VAF Research

Signature i93 MKV Floorstanding Loudspeakers

From AUD $21,999 RRP 

When it comes to speaker design, there's no replacement for displacement – or so the saying goes. The idea is that you need big cabinets to accurately reproduce bass, especially at high volumes. Enter VAF's new i93 MKV loudspeaker, which certainly has the size to move air. But does it have the delicate touch needed to balance the full frequency spectrum?

From Osborn to Krix and SGR Audio to Duntech, Australia boasts a rich legacy of speaker design innovation and excellence. Among these pioneers, VAF Research stands out as one of the longest-established names in the industry. Founded in 1978 by Philip Vafiadis, it has consistently pushed the boundaries of audio engineering. The diverse product lineup includes floor-standing speakers, bookshelf models, subwoofers and home cinema systems. The Signature Series includes designs like the i93 floorstander, recently refreshed in a MKV livery and under review here.

Weighing in at circa 98kg per side and measuring 1,510x310x570mm [HxWxD], it's a towering monolith in the flesh. Manufactured by hand in the Adelaide Hills by bespoke furniture maker Pfitzner Furniture, the cabinet should last a lifetime. It is priced between $21,999 in Black Oak with a satin black baffle finish to $22,999 for Tasmanian Blackwood, American Cherry or Jarrah veneers. StereoNET's review pair came handsomely finished in a specially-painted cabinet using auto-grade paint, so custom colours can also be specified.

The i93 has evolved from the original MKI to the MKV, with various updates made to the original cabinets and the drivers – including new crossovers and changes to optimise the characteristics of those drivers. Silk dome tweeters were upgraded to SEAS proprietary magnesium alloy for the MKII iteration, offering better cooling and improved performance. With the MKV, the woofers have also been upgraded to magnesium alloy to match the midrange drivers. Those changes, along with a new crossover design and revised cabinet, make the MKV the biggest revamp of the i93 since its inception.

Designer Nick Ataliotis spent over nine months on crossover development and prototyping, trying thirty designs before landing on the one used. He told me that the use of a large cabinet comes from the desire for a deep bass response. Paraphrasing Hofmann's Iron Law, if you want a speaker with high output and extended bass, you'd better build it big. "We wanted deep, clean and fast bass without bloating or exaggeration. No more bass than what's in the recording, and no less. The speaker must produce a clean response from below 20Hz in room, up to and beyond 20kHz, and create a wide and deep soundstage with accurate instrument placement."

Key to achieving these outcomes was a focus on the time alignment of the driver array, phase, impedance, sensitivity and step response measurements, alongside on and off-axis frequency response. The i93 uses a woofer-mid-tweeter-mid-woofer configuration, selected for its superior polar pattern, directivity and staggered floor bounce in a typical listening room. Using a felt inlay in and around the midrange and tweeter cluster, designed to eliminate baffle reflections, VAF focused on ensuring time alignment of the driver array, aiming for a "coherent sound which translates into more soundstage depth and a consistent polar pattern in the vertical plane." As per all Signature Series loudspeakers, the bass drivers are sourced from respected Norwegian manufacturer SEAS.

VAF says the i93 can be used with its soft fabric front grille on or off, as during the crossover design, excellent on and off-axis response was achieved in both scenarios. The manufacturer recommends that isolation feet be used, and spikes can be supplied for the speaker base if needed. There's a ten-year warranty against manufacturing defects, transferable to new owners. However, VAF requires notification of a change of ownership for the warranty to apply.

Rated at a nominal impedance of 6 ohms, the lowest points in the impedance curve for the speakers are both at 3.6 ohms and occur at 100Hz and 2kHz, respectively. To suit the speakers, VAF advises an amplifier rated from 150W to 500W and claims an astonishing SPL of 117 dB@1m at 500W.

To evaluate the VAF i93 MKV loudspeakers in my system, I streamed hi-res audio from Qobuz over Roon using an MSB Premier DAC's network renderer module. In my listening room, the MSB DAC alternatively fed a NAD C298 stereo power amplifier and a pair of McIntosh MC1201 monoblock power amplifiers.

While the VAF design team says the i93 has a very linear on- and off-axis response and, therefore, "requires little toe in for a balanced presentation", I did find that with moderate toe-in, there was a discernible sweet spot. Anywhere in the room sounded stellar, but sitting in my Eames chair in this sweet spot was especially enlightening.

THE LISTENING

The defining feature of this loudspeaker is its commanding presence. It's not just large in stature; it delivers an equally prodigious listening experience. Bass is both powerful and remarkably agile, setting the stage for a vast, three-dimensional sound field that envelops the listener. Pinpoint stereo imaging allows for incredibly precise placement of instruments and vocals, making every track feel alive.

Another standout aspect of this speaker's character is its ability to retrieve incredible levels of previously imperceptible detail, particularly on tracks rich with reverb and delay effects. This level of clarity adds a new dimension to familiar songs, revealing nuances that might otherwise go unnoticed. The real magic happens when the stereo pair of speakers is toed in for a more selfish, focused listening position. In this configuration, the big VAF delivers a sound that's almost ridiculously good, creating an intimate and enveloping audio experience that is hard to beat.

As a longtime subwoofer owner, I typically scoff when someone tells me that a pair of floorstanders don't need a sub. Over the past month, with the i93 taking pride of place in my listening room, I've had to eat my hat. For example, Bedhead's Exume is a slow-burning traditional rock affair, with a delicately recorded sound. The recently departed Steve Albini's engineering work lets the bass guitar really push the lower registers, and this speaker delivers in spades – it sounds taut yet uncompressed.

While a slight hiss exists on the source material, it's quickly forgotten as the interplay of guitars builds before light percussive elements join the mix. Albini's talent was to put the listener in the room with the artist, and this is ably assisted by the i93's beautiful tonality and natural dynamics. I'd happily place a pair of these speakers in my home without a subwoofer – and for anything other than home theatre use, I think nearly everyone would agree.

There's more to this speaker than big bass, though. As a longtime listener of electronic music, I know that low-frequency speed and accuracy are an integral part of the listening experience. Telefon Tel Aviv's The Means Whereby Lovers Are Waylaid is an important inclusion in my sub-testing playlists. In poorly integrated subwoofer setups, this track sounds disembodied and lacks any form of cohesion. Layering two bass tones, one at 60Hz and another at 30Hz, it's designed to torture lesser loudspeakers, yet the big VAF proves its mettle with a punchy, rapid attack.

Those SEAS drivers really dance to the source material here, with the bright sampled percussion punching through the bottom-heavy backdrop that underpins the track. Moving the speakers further into my listening room brings an even better result, getting the rear port's output in closer phase alignment with the woofer and further improving the clarity of the presentation. Sitting in the sweet spot, this speaker sounds extraordinary. Its supple bottom end firmly anchors the sound, but it's the expansive sound field that truly amazes. The pinpoint imaging is also jaw-dropping. Midband sounds like tom-toms are naturally depicted, and the intricate rendering of reverb is stunning.

The British Murder Boys' Killer I Said is a visceral dive into industrial techno, and marked by its relentless, rolling drums and dub-heavy sound, with the use of high-pass filters and reverberating snares adding an enticing, swirling dynamic texture. Through my reference JBL K2 S9900 loudspeakers, this effect is far more subtle, but the VAF drains every last drop of detail from the recording. It stays accurate, but not at the expense of listener fatigue, as is the case in many studio monitors.

When driven by my pair of monster McIntosh monoblocks, this speaker sings sweeter still. The bottom end becomes even more agile and engaging, which lets the abrasive, raw energy of the track shine through. Gus Gus' Stay The Ride delivers one of the most sprawling electronic arrangements I've experienced, and the dynamic shifts are a sight for sore ears. Recorded and mixed to perfection by Birgir Þórarinsson, this track is a memorable experience for even the most seasoned of listeners.

THE VERDICT

VAF's i93 has redefined what I thought was possible from a loudspeaker in a domestic setting. Effortless and unconstrained, it delivers highly impressive bass without the need for a subwoofer. It serves up a full and fast response to low frequencies and handles dynamic shifts with ease. The soundstage is wide and tall, with precise imaging that immerses the listener in the recorded acoustic. This speaker excels in speed and accuracy, and manages complex bass layers with crisp, fast tones and bottomless sub-bass. Its versatility shines across genres from rock to dub techno, as it delivers clarity and detail without causing listener fatigue. As such, this big Australian behemoth should be on everyone's prospective audition list, even if it's just to experience the magic it brings to music.

For more information visit VAF