Spendor vs. Von Schweikert?


I'm the very happy owner of a pair of Spendor S100's. I bought them new 15 yrs ago. My system's evolved over the yrs from transistor to all-tube and thru it all the Spendor's always sounded rich and musical, very satisfying to my ears. I think that the tweeters may be showing their age (or maybe it's my ears!;) but I've been contemplating a change. I've read so much about the VR4Jr's, I need to audition them somehow, but thought I'd throw the question out there. Anybody familiar with the sound of both these lines? How do they compare?
128x128chazro
It is exactly the nature of the VR4JR sound that gets old and quick. The BBC sound has a slight dip in the upper midrange which relaxes the presentation and a completely uncoloured midband that makes them so listenable over the long haul. Ever wonder why there are so many Von Schweikert's on the A'gon for sale and so few Harbeth/Spendors? People "date" speakers like the VR4JR's and then move on to the next "best" thing. People marry the Harbeth/Spendors and rarely get divorced.
Arkio,

Spendors are very good speakers. I never said they will not work well with any other type of music. I just said spendors work very well with the type of music I played. I did not mention this earlier. I did play Pop & Jazz and it sounds darn good as well. I am not an audiophile. I play my audition discs and expect the speakers to put me in musical world. Spedors did that darn well and so did DynAudio Contour S1.4, Totems and Sonus Faber. But Von Schweikert failed to put me in the musical world.

Again I am not an audiophile. Von Schweikert may be producing the music precisely...I am not sure. What I know is, it did not emotionally involve me in the musical world. What is the point in accurate musical re-creation when the listener can not be emotionally involved in the music he is listenng to. Again, this is very personal opinion and can change from individual to individual

Grakesh
keep the spendors. the classic series is one of the finest lines of loudspeskers ever made.
Arkio,

Spendors are very good speakers. I never said they will not work well with any other type of music. I just said spendors work very well with the type of music I played. I did not mention this earlier. I did play Pop & Jazz and it sounds darn good as well. I am not an audiophile. I play my audition discs and expect the speakers to put me in musical world. Spedors did that darn well and so did DynAudio Contour S1.4, Totems and Sonus Faber. But Von Schweikert failed to put me in the musical world.

Again I am not an audiophile. Von Schweikert may be producing the music precisely...I am not sure. What I know is, it did not emotionally involve me in the musical world. What is the point in accurate musical re-creation when the listener can not be emotionally involved in the music he is listenng to. Again, this is very personal opinion and can change from individual to individual

Grakesh
Dodgealum, check Audiogon carefully, there are just as many if not more Spendors for sale at any one time then VSR. That’s not a very valid point anyway, because people upgrade all the time. VSR speakers get progressively better (signifcantly) as you go up the line and when people afford it they often move up. Something that might be the polar opposite in the Spendor line. Aren’t the small moniters signifcantly better then the floor standing speakers? One thing I want to make clear is I really do have lots of respect for Spendor speakers, their history and designs are time tested and they do have legions of fans. I am not bashing that , all I am saying is there is a good altenative in the VSR line which to me sounds more like real music. The ‘Slight dip’ you speak about is more like a big dip in the upper midrange which skews the speaker to the warm/suropy side that gives all music a distinctly unnaturally warm sound. If you like that coloration… good. Obviously many people do ! Perhaps you could enlighten all of us what precisely about the 4jr’s sound that makes it sound old for you… what equipment did you listen to them with? Not to berate you because your opinion is as valid as mine.. I am just curious. Giving a blanket statement that they are not as musical as the Spendors seems a bit of a generality. To me the VSR4jr are as natural as I have heard in the under 8K range and to me they easily reveal the components you use in front of them precisely. I can tell cable changes easily with these speakers. They play what the CD/album has to offer, nothing more / nothing less. No artifical sweeteners there ! Also the idea that Spendors have some exclusivity to one being able to listen to them for long period without fatigue. I routinely listen for 6-8 hours or more with not a hint of fatigue… just pure exhileration and exitement. I have a feeling listening to the spendors for any period of time would put me to sleep… :) Maybe that’s why so many people like them.

Grakesh,
If you think the VR4jr lose something in terms of musciality/emotion then I would suggest you heard the auxileries and not the speakers. I guarantee you, I could change your mind about the VR4jr if you heard them properly setup. There would be no doubt in your mind about there ability to convey emotion, pace and rhythm of music beautifully . Dare I say, even better then the Spendors. That said, I have a feeling you like that sweet mid-range sound (BBC sound) for some reason … and if that works for you then congratulations. Nuff said.

As always, good listening, I know I shall be.