Yeah, they're keepers (at least until I get my DIY subs going and find out different!).
First off, I'm not very experienced/sophisticated with subs. It is much more difficult to distinguish what is going on down low than in the mid and upper range and I didn't do any type of measurement or playing of test tones.
Also this is 2.2 music-only. I spent some time listening to some of my favorite music (music I know well enough to have the base line memorized).
I have a pair of Martin Logan Dynamo's which I am happy with and A-B'ed them against the VMS's for about an hour.
(side note - I have found the Dynamo's to be more musical than the SVS SB12-plus which has a pretty good reputation)
My set-up is two identical Marantz receivers level matched for instant switching between the subs. Bass management is provided by the receiver at 120Hz and the speakers were off (I had already established that they blend well with the mains).
What I heard was the VMS have more kick. I listened to an acoustic guitar solo and it was interesting to hear the differences. The ML's actually played more of the music (not too much SPL, but it was there). My guess would be that they have a slower roll-off in the upper frequencies than the VMS's. I believe the Marantz's have a second order roll-off which must allow a fair amount of low-mid frequencies through. You could hear some of this on the VMS's, but the interesting thing is they added a little percussive punch to each string as it was plucked. The attacks on the ML's don't have as much authority.
Percussive is a good term for the VMS's. They definitely added the kick to the kick drum (and about anything else that is plucked or struck). Listening to acoustic bass was probably the easiest way to reveal this.
Also, listening to some low organ notes revealed that the VMS plays lower. Where the ML would drop off some on the lower notes being played, the VMS stayed solid. By itself teh ML sounded pretty decent, but when compared to the VMS, it was obvious that the ML was relying much more on harmonics than the fundamental.
I am hesitant to say much about about pitch. The VMS semed very good, but the ML's were decidedly better. However, as I said above, the ML's seemed to be playing a good bit more into higher frequencies, which would add a lot more pitch info, so I don't know what to attribute to this. If I had two identical pairs of speakers, I guess I could get a better take on that!
One thing about a little 8" driver with a 12.7 pound magnet and 1000W RMS - it jumps!
Much of the reason I bought these was that the components seemed much like a scaled down version of the DIY 12" sealed subs I am anxious to get going (and the VMS's didn't have to wait their turn for fair weather and the honey-do list).
I had expected to pair the VMS's in the office with my EMP 41-SE/B's, but now I'm thinking they will end up in the bedroom with my Paradigm S-2's (the DIY sub will go with the Focal Solo6's).
I'll get some pics up later.
