My VAF Signature i93 MK111 SE upgrade experience

[CCRider]

 

 

 

I recently acquired  pair of VAF i93 signature series MK1 speakers in Jarrah .

 

After enjoying their sonic performance  for a period of a few months I decided to take them to the next level after hearing about VAF's current 15% of everything sale which ends on 31 December 2022 which includes the SE upgrade..

 

I contacted  the very friendly and helpful VAF representative Mike who organised  the  pickup  my speakers.

I was pleasantly surprised  when he emailed me to say that he would be providing photo's of the upgrade progress so I can appreciate the workmanship and materials that went into the Special Edition upgrade.

The speakers will weigh an extra 20KG each after the upgrade giving them a "new" hefty weight of 120 KG each.

So I thought it maybe beneficial for members who own the i93's and i66's to get a pictorial feel of what is involved in the upgrade .

 

The first picture is that of all  the new  inductor coils which are to form the two new massive crossovers that will be going into each of my cabinets.

Also the new internal copper cabling.

 

 

 

 

Each  speaker is then carefully  completely "gutted"  out. All the existing  crossovers , drivers and cabling are removed as well as  the hyper foam insulation material.

The tweeter below is to be replaced by the new Beryllium tweeter. All drivers (except the original tweeter) are lab tested at VAF to make sure they operate to specifications. 

Mike told me it is very rare they have issues. 

Mine came up trumps.

 

 

The heavy duty dampening material ( which incidentally feels as heavy as a sheet of lead) is cut to fill the internal profile of the speaker.

This will be secured next to the MDF walls and then the yellow Hyper foam will be fixed  on top of it.

 

The new Beryllium tweeters below

 

The assembly begins with all dampening materials installed first

Below are some of the "original"  cross over parts from my speakers  plus old plate and old internal cabling.

VAF have asked me not to publish the photo's of the finished cross overs as a matter of proprietary.

I can  say there are two of them for each speaker and they are massive. And having seen them in the flesh they are a sight to behold.

The original ones are dwarfed by the two new behemoths.

 

 

 

 

 

With the both crossovers installed and internal cabling connected and all internal dampening taken care of the units are ready for the drivers.

 

 

The drivers installed and connected to their respective crossovers

and the new tweeter gets its new external dampening material.

 

Below is the nearly completed "addition" to my family. The new trims have been fitted and The new covers are awaiting construction.

Once finished in the workshop the  speakers are tested again using analytical tools  and then will be put through a vigorous 4 hour listening session with different Genre's of music by Martin or Marty as he is preferred to be called.

Once they pass this test  VAF will deliver them back to my place.

 Here are some fresh pics from VAF of the nearly finished units

 

A close up of  the newly constructed trim in place to accommodate the "plug in" covers  with the new external dampening material for the midrange drivers  standing proud.

 

 

 

 

VAF  incidentally repainted both my bases and constructed and painted new trim and covers for both my speakers which are now the current "plug in" cover type. 

The above plus return delivery is inclusive of the discounted price.

May I take this opportunity to give a massive shout out to Mike, Marty and Ted of VAF.

They have made this a very pleasant journey for me. Their attention to detail is Rolls Royce.

The process isn't complete as yet as discussed the covers and testing are booked for next week.

This is good old fashioned service.

A world class company making world class speakers in Adelaide Australia.

Thankyou VAF Research for your VIP treatment.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by CCRider

[Ahh- Schnoo Schnoo]

Thanks for posting CCRider 

 

Really looking forward to hearing what you think of the upgrade

[CCRider]

6 minutes ago, Ahh- Schnoo Schnoo said:

Thanks for posting CCRider 

 

Really looking forward to hearing what you think of the upgrade

I was in there today to take a look at my two Boys  and was blown away by the I93SE in their showroom  when Mike played an instrumental through their high end Anthem gear.

Also  their $150K latest Sony laser projector looked absolutely sensational. 

 

[Falcon 500]

Awesome service look forward to your hearing impressions.I had the first pair of I66 that VAF made and used as their demo pair..I compared them to many speakers back then and once I got to 15k did I think there was some comparison.I moved to a smaller place and the VAF I66 got moved on but still remember them fondly.Cant imagine what they sound like with all the upgrades..

[CCRider]

14 minutes ago, Falcon 500 said:

Awesome service look forward to your hearing impressions.I had the first pair of I66 that VAF made and used as their demo pair..I compared them to many speakers back then and once I got to 15k did I think there was some comparison.I moved to a smaller place and the VAF I66 got moved on but still remember them fondly.Cant imagine what they sound like with all the upgrades..

Definitely the service at VAF is reminiscent of the service I was accustomed to in the late 70's and 80's.

As soon as you step into the showroom you feel that you are entering audio bliss.

[Falcon 500]

lucky or unlucky being in Sydney otherwise would be a frequent visitor to their showroom.

[Jakeyb77_Redux]

Stunning 

[cafe67]

Great write up and very nice photos - thanks for sharing. 

[CCRider]

8 hours ago, cafe67 said:

Great write up and very nice photos - thanks for sharing. 

Thanks mate. Been out all day and just got back.

[CCRider]

On 16/12/2022 at 6:56 PM, Jakeyb77_Redux said:

Stunning 

Thanks Jakey

[Pigpen]

VAF are a somewhat unique company to deal with in the best possible way - not only do you get great customer service, you know they have your back for the life of their products.

[CCRider]

9 hours ago, Pigpen said:

VAF are a somewhat unique company to deal with in the best possible way - not only do you get great customer service, you know they have your back for the life of their products.

Yes so true.

[TrickyB]

This is an outstanding post showing virtually every step in the SE upgrade. Many thanks for sharing it.

[CCRider]

1 hour ago, TrickyB said:

This is an outstanding post showing virtually every step in the SE upgrade. Many thanks for sharing it.

Thanks Tricky.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to share the experience with members on this forum.

[CCRider]

My upgraded i93's arrived today.

Spent the morning preparing their temporary spot.

I got out my trusted reference CD's.  such as Eric Clapton unplugged, Leonard Cohen  and KD Lang to name a few.

They sound one word "sensational".

I thought the MK1's were good but this is a major improvement in all frequencies of the sound spectrum.

The old clique of a veil being removed is a gross understatement.

Bass is very tight and "punchier"  the midrange and higher frequencies very detailed with  significant  separation.

Stump has already given his impressions and I can totally agree with him.

If anyone is contemplating the upgrade I  can guarantee you that you will be pleasantly blown away.

These speakers were very good before but now they are top shelf without a doubt.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by CCRider

[Jakeyb77_Redux]

2 minutes ago, CCRider said:

My upgraded i93's arrived today.

Spent the morning preparing their temporary spot.

I got out my trusted reference CD's.  such as Eric Clapton unplugged, Leonard Cohen  and KD Lang to name a few.

They sound one word "sensational".

I thought the MK1's were good but this is a major improvement in all frequencies of the sound spectrum.

The old clique of a veil being removed is a gross understatement.

Bass is very tight and "punchier"  the midrange and higher frequencies very detailed with  significant  separation.

Stump has already given his impressions and I can totally agree with him.

If anyone is contemplating the upgrade I  can guarantee you that you will be pleasantly blown away.

These speakers were very good before but now they are top shelf without a doubt.

 

 

awesome to hear! 
If I didn’t have my Duntech Princess’ I would be buying a pair of these in a heart beat. 
Glad your upgrade turned up so well and thanks for taking the time to document it also. Enjoy your grin that must be covering your face today

[CCRider]

3 hours ago, Jakeyb77_Redux said:

awesome to hear! 
If I didn’t have my Duntech Princess’ I would be buying a pair of these in a heart beat. 
Glad your upgrade turned up so well and thanks for taking the time to document it also. Enjoy your grin that must be covering your face today

Thanks Jakey.

I am enjoying some serious listening of my reference CD's .

I have been listening for a cumulative total of 5 hours  since they arrived.

Just finished 2 hours and now going for an exercise ride around the lake near my home. 

You just don't tire of the SE goodness.

They were in excellent condition to start but now look immaculate with the new trims,  covers and repainted plinths as well as the new beryllium tweeter and the  external dampening material which I love the the 3D layered  look that envelopes the tweeter and the 2 midrange drivers  and that terminal face plate with Vaf i93 MK111 SE.

And not to mention the dark trim as a contrast to the Australian Jarrah finish.❤

Edited December 21, 2022 by CCRider

[Ahh- Schnoo Schnoo]

CCRider,

Can I ask what gear you use with the Vaf i93's?

Cheers

[CCRider]

Repeated below

Edited December 21, 2022 by CCRider

[CCRider]

8 minutes ago, Ahh- Schnoo Schnoo said:

CCRider,

Can I ask what gear you use with the Vaf i93's?

Cheers

 am currently using a Marantz SA-11S2 sacd player with my son's Yamaha A-S3200. 

I am looking at a new integrated amp next year but I am so impressed with the A-S3200. The sound is divine.

And those big VU meters add to the experience.

[mikizee]

Alright time for me to pipe in.

 

It was a pleasure to help in getting your i93s refreshed, rejuvenated and upgraded to full SE spec. (although bloody hell, they were HEAVY getting them out of the van today).

 

Full credit needs to go to Marty Jones for his full re-design of the i93 to MKIII and SE. The i93 is an iconic loudspeaker, so there is a lot of pressure in making sure whatever changes are made not only live up to their legacy and reputation, but push the legacy and reputation to new heights. And Marty has truly done that, the i93 MKIII SE is simply otherworldly in its ability to relay the musical information it is given with incredible accuracy, clarity, soundstage and imaging.

 

More credit needs to go to Ted Grygorcewicz who built them, in fact has built every single VAF speaker since 1993 (and almost every Duntech speaker before 1993). An unsung soldier of the Australian loudspeaker industry. Watching him work, whether its hand winding inductors, building crossovers, or assembling the final product is pretty special, everything he does looks totally effortless and comes out perfect every time. 

 

I'm sure there are thousands of hours of musical enjoyment for you ahead, good luck getting any work done any time soon!

[Ahh- Schnoo Schnoo]

58 minutes ago, CCRider said:

 am currently using a Marantz SA-11S2 sacd player with my son's Yamaha A-S3200. 

I am looking at a new integrated amp next year but I am so impressed with the A-S3200. The sound is divine.

And those big VU meters add to the experience.

Thanks mate 

I'm sure it's an awesome combination 

And yep, gotta love VU meters 

[CCRider]

12 hours ago, mikizee said:

Alright time for me to pipe in.

 

It was a pleasure to help in getting your i93s refreshed, rejuvenated and upgraded to full SE spec. (although bloody hell, they were HEAVY getting them out of the van today).

 

Full credit needs to go to Marty Jones for his full re-design of the i93 to MKIII and SE. The i93 is an iconic loudspeaker, so there is a lot of pressure in making sure whatever changes are made not only live up to their legacy and reputation, but push the legacy and reputation to new heights. And Marty has truly done that, the i93 MKIII SE is simply otherworldly in its ability to relay the musical information it is given with incredible accuracy, clarity, soundstage and imaging.

 

More credit needs to go to Ted Grygorcewicz who built them, in fact has built every single VAF speaker since 1993 (and almost every Duntech speaker before 1993). An unsung soldier of the Australian loudspeaker industry. Watching him work, whether its hand winding inductors, building crossovers, or assembling the final product is pretty special, everything he does looks totally effortless and comes out perfect every time. 

 

I'm sure there are thousands of hours of musical enjoyment for you ahead, good luck getting any work done any time soon!

Thanks Mike

Your team made the experience feel extra special.

Accolades must go to Marty for the concept and design of the SE's.

I also need to sing your praises as well as you were the interface in this whole experience and the reason I was inspired to put this post together. 

To sum it up.

The VAF team are true professionals doing their craft.

RE Ted . Ted is a legend.

As you mentioned he also worked as a speaker technician with John Dunlavy  at Duntech.

He was the guy in Adelaide who made every on of those beautiful Duntech Sovereigns and every speaker Duntech made below them.

 He told me yesterday when he came past to drop of the speakers that their biggest market for the Sovereigns were the USA. They were making 20 per month to keep up with the demand.

He also told me it took two of them to lift and carry each of these 190 Kg  monoliths.

If any one gets the pleasure of meeting Ted expect a warm humble individual with a smile on his face.

One of life's true  gentlemen.

Finally I would like to thank you , Marty and Ted for the whole experience. 

I was treated like a VIP.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by CCRider

[CCRider]

11 hours ago, Ahh- Schnoo Schnoo said:

Thanks mate 

I'm sure it's an awesome combination 

And yep, gotta love VU meters 

[Pigpen]

Touched base with Mike from VAF last week after seeing the pics from CCRiders i93 upgrade - I am missing the shorting link for the terminals on my i93s, misplaced by me when moving from tri - wire back to single wire.

 

Mike sent new links, free of charge - excellent service which is a trademark of VAF.