Early B. is HUGE!!

[Early B.]

OK, OK, get your minds out of the gutter -- I'm talking about my center channel. It finally arrived today -- the VMPS LRC. It's HUGE!!!

Looks good, sounds good. Check out the pics.

BTW, that's a 50" TV that's sitting on top of the center channel, so it gives you an indication of the size of this 50 lb. behemoth. Of course, I set it to LARGE. It should do low 30's in my room.

[VR3]

Jesus H Christ...

That center is a beast. You bought from John, right?

Cool deal man

[Midnite Mick]

Very, very nice!

Mike

[cfrizz]

Congrats.

[cstpeter]

Great setup. That center is basically a full-range floorstander on its side!

[george daniel]

Nevermind,,, I thought that you had been on an eating binge:D Brad,, I don't think that I've ever seen anything quite like that,,,do you have your television secured with cargo straps? That is one hell of a center,,,congratulations :)

[pearsall001]

Damn Early, I'd keep an eye on that glass tv stand!! How'd you sneak that one past the wifey??? Very impressive & I bet it sounds good to.

[Early B.]

Damn Early, I'd keep an eye on that glass tv stand!! How'd you sneak that one past the wifey??? Very impressive & I bet it sounds good to.

No worries. The top shelf on the TV stand can hold 250 lbs, I think. With the TV weighing in at 85 lbs and the speaker at 50 lbs., the TV stand ain't even breakin' a sweat. I realize it's kinda crazy to set a TV on top of a speaker, but I'm sorta unconventional, if you haven't noticed already. You understand me, don't ya, Sid?

My wife doesn't care about the purchase because I didn't spend any additional money on it. Besides, it's pretty, but she won't admit it. Trust me, if it weren't, I'd get an earful.

I like the sound so far, but reserving judgment. It wasn't even calibrated when I listened to it. The real test will be next week with "300."

By the way, the bass is the best I've ever heard in my system, by far. I made a few changes recently --

1. upgraded the interconnect for the fronts (from the receiver to the pre)
2. adjusted the bass volume in the receiver and reduced the volume on the subwoofer amp (don't know if this matters)
3. changed the power cord from a DIY to the "big ass cord"
4. eliminated the rattling from the metal pictures on the wall (they would rattle a bit at around 30Hz and lower)
5. changed the center channel (yes, the center channel plays a key role in bass performance)
6. changed the subwoofer amp a month ago

[Early B.]

Oh, I gotta add this -- when it comes to speakers, my new motto is -- "Go big or go home." HT or 2-channel -- it doesn't matter. It's simple physics -- if you wanna fill a room up with sound, you gotta move some air. You wanna be right there inside the music or movie, not a bystander. There's a reason most speaker manufacturers' flagships are HUGE!!

[scottvamp]

Nice, but my 10.5 foot projection screen makes my dual CS400's look tiny.;)

[polkatese]

very nice, Brad! congrats...!

[G-2]

Awesome!!

[janmike]

That is nice. HUGE for sure. Congrats.

[Ern Dog]

Very impressive rig you got there Early B.

[mulveling]

Sweet man!! Your rig was already kicking all kinds of ass with the Taylos as center. Now with the matching center, I can't even imagine...

On the center channel lbs. contest though, these Tannoy Dimensions are even more crazy. This damn Dimension TDC center I got here (to match my new TD10's) weights in at over 70 lbs I don't even know what to do with the damn thing yet; it's still in the box. I got it only 'cause it was a great package deal for the front 3. My dilemma is that I'll only have room for the center if I ditch my CRT and buy a plasma , but I can only afford a plasma if I sell the center :D

[mulveling]

Oh, I gotta add this -- when it comes to speakers, my new motto is -- "Go big or go home." HT or 2-channel -- it doesn't matter. It's simple physics -- if you wanna fill a room up with sound, you gotta move some air. You wanna be right there inside the music or movie, not a bystander. There's a reason most speaker manufacturers' flagships are HUGE!!

Yeah, you're right. I love the incredible mids and imaging of a top-notch monitor, but the bass impact, extension, and sheer presence of a good floorstander is hard to live without. Another wrinkle is that these hi-end headphones I've got can render super bass extension but not so much the impact - sort of a middle ground that suits me well, but not others. If I've at least got the bass extension and killer mids, then I'm usually pretty happy.

[Early B.]

On the center channel lbs. contest though, these Tannoy Dimensions are even more crazy. This damn Dimension TDC center I got here (to match my new TD10's) weights in at over 70 lbs I don't even know what to do with the damn thing yet; it's still in the box. I got it only 'cause it was a great package deal for the front 3. My dilemma is that I'll only have room for the center if I ditch my CRT and buy a plasma , but I can only afford a plasma if I sell the center :D

Hold onto that center channel, even if you have to keep it in the box for a while. That's one of the nicest centers I've seen and I'm sure it sounds great, although it's too much for your apartment. It's time for you to buy a house, if for no other reason than to optimize your audio gear.;)

I believe wholeheartedly in getting the biggest, baddest center channel you can afford, even if it's not timbre matched. It is absolutely critical to the HT experience, not just for anchoring dialogue, but for the whole surround concept.

Here's a crude analogy -- a color inkjet printer uses up a lot of black ink, not only because of word processing (i.e., dialogue), but also in assisting in the blending of colors. If the black ink is weak (i.e., a dark gray instead of true black), then the colors won't blend very well and the pictures will be murky. Same is true with a center channel -- it should "blend" well with all of the speakers.

[hearingimpared]

That is absolutely gorgeous.

[engtaz]

Congrats very purdy

[wingnut4772]

Congrats! I am intrigued by these speakers. Have you posted a thread on your reviews on the VMPS. I would be curious to hear your impressions.

[Early B.]

Congrats! I am intrigued by these speakers. Have you posted a thread on your reviews on the VMPS. I would be curious to hear your impressions.

Yep. I wrote this right after after I bought them:


I’m an audiophile on a budget, and proudly so. That’s one of the reasons I purchased an affordably priced used pair of VMPS Tower II SE speakers. [The Tower II SE’s are no longer manufactured; they have been replaced by the RM2.] These speakers are fairly stout at 44” high, 15.25” wide and 15.75” deep. Quite frankly, they’ll likely overwhelm a small to medium size room. Because of that, the wife acceptance factor (WAF) may be low on these speakers (I made an executive decision and bought them anyway). However, the finish is beautiful. I love the burgundy veneer and it goes well with any décor.

Each speaker sports a super tweeter, tweeter, 4” midrange, two 12” carbon fiber woofers, and a slot loaded 12” passive radiator. They also have three pots to tweak the treble, midrange, and super tweeter. You can even adjust the bass by manipulating the dampening properties of the passive radiators. In addition, 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 140 lbs. each.

So how do they sound? Well, the Tower II’s sound much fuller than anything I’ve owned before. The soundstage is exceptional. In fact, these speakers make my entire home theater system sound more like an actual movie theater.

For example, on one of the 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 the full complement of 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 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.

And it gets really interesting with 2-channel music. Being the bassaholic that I am, I started my speaker demo out with Stanley Clarke’s Bass-ics Collection and my room was transformed into a dance club (I couldn’t stop dancing, and I ain’t very good at it!). I fell in love with the thunderous, yet well controlled bass. On many speakers with large woofers, the bass can be overbearing, like a subwoofer with too much gain. Not so with the Tower II’s; they allow the bass to serve as the delightful garden wherein the mids and highs can blossom.

Then I threw various jazz CDs at the speakers; the voices of Cassandra Wilson and Lizz Wright sounded more natural and with greater emotionality. There was a clear separation of instruments and no listening fatigue at all. The speakers provided incredible dynamics and attack. There was more air, detail, and warmth than I imagined could emanate from a solid state system.

Keep in mind that at the time, I was playing music through an Oppo 970 DVD player and a Pioneer Elite VSX-52TX A/V receiver! In fact, the music sounded so good that it forced me to dismantle my separate, tube-based, 2-channel system and integrate it with my HT system so I can use the VMPS Tower II SE as my new reference speakers. To be honest, I didn’t think it was possible to get music this good in my acoustically troublesome room on my budget. In a nutshell, these speakers completely changed my paradigm about what a great audio system ought to sound like.

[tonyb]

Oh, I gotta add this -- when it comes to speakers, my new motto is -- "Go big or go home." HT or 2-channel -- it doesn't matter. It's simple physics -- if you wanna fill a room up with sound, you gotta move some air. You wanna be right there inside the music or movie, not a bystander. There's a reason most speaker manufacturers' flagships are HUGE!!

Gotta give you the thumbs up on this one.In a big room,you have to move alot of air.
Lokking good there big guy,congrats,that center looks awesome.

[del44]

Damn nice. That thing is pretty wide. I thought that the CS400I was a good sized center, but when I got the Revel "Voice" center, I was like damn this is a center. Sometimes bigger is better.:D