Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

To understand why $6,843 is a fair price to pay for VAF kit speakers, read 580 words from a violinist who can’t use a screwdriver. The following is an excerpt from a review which appeared in Audio Video Lifestyle Consumer Guide ‘99 by Sian O’Neale. “Philip Vafiadis is the creative talent behind the brand and his aim with VAF Research is to market kit loudspeakers of uncompromising quality at the serious end of the hi-fi market. The VAF range is priced from $312 a pair right up to $8,863 a pair*, so we’re talking serious money here for serious equipment. We at AVL magazine have been particularly impressed with DC-X series. These kit loudspeakers are not the standard packages from consumer electronics stores. In fact, you won’t find these products in any store. The company prefers to cut out the middle-men and save buyers money, so every product is available factory-direct. The VAF Signature series includes the Signature I-66 and I-91 loudspeakers. Taking delivery of the 120kg I-66 floorstanding speakers is something of an experience; I have never seen such an imposing crate for a pair of loudspeakers before. Fortunately my brother Crispin is capable with the screwdriver and we took out the massive I-66s. You will need quite a bit of muscle and help to unpack these speakers and get them where you want them. The engineering and attention to finish that has gone into these fully assembled VAF Research I-66s is simply awesome. These elegant but powerful looking loudspeakers come with removable velcro attached grilles in a 3-way design; a 210mm hard paper bass driver with solid copper phase plugs and a 25mm double chamber sonotex dome tweeter with a pure silver wire voice coil. Turn the speakers around and you have very high quality gold plated binding posts which allow for bi-wiring and tri-wiring. The same meticulous attention to detail and build quality also goes into the smaller I-91 models, three of which are presented as left and right rear surrounds and a centre channel speaker for home theatre use (which has a customdesigned grille for a centre channel speaker). But the I-91 loudspeakers have been designed to also perform as high quality studio monitors with the same superb sound as the I-66s. The speakers were designed to be used close to a rear wall and that’s how customers use them, ideally 15cm-40cm from the nearest wall. But I think the speakers sound better when they can breathe more easily. Find the right position for the room and you will be richly rewarded. The big VAFs deliver a stunning soundstage which is wonderfully insightful and involving. Large scale orchestral works have a level of depth and accuracy that only the best loudspeakers can manage. As a violinist, I am often left unimpressed with the sound of the violin through so many loudspeakers (even high-end models), but here the presentation is accurate and engrossing. Instrument separation between different members of the orchestra is faultless. This is particularly obvious when listening to Hans Zimmer’s evocative soundtrack for The Thin Red Line in which quiet, gentle music provides so much power and atmosphere. As a system for home theatre, together with the smaller satellite I-91s, VAF has assembled an incredible system. Bass extension from the I-66s is awesome; deep and thrilling, which is ideal for action blockbusters such as Speed, Twister or Titanic (you don’t just watch the ship sink - you feel it through the floorboards). The centre channel speaker locks dialogue firmly into place and steers the sound with maximum impact; dialogue in Speed comes across as frantic as the driving. Full marks.” For the entire transcript of this review or information on our 14 models contact VAF Research and ask for your copy of “What the Critics Say”. Free call 1800 818 882. Email vaf<at>vaf.com.au or surf www.vaf.com.au VAF Research 52-54 North Terrace, Kent Town, South Australia 5067 Built by us. Sold by us. * Figures amended to reflect current pricing. 98  Silicon Chip kwp!VAF0003 www.siliconchip.com.au