Are these speakers worth the money???

[phase10]

I am hear as I need some help making a decision to buy some speakers.
The opportunity I have been presented with is to buy a Vishorn speaker and amp set for $10,000 AU.
Problem is I have not heard of this brand or company before.
I was going to buy some Kef iq 9 fronts speakers as I have read the reviews and have been to the retail outlet that sells them and they sound great They was about $2200 AU for the pair.
I was telling a mate of mine about this when he told me his neighbor was upgrading and selling some of his av kit. I was invited to have a look at what he had. I was astonished at the size of the main speakers. The Vishorn V-1000 fronts were huge, I took a close look at them and asked him to play some music through them. Well Kef look out these sound awesome!. Only problem is he has no manuals. He had a custom set up 3+ years ago!
so not knowing anything else I wrote down as much details as I could about them. on the back of them its says Vishorn audio equipment U.S.A. co.,ltd
on the back as well is 35hz to 30khz 88db and 150watts
They also have a switch on the mains 3db and 0db. What is that for?

Hi-fi mags have been a regular read and I have always desired hi end speakers. But what should I do? I cant find a review on these speakers and I have no way to tell if I am getting a good deal or not.
Plus the speakers were very heavy 60-70kg? Why is that ?
Vishorn A-9000 amp is big and powerful but it has a 5.1 style set up. I want a 7.1 so I want to use my Onkyo amp TX-sr705. The Vishorn speakers are 4ohms will that be ok with the onkyo, because in set up mode it asks to be set it at 6 or 8 ohm. Will the 4 0hm speakers work?
So do I go with the Kef at the "corner hi-fi store" or take a the wallet busting Vishorns?
Any help, prices, suggestions, Vishorn user reviews are most welcome
Cheers

 

[AJinFLA]

I was astonished at the size of the main speakers. The Vishorn V-1000 fronts were huge

Plus the speakers were very heavy 60-70kg? Why is that ?

I have been presented with is to buy a Vishorn speaker and amp set for $10,000 AU.

So do I go with the Kef at the "corner hi-fi store" or take a the wallet busting Vishorns?

Why not shop around to see what else $10k AU can buy? If nothing sounds better to your ears than the Vishorn, buy it.

The design itself shows no knowledge of actual acoustics engineering (lots of vertically stacked direct radiators flat on the face of a large box), but plenty of audiophile marketing engineering (large, heavy and pretty). If that translates into great sound for you.....again, buy it and enjoy.

Btw, when you listened to the KEF, I realize it was in a completely different room, but was it using the same music....at roughly the same volume??

cheers,

AJ

 

[phase10]

Hi AJ

Thanks for the post. Yes unfortunately I did not get to test those speakers under Ideal conditions. Under your advisement this week I will take one of my fav dance cds to the Hi-fi store and listen to the Kefs. My mates friend who's got the speakers has agreed for me to a run my amp Onkyo tx-sr705 with the vishorns. I will then be able to see how it could sound and will use the same cd. A small bonus is his cinema room is like the hi-fi demo room with carpeted walls.
I was hoping that someone might have heard of them or may know the price. I would hate to pay more than new price for them.
Still if in the end they remain a mystery and sound better than the kefs and some others I will try, I will just pay the guy and enjoy.
Thanks AJ
Oh any idea on what the -3db and a 0db switch is for?
Cheers

 

[highfigh]

Hi AJ

Thanks for the post. Yes unfortunately I did not get to test those speakers under Ideal conditions. Under your advisement this week I will take one of my fav dance cds to the Hi-fi store and listen to the Kefs. My mates friend who's got the speakers has agreed for me to a run my amp Onkyo tx-sr705 with the vishorns. I will then be able to see how it could sound and will use the same cd. A small bonus is his cinema room is like the hi-fi demo room with carpeted walls.
I was hoping that someone might have heard of them or may know the price. I would hate to pay more than new price for them.
Still if in the end they remain a mystery and sound better than the kefs and some others I will try, I will just pay the guy and enjoy.
Thanks AJ
Oh any idea on what the -3db and a 0db switch is for?
Cheers

That switch is for the tweeter or midrange, to tailor it to the listener's tastes or the room's acoustics.

I'm in Wisconsin (where the website indicates the company was started up) and have been in consumer audio for over 30 years- never heard of them until you started this thread.

Do these look like the ones you saw?
http://www.vishorn.com/gd/products.asp?anclassid=1

 

[Seth=L]

I'm going to go out on a limb and call Vishorn bunk. There are too many factors weighing against it. AVOID

1 - No has heard of it

2 - No product reviews from reputable syndications

3 - Their website

4 - Seemingly focused in China/Hong Kong. Wisconsin appears to be a rouse and San Fransisco, their new headquarters according to the website, is as close to Asia that you will get within the United States.

5 - Receivers have no product lineage or scheme and look much like your high level white van crap. They say AC-3 ready and DTS ready indicating they don't have on board decoding for audio formats your cheapest receivers for the past 10 years could handle.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

+1 to What Seth said. I remember a while ago someone from down-under land mentioned local hi-quality speakers maker, can't remember the name thou.

As alternative you can check out SVS local dealer - http://www.deephzaudio.com/
They showroom in Melbourne - I don't know how far are you from there... But Imo you'll get much better deal and value with SVS equipment.

 

[AJinFLA]

Hi AJ
Thanks for the post. Yes unfortunately I did not get to test those speakers under Ideal conditions. Under your advisement this week I will take one of my fav dance cds to the Hi-fi store and listen to the Kefs. My mates friend who's got the speakers has agreed for me to a run my amp Onkyo tx-sr705 with the vishorns. I will then be able to see how it could sound and will use the same cd. A small bonus is his cinema room is like the hi-fi demo room with carpeted walls.

No worries .
In lieu of not being able to compare them side by side in the same room (namely yours), the best you can do is use the same material and do your best to keep the volume relatively the same.
It is established psycho-acoustic knowledge that louder volume will be perceived as "better", rather than "louder". It's also established that visual impact plays a significant role in what we "hear"....but I digress .

I was hoping that someone might have heard of them or may know the price. I would hate to pay more than new price for them.
Still if in the end they remain a mystery and sound better than the kefs and some others I will try, I will just pay the guy and enjoy.

Unfortunately, they appear to be a Chinese brand not widely distributed here (if at all?). Not sure what the price is/was, perhaps the seller could divulge where he bought it from for some confirmation? I would say the more important question is the value. For $10k (yes, I realize that includes an amp), you're in the upper stratosphere of loudspeakers. I would strongly suggest shopping around quite a bit before dropping that kind of $$. However, we all normally listen sighted and since it's you who must determine "value" and your ears that must be pleased, if the Vishorns remain at the top after shopping around...buy it. Maybe barter on the price a bit .
Be aware that not being a "name" brand might affect you if/when you try to resell it later on.

Oh any idea on what the -3db and a 0db switch is for?

It's a shelving filter to reduce output in a certain frequency range, most likely the upper treble. A rather crude solution in most cases, especially when newer top receivers feature much superior parametric equalization, which is infinitely more flexible and adjustable.
Btw, is your local KEF dealer Eastwood Hifi? If so, I'd definitely give a listen to some of the <$10k speakers (including KEF's) in comparison as well.
The more, the merrier .

cheers,

AJ

p.s. what size/decor is your room and where can the speakers be placed (safely, as not to raise the ire of the Mrs) within it, relative to where you sit? Do you already have subs?

 

[Seth=L]

Let me put it another way. The speakers are not worth 10k or anywhere close to it. It's like buying knock off M&K stuff, you just don't do it. If there amplifiers are any indication of what their speakers would be it would be JUNK. Those amplifiers aren't even amplifiers, they're receivers that are cosmetically modified to appear to be high end, and they're far from it. They look like their one notch below Pyle, which is JUNK. You can buy amps for $300 that will blow the pants off anything that company sells. I did see one pair of speakers that mimicked the appearance of B&W speakers as well. A tell tale sign of a rip off.

If you put 10k into a KEF or B&W system it would surely be infinitely superior to this crap.

Did I mention it's junk?

Remove these speakers from your consideration, trust me, you'll be better off doing it.

 

[AJinFLA]

If you put 10k into a KEF or B&W system it would surely be infinitely superior to this crap.

Even if he auditions the KEF, B&W's, etc, etc...and still prefers the sound/looks of the Vishorn speakers and has no intent to ever resell them?

I would certainly agree on staying away from the surround amps/electronics and like you, personally would not buy their speakers, but if those speakers sound best to him.....

 

[tom67]

With so many legitimate companies out there....

I Can't imagine spending that much money on a product with no discernible track record....stop right there...you will thank us later...

 

[jamie2112]

Yeah I am with Seth on this one.STAY AWAY from this company......

 

[Seth=L]

Even if he auditions the KEF, B&W's, etc, etc...and still prefers the sound/looks of the Vishorn speakers and has no intent to ever resell them?

One infallible reason. Let's assume the parts are garbage and become damaged with normal use. Who's the say this company that clearly sells garbage will back up their product and will replace garbage parts? That's like saying "If the TX-SR806 sounds great and has the features you want then you should buy it". That's completely disregarding the fact the receiver is a fire hazard.

This company has no reputation at all, we can't be certain of the quality of their components or their service. We also need to be concerned about how the speakers will interact with his electronics, what if these speakers damage his amplifier or receiver. I wouldn't worry about a pair of KEF speakers damaging my amplifier unless I was doing something wrong. I wouldn't connect these speakers to my equipment to even hear what they sounded like.

I would certainly agree on staying away from the surround amps/electronics and like you, personally would not buy their speakers, but if those speakers sound best to him.....

It's perfectly clear to me that the receivers they are selling are not of their own creation, and are literally the cheapest garbage that China has to offer. It would not be logical for a company to sell that junk, and have great speakers. Suffice it to say, it's not on the map.

He may think Theater Research speakers sound great too, but I'd still be adamant about him disconnecting them immediately from his personal equipment.

 

[tom67]

again...

They may be great,but why would anyone take a chance on an unknown company, especially since $10k is at stake.....with a world of well established vehicles, if you told us you you wanted to buy a Lipschitz SUV, we would give you the same advice....make a choice among the known...If they turn out to be a "find", you will miss the startup, but have no regret if the near predictible happens...of course, you may be just jerking us!

 

[highfigh]

I'm going to go out on a limb and call Vishorn bunk. There are too many factors weighing against it. AVOID

1 - No has heard of it

2 - No product reviews from reputable syndications

3 - Their website

4 - Seemingly focused in China/Hong Kong. Wisconsin appears to be a rouse and San Fransisco, their new headquarters according to the website, is as close to Asia that you will get within the United States.

5 - Receivers have no product lineage or scheme and look much like your high level white van crap. They say AC-3 ready and DTS ready indicating they don't have on board decoding for audio formats your cheapest receivers for the past 10 years could handle.

How would you like to resize that photo?

Since you mentioned White Van, one of the towers looks a lot like the 'Denmark' speakers a friend checked out, offered by someone he worked with. The mids were damn near non-existent.

Oh, yeah- FYI, Wisconsin grows about 95% of the world's supply of ginseng.

 

[Seth=L]

How would you like to resize that photo?

Trust me, I already resized the photo. The picture was ridiculously large before I cropped it.

 

[lsiberian]

These speakers are not a wise investment(his friend is ditching them for a reason)

KEF, B&W, SVS(check them out) are all good choices. Listening is helpful, but rooms and placement play a large role in how a speaker sounds. If it's for a theater I really like the SVS stuff(strong bass). If it's for music I'd look at B&W and KEF.

Don't get me wrong I love listening to speakers, but the places I've been to that are reputable always put speakers they want to sell most in the ideal spot.

 

[dkane360]

I also agree with staying away from them. The speakers look like they were photoshopped into the rooms for the pictures, and on the specs of 1 speaker system it says "5.0 Tempered Glass Speaker System", w/e that means lol