Red Rose R3s vs. Proac 1sc vs. Dynaudio 1.3SE

Be sure to listen to the Spendor s3/5s (around $900), only problem is you won't get any work done you'll just listen to the music!

The Legacy Studio Monitor is a great speaker and looks good also.

This may not be fair because I'm selling a pair of R3's now, but here are some brief viewpoints on monitors that I've owned:

Tyler Reference Monitors: Since they can often be acquired on audiogon for around $1100, they represent the best buy for the buck.

ProAc Tab Sigs and Response 1 SC: Fine monitors, but they are really dependent on the front end. I'm not sure if they would mate well with Plinius - in general, they sound better with tubes.

Merlin TSM-SE: Very neutral sounding, clean and fast. Since the VSM-SE's don't really use up any more space when you take into account the stands, they are much better than the TSM's.

Dynaudio 1.3: More solid-state friendly, but as NW stated above, they come across being somewhat dry and analytical.

Red Rose R3: By far my favorite. They are by no means neutral. They are wet, seductive, and romantic, and they do justice to a concert grand Steinway in tonality and size. At the same time the ribbon tweeters render things like cymbals, bells, and other ultra fast transients with stunning vividness. Because of their small drivers, they will not load up a small room with dominating bass, yet the bass is very correct and satisfying.

Good Luck :-]

I have heard the Red Rose in the showroom demonstrated by "the master" himself, Mark Levinson. I have never known anyone that can do a demo better than him, whether it was Red Rose or Cello. Although they are totally different design concepts, they are both fantastic.
I personally own a $60k B&W/Krell setup, but when I heard the Red Rose R3's, I was blown away. I didn't get the visceral feel of my system, but the R3's were able to do things that I've never heard a small speaker do.
You can't and won't go wrong with the R3's. Buy them!

Not sure of the match with the plinius, but I would encourage an audition of the Piega P2ltd. I felt it did most things a bit better than the Red Rose R3's... which is a fine speaker. I am also a fan of the Voce Divina...fwiw