The VR4 SR Loudspeaker System

Read the VR4 SR Image HiFi Review

Manual Download PDF

The VR-4SR is the fourth generation of the legendary VR-4 series. It is a two-piece stacking speaker system utilizing the world's finest cabinet design: a time-aligned, decoupled sat/sub for incredible tweeter, midrange, and woofer transparency, as well as unparalleled soundstage reproduction. Clarity is enhanced with Low-Distortion drivers with the best available Transparency Factor. The engineering target was to design a highly accurate, laboratory-grade system with the ability to be used as a professional reference monitor. Studios using VR-series include Sheffield Labs, Musical Fidelity Sound Labs, A&M Records (Herb Alpert), and Walt Disney Studios (Alan Menken, winner of 7 academy awards). Many recording engineers brought these speakers home, including Robert Harley, now editor of TAS, and Herb Alpert, creating an audiophile demand. A reference monitor must have wide bandwidth, low distortion/coloration, with convincing three dimensional depth and realistic sound staging. The VR-4SR is highly optimized for this use and is highly musical as well. Imaging and depth are state-of-the-art due to our proprietary Ambience Retrieval System tm and Global Axis Integration Network. tm "VR-4" indicates a Virtual Reality design emphasizing four dimensions of sound reproduction:

• Amplitude: A speaker system used for reference monitoring must meet a +/- 1dB tolerance level;
• Phase: Consistent phase between drive units and slow rotation is desired; no out-of-phase drivers;
• Time: The drive units must be time coherent in the ear's sensitive 3ms range;
• Space: The speaker design must replicate a palpable three-dimensional sound stage with depth.
  
  

The elegant book-matched wood veneer two-piece stacked cabinetry is built to the highest level of professional build quality and includes a new bracing/damping system that enables incredible transparency and the total elimination of coloration. The baffle is 2" thick and all cabinet walls are 1" thick and internally lined with thick acoustic felt and foam. Twin 8.5" aluminum woofers reproduce the bottom octaves with authority and clarity, using a modified triple-chambered transmission-line to achieve response flat to 20Hz. Our hybrid bass loading system utilizes a 7" wide flared vent, front-mounted to allow close placement to a wall in small rooms without boom or coloration. Unquestionably the most impressive and dynamic 20Hz bass system available!

We have utilized a 7" composite cone midrange driver with incredibly flat frequency response and low distortion, the same driver that is also used in our flagship VR-11SE. The cone is fabricated from carbon and Kevlar impregnated cellulose acetate pulp, using a ceramic liquid binder, with a surface coating developed in the aerospace industry called Aerogel to damp the stored energy waves. This high tech composite cone has a remarkable Young's Modulus (ratio of stiffness to weight), allowing incredible transient speeds up to 6,000 cycles per second without distortion of timbre or phase. This new midrange driver has greater clarity and dynamic range than our reference electrostatic speakers!

Our tweeter is possibly one of the world's finest drivers, with the highest level of clarity and detail combined with a very smooth, lush sound quality due to the Low Distortion Motor design. The diaphragm is composed of silk and arranged in a dual concentric ring configuration with a clamping phase plug. This enables the tweeter to reproduce stunning detail without added harshness or distortion that typical dome tweeters exhibit.

In order to duplicate the depth and air space of the concert hall, we have developed a dipolar rear mid/tweeter and ambience derivation circuit complete with Dimension Control for effects level. This completes a 360-degree spatial image with virtual realism!

Specifications:

System Type:	Dynamic-driver four-way system using a triple-chambered transmission line and two-piece stacking enclosure system to eliminate resonance and ensure image focus.
Woofer Tuning:	The triple-chambered transmission line is a hybrid design composed of three separate chambers coupled to the room by a tuned vent at 23 Hz. The chamber filling is acoustic foam and Dacron. The 4"-wide vent tube with 7" flare extends bass response without the "one note bass" problem found in other ported systems. Dynamic range is incredible due to the large amount of low frequency air movement.
Cabinet and Bracing:	A two-inch thick front baffle provides exceptional vibration control and image solidity, while one-inch MDF fiberboard interlocking braces provide exceptional rigidity and freedom from boxy colorations. The internal damping consists of thick acoustic felt and foam lining with Dacron stuffing to eliminate cavity resonances. Large carpet spikes are provided.
Size:	Midrange/Tweeter (14"h x 11"w x 24"d). Woofer (29"h x 11"w x 24"d). System (44"h x 11"w x 24"d).
Weight:	Woofer module: 97 lbs. M/T module: 53 lbs. System: 150 lbs. each.
Driver Complement:	2-8.5" aluminum woofers from Norway, 1-7" carbon Kevlar-cellulose Aerogel midrange driver from France, 1-1.5" silk dual concentric ring tweeter from Denmark, 1-1" rear firing ambience mid/tweeter with fabric dome and transmission-line loading from Denmark. All drivers use our proprietary Advanced Motor System with low distortion design.
Crossover:	Acoustic fourth order, at 190 Hz and 1.9 kHz, optimized for flat off-axis response and phase consistency over a wide Global Axis. Very high quality parts are used from France, Germany, and the U.S., including Hovland film and foil capacitors, Solen film-foil capacitors, Solen perfect lay inductors, film-foil resistors, and Analysis Plus internal wiring.
Binding Posts:	Double sets of five-way rhodium posts enabling bi-wiring. Single wire can be used with optional Data Link connector.
Ambience Driver:	1" treated fabric dome with Wave Guide and transmission-line rear wave loading. Ambience circuit uses Dimensional Control (effects level) to compensate for room acoustics and soundstage depth. Provides a Global Axis polar response pattern to simulate live musical reproduction.
Frequency Response:	20Hz-25 kHz, +/- 3 dB, 18 Hz-40 kHz -6 dB, (+/- 1dB at midband).
Impedance:	6 ohms avg. (4 ohms 20 Hz-150 Hz; 8 ohms 150 Hz-20 kHz).
Recommended Power:	20 watts up to 500 watts
Sensitivity:	92 dB @ 1w/1m using 2.83V.
Warranty:	Ten years Parts and Labor, excluding burned voice coils due to amp clipping. Warranty is transferable to second owner.
Finishes:	Available in four book-matched wood veneers. Consisting of standard finish African Hazelwood and Dark Red Cherry. Sycamore and Ebony wood are also available as premium finish options. A satin-gloss polyester resin clear-coat protects the fine wood surfaces. ...
Freq. Response:	CUMULATIVE SPECTRAL DECAY PLOT: The commonly known "waterfall" ( or Cumulative Spectral Decay Plot ) displays a single impulse reproduced by the speaker which is allowed to decay naturally. Each of the succeeding responses have been taken as "snapshots" in frequency versus time as the speaker "settles" from the original impulse. Two main characteristics can be learned from this plot. First, the overall flatness of the curve shows that the speaker has linear frequency response, without significant dips or peaks. Very few speakers in the world have response this accurate. Second, the original impulse is seen to decay quite rapidly, without any major resonances being evident. This indicates that the speaker has excellent drivers, crossover circuits, and cabinet damping, in turn permitting very clear sound reproduction without coloration. This measurement is truly world class, indicating that the VR-4SR is one of the best engineered speakers in the world. Source: Hi Fi & Musik ...
Price:	$10,000 Standard Finish $12,000 Premium Finish