Upgrade from Proac Response 1SC?

Badri, just to follow up, the Response D2s and I are still friends. It actually took some time for the old Proac magic to emerge, as I think the previous owner(s) of these speakers didn't play them enough, and they take about 100 hours to find their voice. I thought at first they were a little too bright, but with a few minor tweaks (they like Proac's standard jumpers a lot better than the Kimber Kable ones I tried) they've calmed down quite a bit and I'm really enjoying them. Wonderful detail, excellent imaging. I'd say they're still a bit on the bright side but amplification plays a role in this and I've been giving a little thought to changing from my present Hegel H200 to something like a Modwright KWI200 which has the reputation for sounding fuller.

I made the move from Proac 1SC's to B&W Nautilus 805 Signatures. I've been very happy with the upgrade. Of course, 805 Signature's are many years old now and not easy to find, but it is a really great speaker that looks great and is easy to fit into most rooms.

My journey went from the 1SCs to D15s. After that I went to Merlin VSM with BAM and upgrades. The Merlins showed the weaknesses of my prior Jolida amp and I moved to a Cary SLI80 F1. This gives a very satisfying result.

crwindy, I’m curious about your impressions of the Merlin VSMs and how they compare to the Proacs. I’ve read a lot of good things about Merlin speakers and even considered trying a pair of TSMs but never quite got to it. It appears there won’t be any more made though, following the death of Merlin’s owner last year, so I’d have keep an eye on the used market. They do come up on Audiogon sometimes.

It seems like the Proacs do some things that really appeal to you that are tough to find in other speakers.  I agree with Zd that it might be very worthwhile trying some different integrateds that may better blend the top end with the rest of the sonic picture.  On the solid state side I'd try Ayre or Plinius, and for tubes maybe ARC or VAC.  Also, not sure what you're using for interconnects and speaker cables, but that may be another avenue to explore.  Best of luck.