My Last Speaker Purchase (I'm serious)

Early B.

Yep. I said it. And given my track record, I’ll understand if you don’t believe me. But these speakers are my last major HT speaker purchase for a loooonnnng time. There’s absolutely no reason to upgrade anymore because this is perhaps as good as it gets (in my price range).

I suppose you’re wondering what kind of speakers I recently acquired? Oh yeah, they are….






(see next post)

Early B.

……..a fantastic pair of VMPS Tower II SE :eek:

First, let’s talk aesthetics. These speakers are HUGE!!! They are 44” high, 16” wide and 16” deep. Quite frankly, they overwhelm my 13’ x 20’ room. Because of that, the WAF ain’t very high on these. However, the finish is beautiful. I love the burgundy veneer and it goes well with the décor.

The speakers have 5 drivers each – a supertweeter, tweeter, midrange, two 12” carbon fiber woofers, and a passive, downward firing 12” woofer. They also have three pots to tweak the treble, midrange, and supertweeter. There are dual binding posts with internal jumpers. A switch on the back of each speaker controls whether the speakers are to run full range or bi-wired/bi-amped. These speakers are very efficient and dip down to 20 Hz. I’m guessing they weigh about 125 lbs. each.

So how do they sound? Well, the soundstage is exceptional – far better than the Polk SDA-CRS+ they replaced, and the Polks were outstanding. Not surprisingly, the VMPS’ sound much fuller and thicker than anything I’ve had before. In fact, these speakers make my entire system sound more like an actual movie theater.

The bass – aw man, the bass. Exceptionally controlled and clean as a whistle. A few weeks ago I was using an Onix digital equalization system. The Onix works great and I said I would eventually buy it again, but these speakers sound just like I have the Onix hooked up because the bass is clean and is not localizable. My DIY 15” sub seems to sound more refined. For some reason, fewer things are rattling in the room, but all of the bass is still there.

For example, on one of these LOTR movies, there is a scene where mammoths are engaging the enemy in a battle sequence. With the VMPS’, it sounds like the mammoths’ footsteps are charging right at you because the fronts can convey all of the bass. And when Darla taps the glass, the entire room becomes the fish bowl, not just the area surrounding the seating position.

The most impressive aspect of these speakers is that I’m finally getting close to true surround sound. I didn’t think it was possible in my room because the seating position is against the rear wall, but dammit, I feel like I’m in the middle of the action. The front speakers are somehow working in tandem with the surround speakers and my surrounds sound better than ever.

I’ve got bass all over the place – the fronts go down to 20 Hz, my sub goes well below 20 Hz, and my center channel goes down to 27 Hz. If anyone ever tells you that low bass is not necessary for your fronts because you have a subwoofer, they don’t know what the hell they’re talkin’ about. As many of you know, I’ve tried a bunch of speakers, and the top three speakers I’ve had all had substantial bass (25 Hz or less).

Bottom line – this is the best sounding system I’ve had by a very wide margin. I don’t know what else to say.


Lessons learned:

1. Bass all over the place – that’s what I been preachin’. Strive for it.

2. For HT, size matters. Buy the biggest, baddest speakers you can afford.

3. Sometimes you gotta make an executive decision and ignore WAF. Buying big **** speakers is one of those times.

4. Stop settling. I’ve spent a lot of money over the years experimenting with speakers because I didn’t pursue what I really wanted (the main reason – fear of WAF). Buy big and don’t look back.

5. When a good deal comes along and it’s an item you’ve been salivating for, jump on it. Don’t even think twice.


In a few days I may be tempted to hook my tube amp and tube CDP up to the VMPS speakers and see what it sounds like. Hmmmm. I expect them to sound positively delicious in 2-channel mode.

Early B.

Enjoy the pics...

Ricardo

beautiful.....and 20Hz....impressive.

I understand the 9's decision now
Congrats.

RuSsMaN

GREAT speakers.

Looks like someone did some tweeter swapping. What's the dome from the Inifinity Kappa series, circa early-mid 90's?

janmike

Congrats Early, they look great. No problem filling the room now I'm sure.

Sami

3 12" woofers? No wonder you're getting bass. What amp are you driving these with? Are you going to run phantom centre or try to find something that matches these sonically?

Early B.

RuSsMaN wrote:

GREAT speakers.

Looks like someone did some tweeter swapping. What's the dome from the Inifinity Kappa series, circa early-mid 90's?

I dunno.

The seller is the original owner. He says he purchased them in 1999 and didn't modify them. I e-mailed VMPS to send me some info and specs on these speakers. I'll let you know what they say.


Follow-up: I just received an email from Brian at VMPS. He's still searching for more info, but he confirmed that the TII SE had the yellow Focal dome tweeter and Kappa Emit-R supertweeter.

Early B.

Sami wrote:

What amp are you driving these with? Are you going to run phantom centre or try to find something that matches these sonically?

I'm driving them with the receiver for the moment. The AAD 2002 center channel sounds great with them, IMO.

george daniel

Early B. wrote:

Yep. I said it. And given my track record, I’ll understand if you don’t believe me.





I don't

zombie boy 2000

Awesome EB!! Sho look snazzy...

All that talk about bass and you're rollin' with a supertweeter:D

Joey_V

Love it EB!! LOVE IT!!!

I like your mantra.... "BUY BIG and DONT LOOK BACK!!"

I dont believe you when you say these are your last speakers as I'm sure that you will have a new thread in a few months about a new speaker that you just so happen to have acquired.

I think you've gone through more speakers in the past 2 months than many of us combined!

Surely would've loved an LSi9 vs Tyler review though....

Anyway, good luck with your new babies.. and I've heard much good things about the VMPS, hope you enjoy them for while!

Joey

janmike

I agree. There will be MORE.

hoosier21

yea, VMPS used the Kappa tweeter back in the day. VMPS is good stuff, have fun with those monsters.

VR3

fantastic looking speakers, without a doubt. Congrats

tonyb

Nuttin' like some monster floor standers to shake your **** off the couch.
Enjot my friend!!:D

Early B.

Just finished playing some funky music through these speakers. Dayummm!!

Absolutely incredible. The bass is the real deal, baby.

The music was being played through my DVD player and receiver. I can't imagine how much better they'll sound with a CDP, a nice SS amp, or some tubes somewhere in the mix. Geez.

amulford

Shweet...

My Last Speaker Purchase (I'm serious)

But who ya kidding???

wingnut4772

Those look nice. Nice large room also.

haimoc

The speakers look very nice. Congrat.

Refefer

Those are a sexy pair of speakers. The veneer is gorgeous. Hope you enjoy them (as I have no doubt you will).

wingnut4772

If I had a dollar for every time I said 'my last speakers'.......I would buy more speakers!:D

Joey_V

wingnut4772 wrote:

If I had a dollar for every time I said 'my last speakers'.......I would buy more speakers!:D

So true....

Joey

Early B.

I'm serious, y'all. No more speakers! Ya gotta believe me this time...

...but only if the WAF lets me keep them. She hasn't said anything yet, but at any moment and "BAM!!" The teeth will start knashing and I'll get a verbal lashing.

amulford

He gets a lashing. I get a BASHING...

Early B.

Oh yeah, one more thing about these speakers -- I turned them up as loud as I'll ever play them and the carbon fiber drivers don't visibly move at all. I like that. These speakers are extremely well behaved.

DarqueKnight

Early B. wrote:

And given my track record, I’ll understand if you don’t believe me.

Kinda reminds me of what Liz Taylor said about Eddie Fisher (husband #4) being her "last".:D

Congrats on the new toys.

Dennis Gardner

Nice choice!!

Just be careful with the poor WAF..............she could cut you in half and sail your **** down the river in speakers that big. Never to be seen again!:eek:

BlueMDPicker

Lookin' good! Better put an extra hanger on that elephant with all that bass.

polkatese

Congrats, Brad! that's a good size speaks indeed, no doubt the bass is plentiful. Njoy!

bdaley6509

Very nice. They remind me of the vintage Legacy speakers.