Super Speaker Shootout at Scott Walker Audio, Keller TX store

[SWA_CA]

Dates: Friday Sept 26th, Saturday Sept 27th & Sunday September 28th -- 12-5pm

Location: Scott Walker Audio - 1101 Keller Parkway, Keller TX 76248 - (817) 320-3145
Hampton Inn is directly across the street and DFW airport is 20 minutes away. 50 restaurants within 10 min of our store.

Admission: FREE! However, seating is limited. Reservation is required. Feel free to attend more than 1 day. Light lunch served.
To reserve your spot, visit our website - www.scottwalkeraudio.com

Friday, Sept 26th 12-5 pm
Speakers: Estelon Extremes MKII
Electronics: (4) Vitus Signature Amps, Vitus Signature Preamp
Digital: Taiko Olympus Server
Analog: SonoruS ATR10 MKII Tape Machine
Cables & Accessories: Crystal Cable, Synergistic SRX Power, ART, Seismion, Ekustik Treatments, ASC Tube Traps
Reps attending: Aldo Filippelli (Estelon, Vitus, Crystal Cable, ART, Ekustik), Jason The Audio Junkie

Saturday Sept 27th 12-5 pm
Speakers: Acora Acoustics VRC
Electronics: Audio Research 330M monos, Audio Research Ref 10 preamp
Digital: Aurender N50 Streamer, MSB Cascade DAC
Analog: SonoruS ATR 10 MKII Tape Machine
Cables & Accessories: Crystal Cable, Synergistic SRX Power, ART, Seismion, Ekustik Treatments, ASC Tube Traps
Reps attending: Val Cora (Acora Acoustics), Aldo Filippelli (Estelon, Vitus, Crystal Cable, ART, Ekustik), Allan Haggar (Audio Research)

Sunday Sept 28th 12-5 pm
Speakers: Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 11 w/ Foundation Subwoofers
Electronics: (2) VAC 455iQ Power Amps, VAC Statement Line Stage Preamp
Digital: Taiko Olympus Server, MSB Cascade DAC
Analog: SonoruS ATR10 MKII Tape Machine
Cables & Accessories: Crystal Cable, Synergistic SRX Power, ART, Seismion, Ekustik Treatments, ASC Tube Traps
Reps attending: Damon Von Schweikert (VSA), Aldo Filippelli (ART, Crystal Cable, Ekustik Treatments)

Questions? Contact us at (817) 320-3145 or scottwalkeraudiodfw@gmail.com

 

[gadawg58]

I’ll be there on Sunday for sure. Can’t wait to hear that setup!

George

 

[SWA_CA]

I’ll be there on Sunday for sure. Can’t wait to hear that setup!

George

It's going to be great! You won't be disappointed.

 

[jeromelang]

how many rooms being utilised here? only 1?
why 3 different systems on 3 consecutive days in the same room?
enough time for the source/amps/speakers/cablings to properly settle?

 

[gadawg58]

Well .. I was there on Sunday and went back again today to take another listen to the Ultra 11’s. I’ve owned Wilson speakers now for over 10 years and have been thrilled with them every second I’ve owned them. I’ve listened to a lot of other systems/speakers over the years and I have to say there have been very few times when I was so captivated by a system that I was at a loss for words. The first time was in the late 80’s when I first heard the Infinity IRS V’s. I was just out of college and had no hope of ever affording such a speaker but I never forgot that experience. It was magical in every sense of the word. The scale and clarity those ribbons offered was unmatched for their time at least for me. Over the years I had many different speakers searching for that perfect sound for me. Had Martin Logan’s a couple of different times, Acoustat back in the day, IRS 2.5’s, then bought a pair of B&W 801 Matrix Series 2 that I owned for many years. Then bought a pair of Wilson Sasha’s and loved them. After a few years though I found myself wanting just a bit more so I upgraded to the Alexx when the opportunity presented itself. I’ve been in heaven ever since. Or at least so I thought …

When I heard the Ultra 11’s my first reaction was that I was hearing things in the recording that I had never heard before. Much better clarity than I had ever heard but without any brightness or harshness at all that I have heard many times from other speakers that were reviewed as very detailed. Next, the sheer scale of sound from the Ultra 11 reminded me instantly of the experience all those years ago I had with the IRS V. it was like the entire Orchestra was in the room and again .. with absolute clarity. The detail in the bass was amazing and the soundstage was more layered than I can ever remember hearing and with nothing being blurred or out of focus at all. Everything always stayed in the sharpest of focus allowed me to hear deeper into the recording than ever before. I just got lost as these are the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. Period. Purely my opinion and so please don’t think I’m attempting to make any global claims .. just stating they are the best I’ve heard. I respect everyone has their own favorite … these are mine.

I was listening to them via a VAC Statement Pre and the new 455’s and the Sonorus R2R. Nearly the exact setup I have other than I have the 452’s so alas mine are no longer top of the mountain at VAC. Such is life I guess! For me there is an awsome synergy with the Ultra’s and VAC Statement setup. All that said, my room is not really worthy of such a speaker today. It’s on a second floor and the room is a bit smaller than I’d like for such a large speaker although Damon claimed they would work fine in my 20X24X9. I understand they have incredible adjustment capability. That said the bass in my room is not quite as tight and detailed as when speakers are on a concrete slab and I have no possibility of having them on the 1st floor in the current house.Then there is the matter of getting them up a flight of stairs, making a turn at a landing that might be just big enough to squeeze through before finishing the climb. Measurements to be made this weekend.

Me and my wife are considering building a new house in the next couple of years and when we do my audio room WILL BE on the ground floor and more like a 23X31 or something along those lines. I have no doubt the Ultra 11 is my next speaker … now I just have to decide if I am going to try and squeeze them upstairs now and then move them in a few years or just be patient and get them when we move into the new house a few years down the road. In the meantime I’m not suffering with Alexx for sure .. but the memory of what I heard today will linger and nagg at me until I have my own pair of Ultra 11’s.

At least for me .. I now know where my speaker journey will lead if not exactly when I’ll get there.

Cheers everyone!

George

 

[es347]

Well .. I was there on Sunday and went back again today to take another listen to the Ultra 11’s. I’ve owned Wilson speakers now for over 10 years and have been thrilled with them every second I’ve owned them. I’ve listened to a lot of other systems/speakers over the years and I have to say there have been very few times when I was so captivated by a system that I was at a loss for words. The first time was in the late 80’s when I first heard the Infinity IRS V’s. I was just out of college and had no hope of ever affording such a speaker but I never forgot that experience. It was magical in every sense of the word. The scale and clarity those ribbons offered was unmatched for their time at least for me. Over the years I had many different speakers searching for that perfect sound for me. Had Martin Logan’s a couple of different times, Acoustat back in the day, IRS 2.5’s, then bought a pair of B&W 801 Matrix Series 2 that I owned for many years. Then bought a pair of Wilson Sasha’s and loved them. After a few years though I found myself wanting just a bit more so I upgraded to the Alexx when the opportunity presented itself. I’ve been in heaven ever since. Or at least so I thought …

When I heard the Ultra 11’s my first reaction was that I was hearing things in the recording that I had never heard before. Much better clarity than I had ever heard but without any brightness or harshness at all that I have heard many times from other speakers that were reviewed as very detailed. Next, the sheer scale of sound from the Ultra 11 reminded me instantly of the experience all those years ago I had with the IRS V. it was like the entire Orchestra was in the room and again .. with absolute clarity. The detail in the bass was amazing and the soundstage was more layered than I can ever remember hearing and with nothing being blurred or out of focus at all. Everything always stayed in the sharpest of focus allowed me to hear deeper into the recording than ever before. I just got lost as these are the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. Period. Purely my opinion and so please don’t think I’m attempting to make any global claims .. just stating they are the best I’ve heard. I respect everyone has their own favorite … these are mine.

I was listening to them via a VAC Statement Pre and the new 455’s and the Sonorus R2R. Nearly the exact setup I have other than I have the 452’s so alas mine are no longer top of the mountain at VAC. Such is life I guess! For me there is an awsome synergy with the Ultra’s and VAC Statement setup. All that said, my room is not really worthy of such a speaker today. It’s on a second floor and the room is a bit smaller than I’d like for such a large speaker although Damon claimed they would work fine in my 20X24X9. I understand they have incredible adjustment capability. That said the bass in my room is not quite as tight and detailed as when speakers are on a concrete slab and I have no possibility of having them on the 1st floor in the current house.Then there is the matter of getting them up a flight of stairs, making a turn at a landing that might be just big enough to squeeze through before finishing the climb. Measurements to be made this weekend.

Me and my wife are considering building a new house in the next couple of years and when we do my audio room WILL BE on the ground floor and more like a 23X31 or something along those lines. I have no doubt the Ultra 11 is my next speaker … now I just have to decide if I am going to try and squeeze them upstairs now and then move them in a few years or just be patient and get them when we move into the new house a few years down the road. In the meantime I’m not suffering with Alexx for sure .. but the memory of what I heard today will linger and nagg at me until I have my own pair of Ultra 11’s.

At least for me .. I now know where my speaker journey will lead if not exactly when I’ll get there.

Cheers everyone!

George

..not surprised to hear your reaction. I’ve owned several VSA speakers, formerly the Ultra 9s, currently the Ultra 7s and can safely say I’ve never heard a Wilson that can come close sonically…go for it George!

 

[Audio Addict]

 

[gleeds]

Well .. I was there on Sunday and went back again today to take another listen to the Ultra 11’s. I’ve owned Wilson speakers now for over 10 years and have been thrilled with them every second I’ve owned them. I’ve listened to a lot of other systems/speakers over the years and I have to say there have been very few times when I was so captivated by a system that I was at a loss for words. The first time was in the late 80’s when I first heard the Infinity IRS V’s. I was just out of college and had no hope of ever affording such a speaker but I never forgot that experience. It was magical in every sense of the word. The scale and clarity those ribbons offered was unmatched for their time at least for me. Over the years I had many different speakers searching for that perfect sound for me. Had Martin Logan’s a couple of different times, Acoustat back in the day, IRS 2.5’s, then bought a pair of B&W 801 Matrix Series 2 that I owned for many years. Then bought a pair of Wilson Sasha’s and loved them. After a few years though I found myself wanting just a bit more so I upgraded to the Alexx when the opportunity presented itself. I’ve been in heaven ever since. Or at least so I thought …

When I heard the Ultra 11’s my first reaction was that I was hearing things in the recording that I had never heard before. Much better clarity than I had ever heard but without any brightness or harshness at all that I have heard many times from other speakers that were reviewed as very detailed. Next, the sheer scale of sound from the Ultra 11 reminded me instantly of the experience all those years ago I had with the IRS V. it was like the entire Orchestra was in the room and again .. with absolute clarity. The detail in the bass was amazing and the soundstage was more layered than I can ever remember hearing and with nothing being blurred or out of focus at all. Everything always stayed in the sharpest of focus allowed me to hear deeper into the recording than ever before. I just got lost as these are the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. Period. Purely my opinion and so please don’t think I’m attempting to make any global claims .. just stating they are the best I’ve heard. I respect everyone has their own favorite … these are mine.

I was listening to them via a VAC Statement Pre and the new 455’s and the Sonorus R2R. Nearly the exact setup I have other than I have the 452’s so alas mine are no longer top of the mountain at VAC. Such is life I guess! For me there is an awsome synergy with the Ultra’s and VAC Statement setup. All that said, my room is not really worthy of such a speaker today. It’s on a second floor and the room is a bit smaller than I’d like for such a large speaker although Damon claimed they would work fine in my 20X24X9. I understand they have incredible adjustment capability. That said the bass in my room is not quite as tight and detailed as when speakers are on a concrete slab and I have no possibility of having them on the 1st floor in the current house.Then there is the matter of getting them up a flight of stairs, making a turn at a landing that might be just big enough to squeeze through before finishing the climb. Measurements to be made this weekend.

Me and my wife are considering building a new house in the next couple of years and when we do my audio room WILL BE on the ground floor and more like a 23X31 or something along those lines. I have no doubt the Ultra 11 is my next speaker … now I just have to decide if I am going to try and squeeze them upstairs now and then move them in a few years or just be patient and get them when we move into the new house a few years down the road. In the meantime I’m not suffering with Alexx for sure .. but the memory of what I heard today will linger and nagg at me until I have my own pair of Ultra 11’s.

At least for me .. I now know where my speaker journey will lead if not exactly when I’ll get there.

Cheers everyone!

George

George,

Damon, and I appreciate your comments. We also thank Scott, Cody, and Josh for investing in these mighty speakers and putting them up against other great loudspeakers during the event. As someone who was initiated at Mike Kays Lyric HiFi with the mighty IRS V, I always loved speakers like the 11s that can scale to significant works, then play to the perfect size with a jazz trio or female vocalists, etc.

Now it's a privilege to be an instrumental part of helping Damon make this five-decade, family-owned brand better known against larger brands. With all prejudice considered, The Ultra.eleven and its baby brother, the Ultra.seven, are the highest-performing, highest-value loudspeakers in the high-end. Thank you again for sharing your opinion and hearing what went into creating our flagship offering.

A new pair will include the all-new Foundation Hybrid Bass Amplification system, elevating performance another notch. Although incremental improvements at this level of play are hard to come by, that's what our partners at SWA and the team at Von Schweikert live for!

 

[Kingrex]

I keep hearing from people the Von Schweikert are the best speakers they have heard. As testimony, they challenge me to find a used pair for sale. Generally never happens.

To bad the Marketing, Promotions and cheerleading on this forum has overshadowed a great product.

Onto a real world question? Can you get s Von Schweikert for a modest price. Like, under $15k. Or is that a laughable idea.

 

[gleeds]

I keep hearing from people the Von Schweikert are the best speakers they have heard. As testimony, they challenge me to find a used pair for sale. Generally never happens.

To bad the Marketing, Promotions and cheerleading on this forum has overshadowed a great product.

Onto a real world question? Can you get s Von Schweikert for a modest price. Like, under $15k. Or is that a laughable idea.

Kingrex, thank you for asking

Von Schweikert is a well-known, yet small, loudspeaker manufacturer founded in 1975 that hand-builds loudspeakers 100% in the US. The Company has won over 120 Best of Show awards from events in the US, Europe, and Asia. Albert von Schweikert, the firm's founder, was a Caltech-educated physicist, a gifted pianist, bassist, and leader of a moderately successful rock band. Two masters of audio engineering trained him in speaker design, Dr. Richard Heiser and Dr. Oskar Heil. Albert went on to design his first loudspeaker in his garage in 1975, a product named the Vortex Screen. A chance review in Stereophile that same year launched his career, and the Company. Albert passed in 2020, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and his design principles for a small, talented team to carry his work forward.

"Renaissance Man": Damon Von Schweikert on Albert Von Schweikert | Stereophile.com

The phrase "renaissance man" carries gravitas. It's probably overused. But Damon Von Schweikert believes the term genuinely befits his late father, speaker designer Albert Von Schweikert, who passed away on May 29, 2020, leaving behind myriad contributions to audio through his namesake...

www.stereophile.com

My career in hifi began after school and on weekends as a stereo repair technician at 16, and I went on to work for the Father of high-end audio retailing, Mike Kay, at Lyric Hi Fi in NYC. Mike launched brands such as Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Infiniti, Avalon, Sequerra, and many others. Today, in my dream job, I have the privilege of helping Albert's son, Damon Von Schweikert, advance Albert's work and grow the Company into one known to a larger audience.

All to say, this is a Company without hype, Mk 8 versions, Chinese owners, investment banker financing, or paid fanboys. Those who extol the product's virtues on these pages (besides myself) are mainly those who have spent their hard-earned money to own a pair and have been charmed by Albert's interpretation of how a loudspeaker should reproduce sound that is as close as possible to how music occurs in real time and space.

A shout-out to Scott Walker Audio, a highly respected dealer and someone who has invested heavily in promoting our brand.

 

[Kingrex]

Kingrex, thank you for asking

Von Schweikert is a well-known, yet small, loudspeaker manufacturer founded in 1975 that hand-builds loudspeakers 100% in the US. The Company has won over 120 Best of Show awards from events in the US, Europe, and Asia. Albert von Schweikert, the firm's founder, was a Caltech-educated physicist, a gifted pianist, bassist, and leader of a moderately successful rock band. Two masters of audio engineering trained him in speaker design, Dr. Richard Heiser and Dr. Oskar Heil. Albert went on to design his first loudspeaker in his garage in 1975, a product named the Vortex Screen. A chance review in Stereophile that same year launched his career, and the Company. Albert passed in 2020, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and his design principles for a small, talented team to carry his work forward.

"Renaissance Man": Damon Von Schweikert on Albert Von Schweikert | Stereophile.com

The phrase "renaissance man" carries gravitas. It's probably overused. But Damon Von Schweikert believes the term genuinely befits his late father, speaker designer Albert Von Schweikert, who passed away on May 29, 2020, leaving behind myriad contributions to audio through his namesake...

www.stereophile.com

My career in hifi began after school and on weekends as a stereo repair technician at 16, and I went on to work for the Father of high-end audio retailing, Mike Kay, at Lyric Hi Fi in NYC. Mike launched brands such as Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Infiniti, Avalon, Sequerra, and many others. Today, in my dream job, I have the privilege of helping Albert's son, Damon Von Schweikert, advance Albert's work and grow the Company into one known to a larger audience.

All to say, this is a Company without hype, Mk 8 versions, Chinese owners, investment banker financing, or paid fanboys. Those who extol the product's virtues on these pages (besides myself) are mainly those who have spent their hard-earned money to own a pair and have been charmed by Albert's interpretation of how a loudspeaker should reproduce sound that is as close as possible to how music occurs in real time and space.

A shout-out to Scott Walker Audio, a highly respected dealer and someone who has invested heavily in promoting our brand.

Was that a long winded way of saying, if you have to ask the price, they are not for you?
What do you know, I asked Gemini and it lead me to Scott Walker store. Seems there is some entry speaker fore $11k.

FWIW, more people have PM over how great these speakers are.

 

[gleeds]

Was that a long winded way of saying, if you have to ask the price, they are not for you?
What do you know, I asked Gemini and it lead me to Scott Walker store. Seems there is some entry speaker fore $11k.

FWIW, more people have PM over how great these speakers are.

 

[Kingrex]

Seriously. I'm surprised how many people have reached out on a PM and said how much they love their VSA speakers. And noted how many best of show they have received, yet the drum beat of promotions is Wilson and Magico. Makes you wonder. I really knew nothing about VSA until a friend of mine started popping off saying, if there was any speaker............... Go to this room. Listen to this system. If there was any upgrade they could afford. VSA would be the first move on their list.

I saw some used VR 2,4 and 6 for sale in a price I could afford. I sort of scratched my head when I read the tweeters are Focal and sound bright and take work to tame them. Maybe the entry is too entry. And the, I would like it, are too expensive. So goes life!!!!!!!!!!!