Напольная акустика — Von Schweikert Audio VR.fifty

The VR.fifty is a three-way floorstander built by Von Schweikert Audio of the USA, and it replaces the model previously sold as VR-55 Mk II SE. It sits in the VR line below the Ultra series and borrows its tweeter from that higher range.

Key specs that matter

Two 8.5 inch ceramic woofers handle the bass, an underhung ceramic midrange looks after the mids and a beryllium tweeter from the Ultra series takes the top. A ribbon fires backward from the rear of the enclosure to add ambience. The rated frequency range runs from 21 Hz to 40 kHz, with a sensitivity of 88 dB at 1 W and 1 m and a nominal impedance of 4 ohm. Each speaker weighs about 84 kg.

Engineering and use context

Von Schweikert builds this enclosure using its triple-wall laminate method, first developed in 1994. An outer skin of resin-based HDF, a middle layer of synthetic stone in resin and an inner layer of dense woven damping material add up to a thick composite wall, and internal braces of varying stiffness are placed inside. The crossover is a proprietary analogue network with no digital signal processing anywhere in the chain. The rear-firing ribbon adds reflected treble from the wall behind the speaker, which the maker ties to a wide listening area. Buyers can order the VR.fifty in fully passive form or with the Foundation Hybrid Bass System, an optional upgrade in which an 800 W RMS amplifier inside the cabinet drives the woofers while the midrange and tweeters remain passive. This bass section also works without DSP. The cabinets are finished by hand in multi-layer automotive paint, and bespoke colours can be commissioned from an artisan finisher. With an underhung motor the mid driver's coil is shorter than its gap, so it stays inside the gap over its working stroke. Placing two woofers rather than one in the cabinet increases total cone area for bass without widening the baffle.

Pairing

The recommended minimum amplifier power for the passive version is 50 W per channel. A current-capable amplifier suits the demanding load, and with the powered Foundation option the outboard amplifier just needs to power the midrange and treble drivers, which eases the demand in a 20 m2 room.

Alternatives

In the same VR line, the Von Schweikert VR.thirty is a slightly smaller floorstander with three ceramic woofers and the same optional Foundation bass system.