VAF Research has been a mainstay of the Australian loudspeaker industry since the company's inception back in 1978. Many audiophiles will know this brand for its excellent two-channel speakers and subwoofers released over the years, including the popular DCX. Nick Ataliotis, who is the Product Research and Development Manager, took on this role in October 2023. So, he is still relatively new to the job. Off the back of the very successful release of the MKV version of the Signature i93 Floorstanding Loudspeakers (reviewed here) and VAF's exhibition at the StereoNET Hi-Fi & AV Show in Melbourne, I spoke to Nick about his past, present and future…

MG: Hi Nick, could you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in the audio industry?

NA: I have had a passion for music and hi-fi since I was a child, as far back as I can remember. I have fond memories of my dad's Sansui amplifier, Electro-Voice speakers, Akai cassette deck and Dual turntable. I remember playing so many records and recording lots of tapes. I was fascinated by the world of sound. It was magical. I used to love watching a speaker cone move, I was intrigued by it, and so my journey started at a very young age. I enjoy all sorts of music, from jazz to classical with everything in between – with an emphasis on well-recorded high-resolution stereo recordings that are not compressed or processed. I also love classic vinyl recordings that are recorded with just a single pair of stereo microphones.

I progressed through my teenage years acquiring various audio equipment from turntables to reel-to-reels, and learned how to mix music which prompted some DJ duties on the weekends. I eventually started making my own speakers around the age of 16, when I built my first subwoofer after reading journals published by the Audio Engineering Society on different enclosures and low-frequency alignments based on the work from Neville Theile and Richard Small. After that, the speaker bug had bitten, and I knew it was going to be a lifelong journey. I proceeded to study Audio-Visual Engineering at RMIT, and was fortunate to do work experience in sound and video production using Ampex editing suites and SONY U-Matic tape in Collingwood, Melbourne with John Gauci as my mentor.

Since then, I have worked in various related fields such as telecommunications, electronics, PA sound system installations and IT. The last twenty years for me have been a process of building a foundation for my lifelong journey of designing some of the world's best loudspeakers. I have been setting up a workshop for the construction, testing and finishing of speakers, whilst also progressing other business interests in the background to acquire enough funding for this lifelong venture. Finally, I have been fortunate enough to become a part of the VAF family which I feel very proud of. This is where I will pursue the final chapter of my mission – to design and build loudspeakers here in Australia that are exceptional in every way.

MG: It sounds like the classic story of a hobby turning into a lifelong career. Could you explain what your role is?

NA: I am the Product R&D Manager, so my role is to develop new speaker models and to refine our existing speaker products. I also provide support in technical areas and in customer service, in order to give our customers the best experience possible. My design philosophy is to produce a speaker that is neutral and true to life, that can reproduce the dynamics, feelings and emotions of the original source in a believable way that is non-fatiguing and natural. This requires a complex combination of design decisions, from the choice of drivers through to crossover topologies, components and precise measurements, not to mention countless hours of listening.

I am in my element when listening to a set of speakers that I'm designing. It's the happiest time for me; it's the epitome of what I do. Probably the most exciting part of speaker design is changing something and then having that "aha" moment where you've made a small change that has brought a huge positive change to the sound. Then, I just keep listening for further changes. It just gives me energy and motivation to keep going. I wonder how much more performance I can squeeze out. So I use a broad range of music and see if I can identify any common ground, and that's how I know that I still have work to do. When I feel that the speaker has no character of its own, then I know that I've got it right. It's not adding or taking away from the music; it's just a reproducer.

MG: What is the secret to designing a great speaker?

NA: It is getting the perfect synergy between drivers, crossover, configuration and cabinet. It's just so important to get that elusive synergy out of everything. VAF loudspeakers have a soundstage, width and depth that has to be heard to be believed. This coupled with a transparent, natural rendering of voices and instruments gives listeners an almost spooky perspective into the aural soundscape. This is the result of our time-aligned array and unique diffraction felt arrangement, as well as low-order crossovers. When coupled with extremely high quality drivers it makes a great combination. Our cabinets are built from 25mm panels, with up to 54mm thick baffles, and we carefully place internal bracing to minimise the internal resonances, making our speakers extremely inert and strong.

MG: What are your production challenges?

NA: Bespoke craftsmanship and attention to detail make each of our speakers a labour of love, and they can never be rushed. We don't build generic speakers where we buy Chinese-made cabinets and then just stick the drivers in there with crossovers made in China to a certain schematic, and you're done. Each cabinet is made locally in the Adelaide Hills by a furniture manufacturer, by hand. They're not coming off a production line, they're all individually made and will be slightly different to the other because it's done by hand and the timber inlays and the book matching will vary. Each speaker is available in such a wide variety of finishes, so they must be made for that specific customer and obviously to our standards.

Each crossover is painstakingly built by one person who has been working for us for over three decades. We don't use crossover boards, but every join is carefully soldered point-to-point. We go to the extent of hand winding the inductors, and we're probably using the highest quality coils that I've seen, with some that can weigh six kilos. It probably takes two days to make and test, so it's certainly not mass-produced. Okay, we're a small manufacturer, and we like it that way. We can't rush production or cut back on our standards, so it does take longer when you order a speaker from us. Our speakers are designed to last a lifetime and give you many years of listening pleasure. And that's not a marketing blip; that's the truth – we build it like it's something special. Our target audience is anybody with a deep connection to music, looking for speakers that convey the essence of the original artist.

MG: What products are you working on and have already released?

NA: Firstly, our i91SE bookshelf speaker, released in February 2024, is fast gaining a cult following. We are also working on a new, upgraded version of our i66, which will be released in the coming months with new drivers and a new design philosophy. We have just released our new flagship, i93MKV, which we are very excited about and was very well received by StereoNET reviewer Craig Joyce. A lot of work went into the development of that speaker. And for me, it's not just a case of getting a flat frequency or getting a good phase response or getting a good impedance curve. It's a case of how they sound.

There are many things that measurements just don't show, intangibles that cannot be quantified, like spatial energy. These make a speaker sound special in a room. And that's what I was looking for when I was designing it. Of course, I did all the measurements, and I'd make adjustments and then measure again, but it also has to sound right. If a speaker sounds believable then it doesn't sound like a speaker anymore, it's the real thing. And that is my objective. Can it trick me into thinking that I'm listening to an orchestra? Is it three-dimensional, or is it flat? I want to get closer to the believability of a live performance.

MG: What are the drivers that you use?

NA: The drivers in our signature range speakers are made by SEAS in Norway and incorporate state-of-the-art technologies and materials; this combined with our design philosophy, makes our speakers quite special. Features like precision cast magnesium cones for excellent detail retrieval, large magnet systems for fast transient response, solid copper phase plugs and copper shorting rings that help eliminate distortion, these are just some of the things that make these components right for VAF's Signature series.

MG: Is there any single tweak that you can recommend to improve the sound of a system?

NA: I believe the greatest gains lie in the synergy of component matching. The more transparent your system, the easier it is to expose the nth degree of detail from your source material. So, if you're listening to a somewhat bright CD player for argument's sake, and your speakers are neutral, you're going to end up with a bright sound. Cables are not the right answer in this case, and can even make it worse. You might blame the speakers whereas they are just doing their job, so I think that careful system matching of the equipment will yield the best overall results. Often, it's best to speak to a trusted dealer who can help sort out your system.

At VAF, everyone that works here is a music fanatic, and we are committed to product excellence. Our goal for anyone who owns a pair of VAF loudspeakers is to enjoy their product for life. Our speakers are an investment, and so are made to last. We build them with the goal of getting the listener closer to the music. If we are doing our job right, the speakers should disappear. Our showroom in Adelaide has the full range on show, and some models are also available for demonstration at Melbourne's Carlton Audio Visual. We also offer a full 30-day home trial so that you can hear the speakers in your own environment, and we will happily ship around the world.

MG: Thanks for the insight, Nick. We certainly look forward to VAF's future developments and product releases!

For more information visit VAF Research