I have the Usher s520's in a 2nd system, driven by the Cayin A-88T and the combination is magic. Only a small room so not too much demand in loudness terms, but they are certainly not bright and the bass is surprisingly extended for such a small speaker. Listened to the VR 1 before opting for the Usher. Very little between them IMHO but as I live in Asia, I could get the Ushers for under 15% of the VR1 price, so a no-brainer.