I have owned the VSA VR-33 speakers for a number of years now. I have not heard your other two considerations.
I recall when I first received these speakers, I had high hopes for them. They were replacing a pair of Mirage M-5si's. Now the Mirages had a decidedly darker voicing that produced an incredible low end response from two rather generic 6.5" woofers. That and a Rotel 990 power amp produced a room lock low end that I'll never forget.
So when the VR-33's were first fired up you might imagine I wondered where the low end had gone. Called Albert and was thinking these were not for me. He encouraged me to give it some time and allow the speaker time to break in. So I did. After 300 hours, I stated to realize the old Mirages were indeed rather dark and colored in comparison. The 33's produced a more neutral and detailed sound. The bass in fact did show up after break in.
So years later I listen to them in my second system with great regularity. One big advantage of this speaker is that it is voiced to do well near the front wall. I have the rear of the cabinet 14" off the front wall. They are driven by a Primaluna Dialogue HP which I think is a great match. The room is open and large. I would describe the sound as neutrally balanced. The bass is tight and deep, certainly no boom. With orchestral pieces, bass drums whacks have very nice, clean impact. Dynamics with this pairing are very good and lend excitement to the music. The midrange is very clean and seamlessly hand off the the silk tweeter which in nicely extended. I do not find any edge or bite to this speaker. As I write this I am listening to a great Naxos CD Sarastate, Music for Violin and Orchestra. Spectacular performance by the soloist! (Get this CD!) The violin if full bodied with all it's nuances wonderfully reproduced by the 33's. Sweet, soaring, spectacular sound with no desire to turn the music down. Imaging is very good considering placement. In my dedicated audio room, my speakers are well out into the room to maximize the sound stage--something I value highly. I find without this type arrangement I am very unsatisfied. But with the 33's, they do a remarkable job up against the front wall. Center image has nice height, and I do achieve extension of the sound stage lateral to the speakers. Depth may be limited, but this I suspect is more a function of placement than the speaker.
The cabinet is very solid indeed. Drivers are of high quality, as is the simple first order crossover which integrates the drivers remarkably well. It's simplicity and high quality, I think, contributes to the nice dynamics and jump factor I note with some music which lends to the illusion of live music.
So yes, I have toyed with what other speakers might do in this room (open baffles in particular) I doubt I will do better when placement factors are considered. So consider me long term impressed with this speaker.
