I own the Parsifals, and the Fidelio's are 80 to 90% there. The ProAcs 2.5 are a good speaker,however, I disagree that they are the least colored. To me, they are more colored than the Veritys, more forward than natural, and one is more aware of their presence. But this is based on MY listening experiences! You have selected a good list. I'm not a fan of the Meadowlarks and you have to be carfeful of listening position because they use first order crossovers. But since you've had the Vandersteens I'm sure you are aware of this. Again, I find the Totems like the ProAcs. But they and the ProAcs may work well with the Rowland gear as Hgeifman suggests since I find the Rowland electronics a little rolled off on the high end and a little too smooth and mellow through the midrange. You may want to audition the new ProAcs, they are based on a completely new design and are supposed to be "unbelievable".
Merlin vs. Totem vs. Verity vs.????
I'm having to replace my beloved Vandy IICE's with something physically smaller. Associated equipment is an Audio Research D-115 mk2 amp (100 watt) , LS-8 preamp ( both tube), CAL Audio CL-10, and MIT 750 cables). Leading candidates right now include the Merlin VSM-SE, The Totem Mani2's or Forests, perhaps ( a stretch financially) the Verity Fidelio's , if they're half as good as the awesome Parsifals, and anything else worth listening to at or below the size and price of the Merlins. Question is, what should be in this group? The ProAc 2.5s have been recommended. How about the Meadowlarks? Anything else that ought to be in contention? JimB