Von Schweikert VR-1 speaker:quality sound or hype?

They are ok. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Shakey

I would put them in the same category as Green Mountain Audio speakers.

If you can find them, buy them and try them out. Speakers and amplifiers are synergistic so you can't predict how they will sound for you. I think they are special. They give a great sense of space and music seems to extend way beyond the boundaries both vertically and horizontally, they are not finicky about positioning and the midrange shows strings and voices to be very real. If you don't like them, no problem, they are easy to sell. They are popular and well=liked, making selling them easy. I doubt you would lose any money in the process. And, you just might find your speaker. Good luck.

Tgrisham
If you can find them, buy them and try them out.

+1 on that advice. I had a pair years ago and while they are fine speakers, nothing they did made me keep them.

Are you comitted to monitors? I found that their floorstanders are excellent in rooms you might think are too small. I am still shocked how well VR-4s work in my 13x15 room.