SVS for music??? (1 Viewer)

[John Kotches]

Gil,

Beaming will occur in any planar drivers. There's tons o' info out on the net that you can find if you do a little search in the right places.

It is possible the midrange ribbon could beam, but I suspect the crossover frequency to the spiral tweeter was chosen specifically to combat that tendency. I've seen that approach in other hybrid designs.

Regards,

 

[Steve Stogel]

I just read some of the mud slinging from Brian C of VMPS on some old AudioAsylum threads and I have to say I lost some respect there.

If you're speaking of the headbutting with TV, I remember reading that (must be years ago...or at least 18 months). I lost a bit more than some respect. I lost a lot of respect for Brian after that. I'm not saying I had a lot of respect to begin with (I knew of VMPS and thought they looked like great speakers, which they probably are), but I thought he was pretty childish. TV tried numerous, numerous times (from my recollection) to stay on the high road (while still defending himself when necessary) but to no avail.
I think it centered around the fact that TV should never (I repeat, never) make assumptions about another manufacturer's products (that didn't flow both ways, however, as I seem to remember BC saying something about cheap Chinese drivers in one of the threads).
I've read a lot of posts from TV over the past couple of years, many before SVS when he mainly pushed DIY (where he'd help you out basically step by step) and then, if you didn't want to go that route, his commercial suggestion was Hsu. I've always found TV to be very honest (not to say he doesn't get riled up at times, he just handles himself better than others) and forthright. I wish him and Ron nothing but the best, and as far as VMPS, I hope that Brian has taken some anger management classes or something (please no flaming as I am just kidding) and that they have continued success offering great bang for your buck. They just probably won't see any of my bucks, unfortunately, after keeping up with those threads from a couple of years back. Glad you love your speakers, Anthony, as they sound like they're incredible.
What the heck was the subject of this thread? Oh, yeah, SVS and music. Mine sounds great .
Steve

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

>>>As for talking to someone at hts about bipolars...maybe you should also talk to the hundreds of users on these boards, professional reviewers, musicians, etc. who love the bipolar sound.

 

[Bob_A]

Steve, as I said before, everyone can change for the better. Mr. Cheney is being judged out of context by one heated incident which happened years ago. I remember when he had a heated exchange with Mr. Barnes, and he publically apologized afterward. He has learned from the past. You will not see him participating in those heated threads anymore. IMHO, the last thing we should be doing is trying to put down another person on a personal level on a public forum.

From what I have seen recently, Mr. Cheney is a class act.

 

[Bob_A]

If you can show me these hundreds of BOSE lovers on the net, people who love BOSE even after comparing them to other well-regarded speakers in the price range, then I would like to know.

 

[Steve Stogel]

Bob, I sincerely hope that Mr. Cheney has learned, but that doesn't change the fact that I, personally, (speaking for no one else nor wanting anyone else to change their opinions of him) made up my mind then and there, two years ago, that VMPS would not get any of my money. It doesn't mean that I don't hope that other people buy and love VMPS. It seems they offer a great product for a great price, and that's a good thing for consumers. I just knew then and there as I was reading the threads that I would never spend money on VMPS.
There are lots of good "Internet" speakers out there (nOrh, ACI, Dynaudio, Divas, and the list goes on), and I will choose from one of those when I upgrade speaks (probably nOrh, but Diva is gaining momentum as we speak ). I didn't even know he had it out with Mr. Barnes, but I can't say that I am shocked. I really hope he has changed his ways, but that doesn't change the things I've read and the feelings that I, personally, have about him. I am not trying to start any kind of backlash. Had I not read those threads, VMPS may well be on my short list. Unfortunately, I did, and they're not.
I don't think I or Gil personally attacked Brian. We just said that we had lost respect for him. That may constitute a personal attack to you, but it doesn't to me. I didn't say, "Anyone who buys this @sshole's speakers is a dumb@ss." I simply said that I thought his actions were uncalled for and childish, which they were. If he has changed his ways, more power to him, but that doesn't change the impression I made of him 2 years ago. After all, we all know how important first impressions are, and that was my first with
Mr. Cheney.
Steve
P.S. Almost forgot. My SVS sounds great on music as well as HT. It's very subtle, fast, and powerful (when called for). Great sub, great company, great people at SVS

 

[Bob_A]

Steve, I think you are being unfair. As far as I know, Mr. Cheney does not have a history of putting down people on a personal level. Why must he be singled out? I don't get it. I really do not understand it. I am sorry.

 

[John Kotches]

Gil,
I neglected to point out that with a highly directional driver (planar radiators launch a cylindrical wavefront rather than a hemi-spherical wavefront, you have less reflections due to the radiation pattern, which means that a planar radiator can do a better job in an HT context than a conventional dynamic speaker. You don't have to deal with reflections from the floor and ceiling, and usually not from the side walls.
A bipolar speaker (personal preferences aside) merely doubles the room interaction potentials, with drivers radiating on both sides of the speaker in a hemi-spherical pattern.
Regards,

 

[Mark KU]

So Bob, since VMPS are so impressive, when are you planning on ditching your now second class Def Techs for a new set of RM2s?

As for Steve's comments (and forgive me for maybe explaining what he's thinking, although that's happened a lot in this thread), but it appears his point is a simple "first impression" scenario. His first contact with VMPS was seeing someone associated with them involved with a discussion that degenerated into some unprofessional conduct. Based on that, he's not willing to give them his business. I fail to see where he is singling out Brian, he's simply saying Brian made a bad impression and he won't buy from VMPS. That's his own personal choice and opinion. Kind of like preferring full-range over bookshelf speakers, eh?

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

To be honest, I thought the *debate* Brian and I had wasn't that big of a deal. When Mr. Barnes(norh)and brian got into it a few months back on AA...that seemed more intense to me...maybe because I had the luxury of objectivity.

TV

 

[Greg Br]

I would like to see that thread!

 

[Steve Stogel]

Thank you, Mark, for summing up my comments nicely.
Bob, I still fail to see where I am attacking Brian personally (at this point I could say that that was not the case with him in those threads, but I won't ). I simply stated that his conduct in those threads was unacceptable. I know nothing about the man, but I did read those threads, thus I feel I have a right to say that I feel he acted inappropriately. That was my point, plain and simple. He lost my respect (and I'd guess the respect of many others who read those threads), and I do not have to hide that fact simply because he has changed his ways. That was my impression of Brian, and the fact that that was enough to eliminate VMPS from my personal list of vendors that I will buy from is my God-given, American right .
I never once said someone should not buy VMPS because Brian is (fill in the blank). I simply stated my personal feelings.
BTW, in my opinion, he does have a history of putting down people (TV in the thread I read and Mr. Barnes that you were so kind to point out). Go back and re-read the threads, and I think you'll see some of his put downs were very personal in nature (and not just merely about SVS products). As I was not aware of the Cheney/Barnes run-in, I do not know how muddy they got. Gil simply mentioned that he lost respect for Brian, and I chimed in that I did as well. I do not want to take any business away from him, but I will not buy (or recommend, for that matter) VMPS products. It's as simple as that. That is my right. I haven't attacked Brian, and I do not feel I said anything I need apologize for.
Steve
BTW, my SVS sounds great with music .

 

[Steve Stogel]

To be honest, I thought the *debate* Brian and I had wasn't that big of a deal. When Mr. Barnes(norh)and brian got into it a few months back on AA...that seemed more intense to me...maybe because I had the luxury of objectivity.

If that's the case, I, too, wouldn't mind reading that thread. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Barnes from the things I've read on his site and through forums, so I'd like to see how he conducted himself (perhaps my speaker choice will be narrowed by yet another manufacturer...Divas, here I come ) Anyone got a link?
TV, if it was more intense, I shudder to think the things that may have been said. I thought y'alls "debate" was plenty intense (at least Mr. Barnes' intensity was up there ). Gotta hunt down that thread.
Steve
Still loving my SVS with music .

 

[Eric Sevigny]

Maybe I am too open, but I can't understand anyone refusing to even listen to a product based on one person's behavior on a forum. I go by review, product merits and listening experience ALONE. Afterall, whatever Brian Cheney might have said, it didn't kept him from winning Best of Show at the CES, and neither does M. Barnes' behavior kept him from receiving glowing reviews for his speakers, CD player or amplifier. In fact, I also remember a debate here that did get pretty heated with SVS in the center of it all.
If I were to go with message board debates - I would have probably ended up buying from the manufacturer with the *least* interaction with the web's community... Which isn't exactly a glowing compliment. I am guessing BOSE would have been it
You do have to decide what's important for you. For me, hardware quality and customer satisfaction is more important then a couple of heated debates on AA. SVS, VMPS and nOrh has it, period.
For the record, I own a SVS sub, VMPS Ribbons (arriving today!) and a couple of product's from nOrh are on my "to audition" list.
To get back on topic, I always loved my SVS 25-31 for music, can't find anything wrong with it. The only thing I was less then happy with is integration with my (now sold) B&W CDM1 NT. Maybe it was because of my Yamaha (bass cutoff at 90Hz) or maybe something else... I felt going for full range speakers for music was the way to go. Although, I am keeping my SVS, I see no need to get rid of it

 

[Andy Anderson]

Steve-
A word about nOrh--my mother is Thai, and we go to Thailand every couple of years. In February, we went back to Bangkok for a week. I had heard about nOrh, knew they were Thai, and thought it would be cool to visit them. My uncle set up an appointment, and he, my dad and I went down to the nOrh "office". It was essentially someone's condo, but they did have 5 or 6 employees buzzing around, and an office in one of the spare rooms. Namphung was there to greet us and talk to us about the speakers. We listened to SM 6.9's primarily, through an integrated tube amplifier with nOhr's preamp. Amazing, really. We demoed many kinds of music, and I was stunned at the depth and detail of those speakers. At one point I asked, is there a subwoofer playing? Nope.
Namphung was very helpful and friendly, and I would have no qualms about giving this company my money. They were very down to earth and gave me the impression that they were willing to work with anyone to work out what was best for them.
They actually reminded me a lot of SVS, in their attitude towards the customer. I really got the vibe from nOhr (as I did with Ron, Tom and Erik of SVS) that the customer really was the most important aspect of their business. So, if anyone is on the fence about nOhr (I think SVS has a pretty good fan-base here at the HTF), then honestly, put your fears aside. I personally don't have plans to buy nOhr in the immediate future, simply because I upgraded my speakers in January, and am perfectly happy. However, if I'm ever in the market for new speaks, or speaks for a second system, nOhr will definitely be in the running.
Andy
P.S. - My CS-Ultra is amazing with music, thanks for asking!

 

[Bob_A]

[nt]

 

[ColinM]

Bob is speechless........?

 

[Mark KU]

So are those RM2s being built and we can expect a full set of Def Techs to show up in the For Sale/Trade forum, Bob?

 

[Steve Stogel]

Eric, I know what you're saying, and VMPS has a lot of products that look great. It may be because I was already familiar with TV that I was so appauled at the way Brian acted, but at any rate, those actions did put me off of VMPS considerably. Their tower speakers look incredible for the price. I feel he is truly doing a great service for consumers out there. HOWEVER, there was enough fodder flying in those couple of threads (yes, two years ago) that I made a conscious decision that I would not own VMPS. The bottom line is that they appear to give consumers a wonderful option, and that is a good thing. But when you conduct yourself in that manner when you, basically, are representing a company (be it VMPS, SVS, nOrh, or any other), I feel you should do so at your own risk.
As an example, everyone knows Bob is a huge DT fan, and if he were to get beligerent or abusive, I wouldn't hold it against DT (this, BTW, is something I have never seen from Bob. He may elicit strong reactions, but overtly aggressive he is absolutely not). Now, if someone of import at DT were to do the same, I may feel diferently about their products as well.
VMPS may well be the best deal in loudspeakers out there (and for near full-range speakers, I think they are right up there), but I have made a conscious decision not to support that particular company. I'd say it's nothing against, Brian; however, in all honesty, it really is. I do not want him to make money from me because of the way he conducted himself. It's as simple as that, and that is my choice.
Andy, I have not hunted down the thread, but I think highly of Mr. Barnes and nOrh. I think their speakers are probably a great deal (and not really in competition with VMPS as far as what I'm looking at). $850 for five ceramic 4.0s looks like THE deal out there for HT speakers. As I listen waaaay more to movies than to music (although I'm listening more with my SVS ), I'm mostly considering nOrh and Diva. The Divas do look very nice, IMO. I like the nOrh's look, too, but the Divas really caught my attention. Of course, they're more (either a bit or a lot, depending on what you get), so you'd have to factor that in as well. So, for $850 shipped, nOrhs will be hard to beat for myself.
Colin, .
Steve

 

[Kevin L K]

AnthonyC--a quick question for you.Do you hook up the VMPS subs the same way you would hook up a SVS CS sub? Meaning: subwoofer preamp out>tape or CD inputs on back of seperate amp>using speakers outputs of said outboard amp>speaker inputs of sub,and just letting bass management of main reciever to control crossover point? Thanks