I actually did a side-by-side comparison of these two speakers a couple of weeks ago at Systems Design Group in Redondo Beach, CA prior to reading this post. I listened to the Studio 20's first and was impressed by the fullness and detail of the sound. Crisp highs and lows, that while not earth-shattering, that were pretty impressive for a monitor. I next listened to the VR-1's and was blown away. I played the same music, but heard far more detail from the VR-1's than I did from the Studio 20's. The highs in the VR-1's were equally crisp, but more subtle, if that makes any sense. Both great speakers, but I would say the VR-1's are worth the extra $200 retail.