Merlin VMS versus VMPS RM-40 versus Proac 3.8

A local dealer sells VMPS and they look like they are made in a guarage. Very dinamic though and "good" build quality. Will play levels louder than your two other speakers listed. The Proacs are more audiophile with better parts,drivers/crossovers etc. and have total pride of ownership. They would be great with the Pass amp and will play plenty loud for normal people. The Merlins are like owning Wilsons-Absolute contentment in every area there is from build to sonics minus the bigger speakers thumpping ability. Within their limits,you cannot do better. I would go with the tube harness though even with the solid state Pass. Call the owner,Bobby will talk to you directly and answer all of your questions.

cant say i've heard the others, but i think if you want true & accurate music go with the Merlins. they are amazing speakers. they simply disappear when they play music & for there size they have very very good bass.

i've not heard the VMPS, but they are getting some raves lately (see latest bound for sound). however, 2 things will keep me from ever owning those speakers:
1) build quality is known to be low
2) no highs when standing up --you have to sit down to listen to these speakers, which seems silly considering they're almost 6' tall.

i own merlins. in small to mid size rooms, they are without equal. tonally, i've never heard a better speaker.

if you're debating VMPS vs Merlins, you really don't know what you want. they're two VERY different designs (merlins: coherence & transparency vs VMPS wall flexing bass)

rhyno

Rhyno Get real, nobody stands up and listens to their speakers the set in a chair. Build quality is not known to be low, as a fact if you take the time to check the quality of the drivers,and all other parts you will find that the vmps are way way better than the merlins. The vmps has a coherence & transparency on par with magnapan or any other good planer speaker and very good bottom end when tuned to your room. They are large,tall and heavy and take some time to set up. Your merlin speakers are just not even close in this case.

So Good, I'll believe it when I hear it that a speaker using different driver technologies offers the coherence of one offering the same. I haven't EVER heard it to date. Long term listening really brings this fact home. The MOST coherent speakers are those that have a single source driver, Maggies, Soundlabs and the like. Merlins get damn close to that degree of coherence. And also do you really believe that the Vamps are special in that they require special set-up and fine tuning to sound their best? This can be said of ALL systems, Merlin's included.

As Rhyno noted, both these speakers are of two different camps. I have heard Brian Cheney's designs from years ago and thought they were quite good but in no way could be compared with the Merlin's which are world class speakers for small to medium sized rooms with superb tonality, coherence and resolution but lacking the bass energy that some can't live without.

Better is very subjective in the hunt for aural nirvana. There IS NO best, only compromises that one is willing to live with within the constraints of budget, room and listening priorities.