User Reviews
"I found out about Trey’s work by seeing his ad for Tyler Acoustics Supertower speakers. The work done to them really intrigued me and I purchased them from him. I had previously owned Taylo 7u’s and heard the Decade D1, and D2 as well as Woodmere2 at shows. I always wondered what they would sound like with top notch crossover parts and was certainly not disappointed when I heard the Supertowers. I already owned a pair of Legacy Empire speakers when I purchased the Supertowers. After hearing the upgraded Tylers, I began to wonder what the Empires would sound like with their crossovers upgraded in the same manner. I really loved the open sound of the Tylers, but had to have the dynamics/ jump factor provided by the Legacys. I sent Trey the stock crossovers and the single line schematic provided by Legacy. I’ve owned many pairs of Legacy speakers and they all have had the same issue. The cheap crossover parts are audible.
Trey provided a basic quote and the process began. This was a huge undertaking due to the large number of parts in the crossover. I was kept up to date regularly thru the entire process with pictures and emails stating specific progress and any recommended changes to the basic plan, as well as requests for my input for enclosure construction, etc. I would estimate that we exchanged 20-25 emails during the process. When the crossovers arrived, I took a peak inside and was very pleased with the quality of the work that I saw inside. Parts were neatly laid out and properly secured. Shipping packaging was first rate and secure.
I got them hooked up in my system and was almost immediately aware that after these finished break in, they were going to be what I was looking for. Gone was the grittiness of the stock crossover system. They now have between 250 and 300 hours on them and it has certainly been worth the wait. Everything is improved across the board with the exception of the large scale dynamics, which remained intact. It is like a large veil has been removed. Increased detail, check. Improved purity of tone and harmonics, check. Better imaging and soundstaging, check. Improved micro dynamics, check. Improved sense of ease, check. More fun to listen to, absolutely! Everything just sounds more correct and I couldn’t be more pleased.
After going thru this process, I can without hesitation recommend VR3mods for any crossover modification you may be considering. If you like the basic sound of your speakers, but wonder what they are really capable of, by all means have VR3mods upgrade your crossovers. I have had two transactions with Trey and he has been nothing other than highly professional in both cases. Highest recommendation. Thanks" - Cris Legacy Empire Monastery Level
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When I started my quest for better and better sound from my stereo rig in the late fall of 2011, I had no idea where the Pied Piper of the Polk Forum – aka DarqueKnight – would lead me. I didn’t even know it was a rabbit hole I was facing! I had sought and acquired a pair of SDA SRSs, like those I had coveted some 22 years before.Then, I went after a bigger, more powerful Perreaux amplifier, like the one I had coveted when I first heard it driving those SRSs in1989.
After I installed the SRSs and a close approximation of that big Perreaux amplifier, however, I realized that the vintage electronics just weren’t up to driving the SRSs to the level I sought. So, I bought the latest and greatest Perreaux preamp and monoblock amplifiers – NOT COMMON GROUND, I need to emphasize – and I had a big problem! And then the fun began: On the advice of Perreaux’s lead engineer, DarqueKnight’s Dreadnought came to the rescue! Building a rudimentary Dreadnought was a challenge even I could manage, given the clear and precise instructions DK provided all of us.
But, once the Dreadnought solved that frightening mismatching-ground problem, DarqueKnight’s irresistible piping in thread after thread led me to covet ever higher performance and requisite modifications of the SRSs. I had never imagined in my wildest fantasies where vintage Polks could go! Kind of like the Star Trek of the Kingdom of Audiophilia – new worlds where no man – except DarqueKnight himself – had ever gone.
But DQ is an accomplished Electrical Engineer, and I’m a mere mortal – that is, a retired HR executive – whose last close contact with a soldering iron was when he earned his novice ham radio operator’s license (KN9MXH) in 1958 (or thereabouts) and tried to assemble a Heathkit receiver. August 2012: Enter Trey, doing business as “Vr3 Mods,” best described as the “Equalizer” for technically challenged newbies like me. With trepidation, I contacted Trey about building new crossovers with 21st century capacitors, resistors, and inductors; a Gimpod circuit board, and replacing the SDA inductors and binding posts with contemporary, audiophile-grade components.
Trey is remarkable to work with. Not only did he give sound advice about the components that should be specified in his projects, he gave me advice in a manner that made me confident that he sincerely had my interests in mind, not how to maximize his profit at my expense! I felt sure that he was in the business because he loves the work he does and wants to improve the sound his customers get from their speakers.
Furthermore, Trey had the patience and tenacity to give me, a real newbie, clear and concise instructions about how to remove the crossovers and binding post cups and package them for mailing, as well as to make very clear how the wiring harnesses should be labeled to make reassembly easy! Of course, the proof of “the pudding is in the eating,” or more precisely the proof of the speaker mods is in the listening. And here Trey’s product exceeded my highest expectations. Immediately after installation, the sound reproduction of my system was dramatically improved. Most noticeable from the very beginning was the improved reproduction of the music at significantly lower volume. As my wife and I put more and more hours on the new crossovers and other components, the vintage SRSs opened up like a fine old Burgundy.
The sound stage was wider, higher, and deeper. Highs were clearer, and transients faster and better defined. Midrange performance was dramatically improved, and bass was tighter and carried the timbre of instruments far more clearly. After the necessary “burn-in” time, the performance of the speakers reached a level of realism that I had not expected. As I have noted in other posts, however, I began to hear more distinctly what I called a “muddle in the middle” of complex orchestral music. The question was, “Was this a limitation of the speakers and their new components or of other elements in my system?”
Since I installed the Vr3 Mods in my SRSs, I have introduced several other changes in my system – including Audioquest Sky interconnects between the preamp and my monoblocks, a Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One 5.0 power conditioner on a dedicated circuit, upgraded power cords on all components. The “muddle in the middle” is virtually gone. What does this say about Trey’s Vr3 crossovers and other mods? It says that they were up to the task of carrying their “weight” in rendering the best sound out of my system when these other “supporting” upgrades were added to the mix. The strongest endorsement I can offer of Trey and Vr3 Mods is that I sent the crossovers and binding post cups from my SDA 1Cs to him for similar modifications. In the course of modifying them, he ran into a problem with getting the correct inductors. He explained the problem, kept me informed, and completed the work as expeditiously as he could.
Now, he has given me advice about how to build power cords for my CD player and preamp, including both materials to use (e.g., Supra Rondo Lo Rad 2.5 cable) and how to achieve a 9-AWG equivalent cord with shotgun construction.
I am not a seasoned audiophile who can call up all the right terms to describe how my speakers were improved by Trey’s fine work, nor am I a technical expert who can provide scientific data to verify the differences in performance that I – and more important, my wife – hear.
I am, however, a customer and now a friend who has complete confidence in Trey and who appreciates the exceptional work he does with sincere concern for the product he delivers and the experience his customers have throughout the process of modifying their speakers with Vr3 Mods products. - Phil - Polk Audio SDA SRS 1.2
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"The Fedex guy pulled up this morning holding a box that looked like what i have been eagerly anticipating; My LSi 9's are back from Trey in NC.
I carefully unpacked the box noting that Trey took great care to make sure that short of a nuclear attack, that my speakers were well protected. We all know that shipping speakers is a risky proposition, and we all saw what that delivery guy did with that flat screen tv when the gate was locked.
I carefully inspected them and gave the lacquer a little buff up, and took the 7's off the stands and connected them up. The new binding plate and posts have a very clean look, and mechanically the posts are perfect.
So I got me a fresh cup of joe, and decided to give them a listen.
Anybody who owns or has listened to the LSi 9 knows they represent one of the best bang for the buck audio values in recent history. The fine folks at Polk definitely made big sound come out of a relatively small box.
The VR3 changes are very noticeable.
While the bass was always very good on the stock 9, now it is very concise, quick, and I notice that after the initaial attack of the bass note, that the sustain of the note is very warm and smooth, a detail that i did not notice before. Bass players use hi wattage amps with 15" speakers to get that sound, and although I recognize there is no way these little guys can possible move that much air, the reproduction is accurate and very pleasing.
As a guitarist, I am very tuned to tonality, and relate to how guitars and other stringed instruments are portrayed by a speaker.
While my 9's were away, I was listening to my Moni 5's and was very impressed by the mid qualities they were able reproduce. I am happy to report that I can now sell my 5 and the modded 9's now exceed the 5's ability to make guitars sound the way I like to hear them. When someone is playing clean i hear that open back crunchy sound that I crave. I listened to John Petrucci/Dream Theater's On the Backs of angels.. There is a 12 string intro, that goes into a creamy sort of melodic passage that is followed by triple rectifier Mesa Boogie sound which all sounded dead on.
I as trying to think of an acoustic guitar song to test, and played Black Water by the Doobie Brothers and was please that I was able to hear all the detail that a guitarist would hear accurately... picks strumming stings, and those realistic little buzzes and twangs that are really there that some how get lost in the mix.. The fiddle piece was sweet and I could hear the bow on the strings. The vocals and harmonies were tight, and not compressed; I distinctly could pick out the 3 and 4 part vocals without effort.
As I try to evaluate the crossovers handling of the ring radiator tweeters performance, I think the stock 9's used the rr tweeter as more of a marketing gimmick, and although it performed well, and never sounded the least bit harsh to me, this mod seems to handle the handoff between the mid and hi without me noticing it to be as pronounced as it was pre mod, and now smoother and more accurate... cymbals are ringing like real cymbals, and I don't hear any evidence of over accentuation. The piano on Steely Dan's Aja was near perfect, and I was equally impressed at the Saxophone and Drum passages as they pegged my amps VU meters.
Overall the LSi 9 is a fine loudspeaker, and the VR3 mod makes it a great speaker. If you have a set of 9's and the power to drive them this mod makes them sound incredible across the musical spectrum that I have tested so far.
I will post more impressions, and consider the VR3 Fortress mod a very worthwhile bang for the buck enhancement.
Thanks Trey!" - Mike (LSi9 Fortress)
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"I have received the crossovers and installed them right away. The quality of the work you did Trey is outstanding, it's too bad those x-overs are inside the speaker and not outside. Also I have never received the package that would be that well packed. I am in the process of burning the crossovers in, but I can already hear a difference in sound. I don't know how to describe it but my it is much more detailed, specially in a mid area. They also sound cleaner. Thanks so much for the awesome communication you were able to provide during the process. I just realised we have exchanged about 70 emails all together. That's more then I posted comments on this forum :-)." - Chris (Polk Audio RTiA7/CSiA6 Fortress Level Mods)
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"Just unboxed everything, All arrived in mint condition. The Fortress crossover assembly is much larger in real life! Really a piece of art! Beautiful workmanship and skillfully executed. Getting ready to reinstall the drivers and plug them in for a test drive. Very psyched! .... Well it will be two weeks since I wired the Fortress Edition crossovers back up and I want to provide an update on my listening experience. Unfortunately when I first installed the crossovers my left ear was plugged up and I couldn't really rely on what I was hearing. Plus, as Trey told me, the Clarity caps would sound worse before they sound better. Well they've outgrown their awkward stage and have settled in quite nicely. Bottom line, this was a worthwhile investment and I would not hesitate recommending this mod to anyone else with a pair of TSi400s. This mod has pushed these speakers as far as they can go and definitely brought out significantly more detail. As I mentioned before the lower frequencies are much tighter and more enjoyable. The mids are nice and warm.
Thanks Trey for a delivering the goods on this one!" - Marc (Polk Audio TSi400 Fortress Level Mods)
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"First off, I'd like to thank Trey for job well done. He quoted me 2 1/2 weeks time door to door and it was only 2 weeks and that's 2,500 miles away! What an improvement these crossovers make for music. More detailed tighter bass and cleaner sound. Almost all day Saturday I listened to my music from pop rock, jazz and classical. Putting my system in 5 channel stereo was incredible. Then switching it to Pure Audio so I get full range and just the front RtiA7's is a BIG improvement. The tighter bass and detailed sound coming from just running the front's is a big improvement! I haven't had time to pop in some moves. I've run the YPAO but I want to dial it in with my SPL meter before I pop in my Master and Commander, Avatar and what not to test it out! Again I can not thank Trey enough for the quality and good service I got on these crossovers! Now the rabbit hole gets deeper... gotta upgrade my sub, get a NAS for my lossless files...maybe an amp!!! " - George (Polk Audio RTiA7/CSiA6 Fortress Level Mods)
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"The timbre of the speakers completely changed and there's a lot more clarity across the board...particularly in the highs. There are times, when I've felt they actually sounded somewhat bright.....in a good way (not the knives stabbing your ear kind of way). I know this is a cliche'd phrase....but it literally sounds like someone pulled a blanket off of my old LSi's and revealed what they 'really' should sound like. Soundstage is much more open, and the sweet spot (where these speakers just grab your ears) is much wider. Bass seems tighter, more accurate and has significantly better timing, but I'm not experiencing the increase in the amount/volume of the bass that others that have modded their xovers have experienced.....then again I'm in a huge, bass sucking room that even my VTF-3 has trouble filling. I've got a pair of Paradigm Studio 60's in my car right now. We'll see how the modded LSi9's stack up (based on what I've heard so far, musically I'm thinking the Paradigm's can't touch these)." - Carlo (Polk Audio LSi9 Fortress Level Mods)
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"well i wanted to finely give everybody my impressions on the having my rti a9 and csi a6 moddified. i have had them running for about four days now and there is no downside to moddified crossovers. they are not extremely different at moderate volumes, but i watched a movie and the best thing is the three speakers make a more seamless front stage. i watched star trek which has lot of pans from all three speakers and it was so natural going from left to center to right i was not distracted like i usually was. the center is for now the one i recommed having done. before it was so heavy sounding in the midrange that caused mens voices to be darker than a midranging female voice has and the bright "s" sound is almost not there that extra brightness caused to sound distracting on shows with lots of female leads. i listen to some two channel music what strikes me is how a9's can get more dynamic at higher volume range and i was able to not get so fatigued after an hour at high volumes. vr3mxstyler2k3 only changed the middrange and tweeter sections and left the base section alone due to what i was willing to spend and for what i see as no added benefit anyway. the middbase was to me more important than the really lows anyway" - Gary (Polk Audio RTiA9/CSiA6 Castle Level Mods)
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"Trey - you did an awesome job man!! Very professionally done and yes - they made it back in one piece :) Definitely worth the wait... Finally finished reorganizing the whole rack, positioning the speakers, and running Audyssey. Listening to some McCartney, Lennon, and Beatles FLACs in PLII mode to test out the center - wow the front stage has been transformed! It's like the day I hooked up an amp to the A7s. Clean, powerful sound - more detailed - very nice. and the center sounds more integrated and seamless. Once it's back on amp power it'll be even better." Pras (Polk Audio RTiA7/CSiA6 Castle Level Mods)
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"First thing I noticed was improved vocals with more clarity and detail. With only 2hrs of burn on the Caps I am pretty happy. I am really looking forward to more listening and any improvement as time goes on will be a bonus!! Trey does excellent work and does it quick! Do not hesitate to send him your crossovers." - Rick (Polk Audio SDA 1c Castle Level Mods)
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"Just to let you guys know. I had Trey modd my RTI A7's and CSI A4 cross overs. He did a good job, and they were a lot of work. They sound quite a bit better. It took the edeg off the tweeters. They don't seem so in your face and over powering. They are more full sounding. I liked the RTI A7's before the mod, but they are even more sweet now. I dont have an audiophile ear just enjoy great sound quality. I am currently powering them with my Onkyo TX-NR808 rated at 135wpc @ 2 channels driven. The worst part of the deal was using TV speakers while my xo's were out being modded. I would recomend doing it if you like the speakers you currently have, because you will love them after modding them." - Josh (RTiA7/CSiA5 Castle Level Mods)
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"I had to leave town after putting the speakers back together, but I left them on the whole time I was gone to get some extra burn time. They sound really really great, so I'm really excited to hear them get better. As soon as I have some extra time I will give a good review, and then add later as they improve. I am a total newbie to modding these out, so it would be nice for another new person to see how it progresses. I'm still amazed at how I went from cursing a storm up after dropping the speaker separating two drivers, to having a whole new outlook on my musical life by discovering I could upgrade and modernize my speakers. It's really incredible, especially darqueknight using the schematics to make something polk audio had not actually produced. I feel very humble and grateful for the pavework everyone has done and all the helping and sharing. thanks a million, you did a superb job, definitely worth speaking out about on the forums." -Everett (Polk Audio SDA CRS+ 4.1TL Standard Modifications)
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"TREY, I have about 200 hours on the speakers. they sound wonderful.the bass is very tight. i can turn the volume up louder with little or no distortion.the highs are much better. i am waiting to get my tube amp back. i had new wiring and caps put in. i am wondering how that is going to sound? i will now keep these speakers till i leave this earth. it would cost around $20k to find speakers of this quality. i have another pair of snell C7 speakers that i will open up in the future and see how hard it is to get to the crossover boards.i think they have plug on connectors. maybe we can do those to. thanks again." - Ron (Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature Reference Monestary Level Mods)
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"Let me start by saying that everything is fine and the speakers sound amazing. For the first time in the last couple of years, I feel everything is coming together in my system. They are driven just fine by my 30 Watt VAC amp and I can hear great nuance, detail and tone. I can easily hear the differences between recordings and sources, but even poor recordings sound their best. Playing my best recordings and pressings on vinyl is positively breathtaking." - Drew (Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference II, Complete Speaker Modifications Monestary Level)
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"Hey Trey, Just finished the mod on oneside of the speaker and left the other side stock. Its freaking amazingdifference. I didn’t change any eqsettings in the receiver and notice the mids are more pronounced and theoverall sound is softer. Is that what you feel? The efficiency of the speakerwith the mod is off the charts. At the same balance and volume levels, the VR3is noticeable a lot louder…. Its pretty amazing…. I am off to mod the secondone and hopefully have a write up for you…The MOST pain is taking off the round inducers…. I broke the spindle and kind ofglued it back, but the coils are still intact…. What do you notice most aboutthe mod? Thanks for all your help! Thereward and hard work of putting it all together yourself makes me enjoy it evenmore!!!" -Ken (Polk Audio RTi8 DIY Fortress Level Modifications)
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"I think I have the wiring figured out. Cause it sounds good!! I gave it a good listen this morning.
Started out with
The Beatles- Abbey Road = Something in the way she moves
Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean = Great sound, really great album
Grateful Dead BCT 11-3-84 = Great show!!
Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass= Incredible vocals
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush= Beautiful Song!!
First thing I noticed was improved vocals with more clarity and detail. With only 2hrs of burn on the Caps I am pretty happy. I am really looking forward to more listening and any improvement as time goes on will be a bonus!! Trey does excellent work and does it quick! Do not hesitate to send him your crossovers." - Rick (Polk Audio SDA1C Castle Level Mods)
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"Just connected everything and put on my “reference” recordings … Sounds GREAT! Definite improvements over the whole range, more balanced than before; all harshness gone from the tweeters, midrange clarity is improved, especially on top; and the bass is tighter. I’m putting the speakers on points sooner rather than later, and I’ll keep you posted on how they burn in! Thanks … Alan" - Alan (Polk Audio RTA15TL Castle Level Mods)
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"well I looked forward to getting them, Sorry to getting back to you so late but.....I can't stop listening to them! The vocals do just what I was looking for. I do not need to strain my ears to hear what is being sung. Also, they are less harsh all around. They won't clean up terrible recordings but I noticed the worst ones seem to be smoother. Now here's the kicker. I now know what polk wanted to accomplish, but they fell short. The center channel idea with the vocals is a good concept, but they designed it to be so laid back that the vocals lost out from blossoming to their full potential. Now, the vocals are still in the center but they extend into the room. Instead of staying behind the tv and the drums , the vocals are as loud as everything else. Giving a front stage performance effect. Works for me. So, I have heard speakers that put you into a music bubble, these speakers seat you in the front row. As stock, to a critical ear they fail, but the upgrades make the polk concept come alive.....Well at least a whole lot better. The only adjustments I made were to take out the foam from the two air ports. I also bi-wire the speakers, so off went the jumpers. In the future if I want to go with jumpers, would a heavier gauge wire be better? I like the other jumpers but I never used them. Well that's my review so far, Thanks again Trey" - Javier (Polk Audio LSi9 Castle Level Mods)"
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"I picked up a set of Tyler Acoustics Monitors from Trey last weekend, and I have to say this was by far my best audio purchase ever (thanks again!). I have never been proud of a system I have owned, but I would be happy to show these off to someone.
I've had two other sets of speakers in this same configuration: LSi25, Monitor Audio Silver 8i... and these monitors wipe the floor with them.
With both other sets of speakers I used to have very brief listening sessions because my ears would hurt. I attribute this to either the tweeters, or the fact that I would continue to turn the speakers up in order to get 'better sound'. With the Tylers, I've had them at the same volume all day, I've literally been listening to them since this time this morning.. 12 hours... only taking breaks to walk into the kitchen (a few feet away) and make food (leaving them on, of course). My ears don't hurt in the slightest.
The average db level of them today has been around 75 or so, a moderate level. Today, I have not felt the need to turn them up because they are detailed and throw a great sound stage at this volume (and lower/higher). On my previous speakers, I would listen to music and maybe 1 out of 10 tracks would sound good, and I would smile.... on these, nearly everything sounds good... and certainly everything sounds better than on the previous speakers.
I've listened to a wide range of stuff today. Out of all that material, I did not find myself frustrated or trying to tweak things to make them sound good, as I had with both other sets of speakers. Of course, some tracks sounded better than others, I do not attribute this to the speakers, but rather the material itself. I was particularly impressed with the Diablo II OST, Sublime - Santeria and the most recent Train album.
All in all, these speakers can really throw down. They are by far the best I've ever owned. They've got detail, a nice sound stage, tight bass and most of all, just about everything sounds good on them.
I have not really found anything I dislike about them at this point, perhaps as I continue to listen, I will find something. I'd deffo recommend getting your ears on a set of Tylers." - John (Tyler Acoustics Taylo Monitor Fortress Level Mods)
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"The above crossovers arrived today and look great. I took a long lunch break to go home and install them in my CRS+s. I only had a chance to listen to two songs before returning to work but they sound great. I think that I will have to work at home some this week to give them a better workout. Finally got a chance to really listen to the modified crossovers. They sound great." - Neil (Polk Audio CRS+ Standard Modification)
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"So I have the Rti A7 crossovers back from Trey / Vr3 with the Fortress modifications done the workmanship is first rate; Excellent work Trey! I when home and installed then right away I'm quite fortunate to have a job that is close to home and flexible enough to allow me to do this! Well I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this modification I knew that burn in time was required so I threw on some Joe Crocker just for a quick listen it was a very nice and pleasantly smooth sounding. That was on Monday on Tuesday I had time to listen for over an hour same smooth absolutely no harshness at all. I should point out that I have then on since I installed just at low volumes playing some SB radio station to help with the burn in. Before the mod I would get a little tried I guess the word is fatigued after listening for a long time; I know an hour is not a long time but it don't appear I will have that issue anymore. So far I'm quite impressed with the results and as the burn in progresses I'm looking forward to these improving and sounding better although if they don't change I'm all right with then as they are as they sound great. Thanks Trey awesome dealing with you. Cheers Roger" - Roger (Polk Audio RTiA7 Fortress Level Mods)
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"I'm what you call an audio skeptic and really didn't believe that upgrading my crossovers would make that huge a different. Well I know when I am wrong and here is a perfect example. Trey's work was professional and fast. As for my speakers they sound great and continue to get better as they break in. Top to bottom I can tell a difference! Don't think just do it." - Chris (RTA12C Standard Modifications)
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"Dude they sound incredible!!! I've only listened to music, some of my lossless files (flac). How can I explain it...it's just richer, deeper/cleaner bass and more detailed. I haven't done any movies (bluray's) yet but that's next. My ears are just worn out from all the music today! :p I just got a cop[y of David Gilmour Live at The Royal Hall bluray so that's tomorrow. :) Thanks for a great job and when I'm done dialing everything I'll post a review on the forum." – George (RTiA7 Fortress Modification)
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""Well I have had these up and running for a day now and I will give the feedback I can. Packaging: Ok so this really has nothing to do with the sound, but man what a great job. Everything was packed well and I have more packing peanuts then I know what to do with. Build: Everything is top notch. As mentioned the IC cable is really cool. I love the fact that it creates a super secure connection. Sound: Well I will have to get back to you. First impression is there is just more detail then what my RTA were able to offer. As I told Trey I want these to be my destination speaker and I feel I have that. Now I just need to let them break in for a few hundred hours." - Chris (Polk Audio SDA 1C Gimpod Modification)
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"would not have been possible without Treys pictures to go by. I have very little experience in electronics. As for the modification. I think this is an extremely well thought out DIY kit. Even with my yammy amp, the speakers seem to give a 3d feel to the sound. I can hear sound details from movies that I could not hear before. Watched an episode of the pacific last night and was extremely pleased with the upgrade. Definitely money well spent. Have not tried these with my Dodd preamp/dynaco mk III amps yet. Looking forward to hearing what they sound like with a better amp. - Richard (Polk Audio LSi9 DIY Fortress Level Modifications)
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"Anyone thinking about modding for the first time, i would recommend going through Trey he is one hell of a helpful dude and has the best customer service I have ever encountered.................... When I first started out in this hobby a mere 3 years ago I was given some great advice from Club Polk, ?don?t just take someone?s opinion on the forum, experience it yourself?. Nothing screams experience it yourself like a DIY Kit from VR3 Mods. After much contemplation, I decided to do the DIY Kit for my Polk Audio CSI A6 center channel. This is the center channel from Polk?s RTI A line. It?s a beast of a center channel measuring 24" W x 7 3/4" H x 14" D. Even thinking about doing a crossover upgrade was a daunting task for someone like me. I have very little experience with wiring or soldering. While frightened, I finally bit the bullet and ordered my Kit from VR3 Mods. While waiting for the parts I started to think is this over my head? After receiving my well packaged Kit, I sat down and started planning on how I was going to climb this seemingly insurmountable mountain. I had few questions of course and emailed VR3 Mods. I had a response back each time in no more than an hour! Best damn customer service I have ever encountered. VR3 Mods answered every question I had no matter how trivial with expertise and politeness. Those interactions put me at ease and I continued the modification enjoying every minute, without any significant problems. It was so fulfilling to say I did this! I felt like a proud Papa.Yeah, enough with the touchy feely how did it sound? This is where the big payoff is. The sound is absolutely stunning, the mid bass is now so tight and snappy. This is a significant plus for things like gunshots and drums that are directed out of the center channel. Male vocals were not as bloated and boxy, now they are smooth a natural. The clarity in the mid range increased beyond my expectations. I here detail now in Blurays that I did not know existed before, dialogue is effortless and clean with great separation from background noise. It is much easier to hear the dialogue on quiet scenes now. S?s & T?s are much better without that long overhang, much crisper. The high end on this notoriously bright speaker is now so much smoother with a silkiness to it. Lana Del Rey sounded very rich and airy, I was in heaven. The top end now has a clear detail that it was lacking before with a lot less shrillness to it in the upper registers. My modified A6 decimates my A7?s on all frequency ranges that I have compared. I cannot wait to get my A7?s modded, these will be speakers my family and I will enjoy for years! If you are thinking about doing a VR3 Mod, quit thinking and just do it!" - Tommy (Polk Audio CSiA6 DIY Fortress + Edition)
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"Thanks Trey for the quality work and reasonable prices on the boards. I think I woulda screwed up that mod big time. Although the caps and RDO-194s are still breaking in, I can already hear the amazing SDA effect more so then when they were stock. Shameless plug for Trey (VR3): Utilize his skills for more involved mods on your speakers." - Deron ( Polk Audio SDA 2B Standard Crossover Modification )
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"First of all I would like to point out that Trey is great to deal with and the quality of workmanship is first rate. And second I?m not any kind of Audio expert not even close what I know I learned mostly on this site and some haphazard research on the net. So it?s been a few months now since I got the a7?s modded
and I love the sound, no harshness, no fatigue, just great sound. My humble gear for listening to two channel consists of HK AVR 3600, Parasound 1500a Amp, Mitt interconnect cables, Luminous Audio Synchestra Signature Speaker Cables and Source is the world?s greatest invention Squeeze Box touch; music ripped apple lossless. Before I had these crossovers modded there was times that I couldn?t listen for more than a couple of hours at a time as they tended to be kind of shrill on some music playback at moderate levels, nothing against the
speakers but is common knowledge and been stated on this forum many times great speakers( I do believe these were designed for HT and they excel in that format) but playing then moderate to loud with certain types of music can be a bit taxing on the ears. I didn?t think that modded crossovers would make the speakers capable playing such a wide range of music and still sound good to my ears. And now it?s a pleasure even after mouths of listening it brings a smile to my face whether it the Kids playing pop or Indy music, or me playing hard rock, classical, jazz or the blues everything sounds fantastic. Now what I compared then too is a friend?s Kef Q9 with a newer Parasound and another friends set of 2011 Martin Logan?s run off a new Marantz AVR playing the same tunes on CD. Not apples to apples of course but both guys have fine equipment. And I have to say I would take my modded a7s over theirs any time. I?m truly impressed with the improvements in overall sound. Cheers" - Roger (RTiA7 Fortress Edition)
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"The speakers sound tremendous and my HT is rocking. An many thanks for the excellent work on my crossovers, top-notch all around. Regards, Roger" - Roger (Polk Audio Castle CS10/TSi400)
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"Hey Trey, The new x-overs are nothing short of fantastic. I really couldn’t be happier with the 3.1’s performance, I have had four different sets of SDA’s that have had x-over upgrades with various caps & resistors installed, mostly the Sonicaps/Mills combo. The Clarity based x-overs have a better sonic signature from top to bottom. I gave the 3.1’s a pretty complete rebuild, that coupled with your x-overs has produced the finest sounding pair of SDA’s I’ve owned to date. I recently sold a small Polk center speaker to a guy ,while he was here, he was very curious as to what the “big” speakers sounded like. I gave him a little taste of some sonic bliss and he was almost speechless for a moment, fun stuff. One day I might have you build a new pair of x-overs for my 1C’s, they sound very good now but I know they still have room for improvement with the Clarity/Mundorf combo. It will be a while though, I made the mistake of demoing the MIT Shotgun S3.3 cables and now I’m going to have to upgrade all of my wires!!! I’m also wanting to put together a Vinyl front end this Winter, so my audio fund will be tapped, as usual. If you ever need a reference for any reason, just let me know, or have someone get in touch with me. Cheers, Mike" - Mike (Polk Audio SDA SRS 3.1TL GIMPOD Mods)
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" I finally received my Musical Fidelity M6i integrated amp last Thursday and finally got it hooked up on New Year’s Day (yesterday). It is an awesome combination with the Polks and will only get better as both the crossovers and the amp get some “break in time” over the next month or two. Using my old Carver I could tell the difference with the new crossovers, but with the new Musical Fidelity amp, the Polks have never sounded better Trey. I am extremely satisfied with the crossover upgrade as both soundstage depth and width have improved significantly from the original crossovers. Thanks again sir for all t he help and patience. It is a great feeling to have a stereo that rivals systems costing 2 or 3 times as much!" - Michael (polk Audio SDA1A Castle Level Modification)
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"I plan on doing a short write up. But in short; excellent!! The improvement in sound quality took the speakers to a level that I really didn’t think was possible; especially on my modest system. Just about the best money ever spent. Thank you" – Chris
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"So I've been messing around with placement now that I've moved some other speakers out of the room and this LSi's sound incredible. Just wanted to say thanks again. Great clarity, the bass is there now that I have them spaced from the walls correctly and the air between the instruments is great." - Jason
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"After a few months and several hundred hours later It's now a huge grin. The clarity in the midrange and the detail in the highs is amazing. It also takes less power to get to my sweet spot in listening and the speakers can handle more power before they start to break-up." - Michael
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"Thanks for checking up on my speakers! I love them! The upgrade is worth every penny IMHO. Somehow the imagery had gotten better. My wife and I have been fooled many times by a sound we swear was coming from a source behind us or off to the side." - Richard
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"Just wanted to take a second to give some props to Trey for the great work he does with his speaker mods. I got a pair of LSi9s modded and a LSiC.Not only did I get consistent updates (often with really cool pictures of the components), Trey works as hard as he can get the orders turned around fast and shipped insanely well packaged and safe. All for an extremely reasonable price. I've got a small audiophile-vocabulary, but I'm super satisfied and happy with my purchase. I've been able to consul consolidate my speaker setup since I'm happy with the modded LSi9s ability to pull music / movie double duty. anyway, if anyone is considering using Trey and VR3mods. Stop it, and order! :-) Thanks Trey!"
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I wanted to upgrade my home theatre speakers, I finally decided on the Polk Audio RTI A7's. Whilst these were ok, I didn't quite like the bright mid range/treble. Luckily through a search on E-Bay, I found Trey. My experience with Trey is outstanding. I constantly recieved picture updates and emails, ensuring that I was always up to date with the progress. I received the crossovers and they were quite easy to install. Fired them up and WOW, the difference between old set up and new is no comparison. There is approx. 140 hours of running the crossovers in and with that cannot beleive how much better they sound over time. The mid range and treble is now a pleasure to listen to as it is a lot warmer. The base is much tighter. I highly recommend Trey and his crossovers for any speakers. - Mark (RTiA7/CSiA6 Fortress Plus)
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I am the one that there crossovers were built for. I had a capacitor go bad on one speaker crossover. I thought replacing the capacitor would be sufficient. Along the reading path I found the discussion related to upgrading crossovers. My decision was made. For some background I am an EE BS/MS with over 30 years of piratical experience. I felt the upgraded crossover would make a difference by one that would be unnoticeable. Well I was wrong. My suggestion to those that have LS90s and love them, you have no idea what you are missing. If you have the cash (and it's nothing that will kill you) my recommendation is to contact Trey at 'VR3 Mods' <Vr3Mods@gmail.com>. Here are my first impressions:
1. I have now listened to a range of music from Classical, Rock, and Alternative. The sound is much more ranging and true than ever before. The highs are higher and the lows lower. The speakers which were already excellent have now become even more incredible. I didn’t think it was possible.
2. I seem to have the ability to throw more power at the speaker without distortion. Using a Hafler 9500 amp at the 2 o’clock position (250W very pure). Never got there before.
3. Acoustical guitar where I thought before was awesome has gotten even better. I can very clearly hear fingers sliding up and down the guitar strings, very cool.
4. Oddly where high volume would make my CalLabs CD player skip seems not to have this problem. This does not completely make sense and will need some further thought, But a nice side effect if it holds.
5. In all, I’m happy with the investment which really did make a notable difference to already super speakers.
6. I will post these impression on you web site (probably more as well), but need to head off to my next chores.
Trey – thank you for your guidance along the way and the incredible craftsmanship. There are few out there that really understand basic engineering (resistors, capacitor, and inductors, and how they work), especially how it relates to and enhances audio. Great Job!!! Thank you.
RECOMMENDATION - contact Trey and a least explore the concept (especially if you are reading this post). Good luck. - Rob, Fortress LS90
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vr3 mods, gotta say this fortress plus mod rocks. totally out performs the fortress mod. this thing is like a brick as trey said it would be. i see increased volume in this mod. dont have to turn the volume up up as loud to hit that sweet spot. rocked out to the new eric claptons crossroads dvd. these lsi 9s are rocking now. the highs are more cleaner and lows are more lower.. if you want more outta your lsi 9s hi highly would go for this mod.... thanks again trey - Thomas (Polk Audio LSi9 Fortress Plus Modification)
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"Hello,
Just thought I would let you know I got back today and retrieved the crossovers from the office. All was fine with the isolation pads between the coils and the rods. They look better than the pics. I am currently listening to them after the install. They sound fantastic. Very happy with the results out of the box, cant wait till they are broken in.
Thanks for the great work and timely build." - Doug (Polk Audio LSi9 Fortress Plus Modification)