove fingerprints from the wood
finish.Use a stiff brush to dust the cloth socks, being careful not to poke the midrange or tweeters in the upper
module.

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