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Von Schweikert VR-4.5 vs. VS VR-4 Gen III HSE

I own a pair of Von Schweikert VR 4.5 speakers. I was wondering if any of you had ever had a chance to compare this speaker to their VR-4 Gen III HSE speakers? I checked the specs and the drivers are different. Not sure what parts they might share. Do you know what year(s) both were manufactured? Did VS produce the Gen III right after the 4.5? If you have heard or owned both, what did you find to be the differences? I'm still stunned at the amount of transparency/soundstage/detail/air (fill in your own words) that I am getting out of these speakers. And I'm still working on getting them dialed in. Yes, everything upstreams matters a lot. Am loving tube amplification on these so far. 85 watts per side seems to be enough for now.
tube540
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I do notice that the speakers only start to come alive once they have enough "critical power" from the amp. Below a certain threshold, you don't get the magic.
Tube540 (Threads)
This is true of the VR4 Gen III HSE. Mine sounded best at levels above 85dB, and they certainly liked power.
lsilver507
11 posts
 
i had 4jrs and vr2, and now 4hse is the best but needs lot of power , depending on room you may enough for 4jrs , basic problem of upgrading speakers always had to change amps i had 60 watt tube monos not enough on 4jrs
bigshutterbug
332 posts
 
I have had both the 4.5 silvers and the HSE's here in my system for quite a few years, and found the HSE's had tighter, faster and deeper bass. The mids on the HSE's were less colored, and the highs on the HSE's were less edgy. Both require an amp capable of putting out some good current. They are not inefficient, but need an amp that has good control. As you have probably already discovered, placement of the speakers is critical in order to do justice to the their imaging capabilities.
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