Wow, Infinity Reference Standard II speakers!!! Hey, those Infinity speakers were my first speakers - bought back in 1981.
I was in the Air Force in Germany, and bought all my electronics/sources (at amazingly cheap prices). But I just didn't like any speakers offered by the military outlets (KLH, Yamaha, Bose 901, and the big Klipsch horns). So, I had the stuff I bought over there drop-shipped to my mom's home in the US, and came back to find speakers. After a couple of months, I ended up with those Infinitys.
The only problem was the gypsy lifestyle I was to live over the next 10 years. Man, those things were a bear to move. Once I bought my Thiels in 1989, the Ref Std IIs were put out to pasture. They had about 30 years worth of wear and tear.
As to replacing them with VMPS, I have only heard my RM40s. So I am no authority on their range of speakers. However, at that price point, I would suggest 626R augmented with a VMPS sub. Of course, I'm one of those who feel you should never exceed your original budget.
Thanks for the picture, and the memory.
Kevin