I think some cables are just a little too expensive.

@mikelavigne  After you sold you VR9SEs, didn't you replace them with VR55s or the Ultra 9s?  I intend to purchase the VR9SE MkIIs.  I have a superb engineered listening room but I don't want to buy larger tube amps so I decided against the much less efficient VR55s.  I figure that the adjust-ability will make up for the new technology of the VR55s (the Ultra 9s are out of my price league).

The multiple times I've auditioned systems using Transparent Audio cabling, it seemed that the more expensive cabling levels resulted in worse sounding systems (even though the systems also were more expensive).  Just my experience.

I am a beta tester for a cable manufacturer and don't intend to change my cabling with any new equipment (cartridge and speakers only).  After 20+ years of testing and various lines, I purchased the top of the line Pharaoh GroverHuffman cables which retail in the $700 to $1000 range for PCs and ICs and double that for long speaker cables.  His Empress line now incorporates some of the new attributes of the Pharaoh line at 40%-50% lower price.  My system is high end but by no means SOTA.  The cabling is as important as the equipment.

A little expensive ?

After you sold you VR9SEs, didn’t you replace them with VR55s or the Ultra 9s? I intend to purchase the VR9SE MkIIs. I have a superb engineered listening room but I don’t want to buy larger tube amps so I decided against the much less efficient VR55s. I figure that the adjust-ability will make up for the new technology of the VR55s (the Ultra 9s are out of my price league).

@fleschler

my Von Schweikert story has a few twists and turns, a few i’ll keep to myself.

obviously i owned VR9SE’s in 2005-2006 until a friend (from Hong Kong) made me an offer to buy them i could not refuse. so what i did was try to purchase VR11SE’s. at first i was going to buy a set of VR11SE demo’s, but it turned out they were already sold. so i ordered a new set to be built. this was summer of 2006. Von Schweikert then sent me a set of VR7SE’s to use until my VR11SE’s showed up.

5 months later my VR11SE’s had not yet even been started, i had no idea what was going on, so i decided to buy a set of speakers from a new company, Evolution Acoustics. i bought the 2nd set of MM3’s to be produced. i was still waiting for my VR11SE’s to show up thinking when i got those i would choose which speakers to keep. i then had the MM3’s, the VR7SE’s in my garage crated up, and the VR11SE’s still on order.

turned out there was a dispute between my dealer and Von Schweikert which was causing the delay in starting my VR11SE’s. and eventually by mutual agreement the order was cancelled.....but not because i did not want those speakers. a few years later there was a legal settlement involved which i’m not getting into.

so i did not leave Von Schweikert, Von Schweikert left me! and i still love those speakers to this day.

btw; the ’Ultra’ versions of the Von Schweikert speakers did not appear until 5-6 years ago.....2014-2015; which was 8 years after my experience. when i was involved it was just ’SE’.

and.......my Evolution Acoustics MM3's and now my MM7's were designed by Kevin Malmgren, who also happened to be the designer of the VR9SE and VR11SE while he worked for Von Schweikert.....prior to moving over to Evolution.

@mikelavigne Thank you for the update.  I previously saw your Evolution MMs on some equipment review(s) but I didn't put 2 & 2 together.  I had a local dealer who discontinued the Von Schweikert line and kept the B&W line (very inferior in my opinion).  I've been told that the VR 9SE Mark II is much upgraded from the original you had.  I want to keep my amps (125w tube monoblocks) and VS told me I would need more power for the VR55s.  The Evolutions MM3s would be the largest speaker my room could accommodate.  My room is also superior design/construction but is only 19'6" X 16' X 10' interior dimensions so larger speakers are out.  Other than the big problem you had ordering the VR11s, would you still consider the Ultra 9 or 11 if you didn't have your Evolution MM 7s?  The only other speaker I considered were the Lumenwhite Kyaras (also efficient) but they are too small a company for me to sink $40-$60K into.

Other than the big problem you had ordering the VR11s, would you still consider the Ultra 9 or 11 if you didn’t have your Evolution MM 7s?

absolutely; the VR11 Ultra is the only dynamic cone speaker besides my MM7’s with similar mid bass driver surface. which is a huge issue in ease and transparency. i've heard the VR11 Ultra's and VR9 Ultra's at shows and loved both of them, my only issue is both are silly expensive. my MM7's are bargains in comparison and have equal at least performance.

and the Ultra series now uses ceramic mids and woofers like my MM7’s.

i did like the VR9SE Mk2’s, but not as much as i liked the MM3’s.....or the MM3 Exact’s.

you can’t go wrong with Von Schweikert’s or Evolution Acoustics.