Von Schweikert VR2 vs. Totem Arro

I replaced my VR2s with a pair of Totem Forest. The back tweeter in the VR2 is very tricky and in my case, *very* similar to yours, affected the imaging big time. If turned off, the sound became dull. The Totems are in a different league altogether. The imaging is incredible.

I have only heard good things about the Arro and even some reviews regard it as being better than the -more expensive- forest. I'd go with Totem.

The VR2 is a little on the warmer side than the Arro, which has a leaner sound. You may need a sub with the Arro if you require deep bass extension.

However, as mentioned above, the Arro images like no other speaker. It's holographic and life-like. The midrange and highs are remarkably clear, and the bass is actually not bad for a speaker its size. It's one of the best speakers I've ever owned. The Bryston should power it beautifully, although I think the Arro's sound even better with tubes.

The Arro's will also have more latitude for placement. You can put them just about anywhere in a room and they will sound great. The VR2's are more sensitive to placement.

Ultimately it comes down to your personal tastes, but my unquestioned choice is the Arro. As a side benefit, the Arro's keep their value well on the used market and should you ever decide to sell it, you will have 20 offers for it on the day you list your ad. That shouldn't be your only consideration, of course, but it's a nice bonus.

Michael

Also consider OHM micro Walsh Tall. The largely omni design lends itself well to less than ideal placement within rooms

Check this agon thread for a wealth of info on Totem Arro versus OHM MWT specifically.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1223044851&read&keyw&zzmicro+walsh+talls

While I am not familiar w/ the VR2's, I just purchased a pair of Totem Arro's. After listening to many, many speakers- including several other Totem lines- my ears returned to the Arros. There is something very special and musical about these little speakers.

Good luck w/ your decision.

The arro is amazing, but i have not heard the VR2. If you got arros, you probably never would regret it. The image like no other.
Darren

I haven't had the pleasure of hearing the Arro's, but I do own the VR-2's. I upgraded to them from the Quad 22L, which I suspect have similar qualities to the Arros, but with a bit more bass.

I find the VR-2's to be a bit more "grown up" for lack of a better term. They seem bigger in sound (of course they are bigger) but their bass and midrange is very appealing to my ear. After listening to the VR-2's for a bit, I went back and listened to the Quad's and I found them to be thin and harsher sounding. Overall, I'm impressed with the VR-2's. They can be tricky to set up, but using a free pink noise file you can find online and burned to a CD, you just play it and move the speakers around until the noise literally hovers a few feet in front of the VR-2's and in the center. Took me about 20 minutes playing around with it to get it just right.

Re the rear tweeter, I use it at about 50%. I'm a tube guy, who also prefers a clean high sound, but without the harshness.

Brian

I owned Von Scheiwerkt vortex screens
you might also look at Salk Song towers or VT2's

What Mapman said. :-)