Over the past several years, I have significantly upgraded my system: DS DAC Mk1 to Mk2, DMP to PST, addition of the AirLens, along with various cables, footers, etc. The system sounds, to my admittedly prejudiced ears, really good.
My speakers, Von Schweikert VR-IV jr’s, are over 20 years old. Recently I’ve been wondering if it’s time for new speakers. For the first 10 years I owned them, they were in a weekend house and so had limited use. I have since retired to that house full time and typically listen for a couple of hours most evenings. So the speakers do not have as many hours on them as their age might suggest. I’ve done what I can to maximize the speakers’ potential (very good biwired cable, Gaia footers recently added).
With other components, such as DACs, a 20 year old piece couldn’t hold a candle to what is available now. I don’t think speakers have evolved that much, although I’m sure there are new materials and new ideas around, along with designers who know how to use them – the Aspen speakers are a good example.
I’m curious what you all think. Are speakers this old really behind the times? Or would my VSA jr’s still be somewhat competitive with what I could buy today with a budget of $20,000 or less (ideally $10,000-15,000)? If I do get new ones, I want an upgrade, not a cross-grade (in other words, some real improvement). At my age, these speakers might very well be the last ones I purchase. Thoughts?
The FR20’s are FANTASTIC speakers.
The technology in the planar ribbon midrange and planar ribbon tweeter destroys my classic Infinity emit k tweeters, and I always liked the Infinity tweeters when set up properly.
The FR20’s are so much more open and transparent. Wonderful is the best descriptor of how they sound, but do admit to also having a subwoofer in the system.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the Infinity speakers compared with the FR20s. I have followed the rollout of the Aspen speakers here on the PSA forum, and I have no doubt that they are superb. I own an old house which has been restored in historically correct ways. Unfortunately, the Aspen speakers just do not fit in this environment– otherwise I would definitely try a pair.
Thanks, Ron. Your comment highlights one of the reasons I have not changed speakers in so long. Even if I take the time to travel and hear a particular speaker, we all know that things won’t sound the same in my room, with my gear, as they do at the dealer’s. An in-home trial, such as PSA offers with the Aspens, is really the only reliable way to evaluate speakers – although repacking and sending them back isn’t for the faint of heart.
And the VR-IV jr’s are indeed damn nice speakers, which is why I’ve kept them so long.
I’ve been down that road myself more than once. I can’t say that I’ve actually auditioned much in the way of modern speakers. That’s not an easy task in my neck of the woods but I think I’ve concluded that there are a lot of speakers from yesterday that would receive rave reviews even today. Unlike a DAC, let’s say, speakers can last competitively for decades. Try to listen to the speakers you have with a critical ear. Would they impress you if you were auditioning them? Maybe the thing to do is take your time and add another, modern speaker of your choosing, to the system. Keep your old ones. And alternate between the two when you would like to change things up.
The speakers you currently have are rather special. Before making a change it is best to understand what improvements you seek and at what cost. IME changing speakers leads to upgrading other components as well, especially the amplifier and speaker cable. I changed speakers recently as part of a downsizing effort. That effort is unfinished but with each change my satisfaction improves. When I consider the cost I hesitate, and wonder as to to sense of it.
I’m with everyone else here, David. Given those speakers sound like they’re in good shape, you’d have to be really sure about what you’d want in an upgrade - as opposed to just “a change” - before starting a search. Those were and still are rather nice speakers. And I especially agree with Ron - if you do consider something, listen to it more than once, and in your own home if possible. It’s too easy to be excited by hearing a speaker at a show and then discover it’s not exactly a synergistic fit in your room / system.
An interesting question. I think they would; they are, by any definition, good speakers. But it all depends. For instance, if I got a pair of FR20s for audition, I might say “Wow, there are so much better than I will spend money on them!” or “Yes, these are better, but the difference isn’t worth the price.” Impossible to know without trying.
Your suggestion of adding another, newer speaker to the system reflects an idea I had earlier. For years I’ve read about the magical midrange of Magnepans – something that appeals to me because I gravitate to acoustic music (classical, folk, jazz) not hard rock. After the LRS+ came out and I read the very favorable reviews, I contemplated trying a pair. (My space wouldn’t fit larger Magnepans.) If I heard that special midrange, they are small and light enough that I could keep them and swap them in when I wanted music that doesn’t need much bass. If I didn’t experience that specialness, I could sell them. I put this idea on hold when I started looking at replacements for my Von Schweikerts, but I will now revisit it.
A perfectly reasonable suggestion (as @tony22 also pointed out below), but potentially limiting. For instance, I did not hear any particular weakness when I had the DS DAC Mk1 but nonetheless decided to upgrade to the Mk2. When I got the Mk2 it was immediately apparent that the new DAC kicked the whole system up a couple of notches. That’s what I would look for in new speakers, since my Von Schweikerts are quite well balanced with no obvious flaws (to my ears).
I associated MBLs with very high priced speakers. In response to your comment, I looked at the MBL website and found that they have one model, the 126, that falls within my budget. But it only goes down to 70Hz. My Von Scheikerts are spec’d down to 25 and the PSA FR20 to 20 with the FR10s at 32. So I think I can do better, at least in terms of bass. What MBL models have you had in your system? What do you see as their strengths?
To answer your question, I have MBLs 101 Es. Their strengths are very well described in Stereophile and TAS. Speed, air, resolution, etc. Like being at a live concert.
What I would suggest is to get the MBLs that fit your budget and pair them with subwoofers.
That’s what I do. I pair them with a pair of JL audio f113v2s.
The LRS+ are nice speakers, and I am impressed with them. Subs are needed with them as they do not have enough low bass on their own. But the FR20’s are MUCH better speakers. The FR20’s are much smoother, much cleaner and more open. The maggies have some grain in comoarison. The amount of grain is small, and only occasionally noticeable, but can be heard after a direct comparison to the FR20.
I assume RonP’s comment was a joke, since I clearly stated my budget in my original post. I located the TAS review of the MBL 126, which looks very positive; I’ll read it more carefully later. I am intrigued and would like to hear these, even though I’d prefer to avoid having to get involved with subwoofers.