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Pearl's Vision series is the eagerly anticipated successor to its legendary Export series. Aiming to offer the same winning combination of quality and affordability, Pearl clearly hopes that the Vision will also emulate the extraordinary success of the Export.

Featuring a range of kits spread over four levels of specification and price, the Vision series strays further into semi-pro territory than the Export ever did. Pearl has sent us examples of two types of Vision kit for review, a blended birch VSX and a range-topping all-maple VMX set.

"Comparing the VSX and VMX shells side by side, the only discernible difference is in the colour of the wood"

Build

Replacing what's as close to a household name as a drum kit can be is a massive undertaking and Pearl has opted to do it in two stages. The first Vision kit made its debut in 2007, while the last of the Export kits was still in production. This overlap allowed Pearl to introduce the new kit alongside the established one and also gave it time to prepare a new factory in China for dedicated production of Vision kits.

The original Vision VLX kit is now discontinued and the complete Vision series, which was officially launched at the 2008 NAMM and Frankfurt music fairs, is divided into sub-ranges.

The VX kits are the starting point of the range and have birch/basswood composite shells with a selection of standard wraps. Moving up a notch, we have VSX kits - featuring the same birch/basswood shells fitted with a choice of more exotic wraps, including a limited edition pinstripe finish that recalls an American hot rod. The next two levels of Vision kit are both based around single-wood shells and have pretensions of being proper semi-pro kits.

VBX kits are 100 percent birch and are offered in nine different configurations with a choice of five glossy lacquer finishes. Above the VBXs come the all-maple VMX kits, which are available in a similar number of shell-pack and lacquer options.

The price of a standard five-piece Vision kit varies across the range: VX kits retail at £705, VSX at £800, VBX at £890 and VMX at £855 (four-piece kits are available in VBX and VMX at £845 and £815 respectively). VBX kits are more expensive than their VMX equivalents because they, along with the VX and VSX kits, come with a 900 series hardware pack as standard. VMX kits don't include a hardware pack and the obvious conclusion to draw is that the price of the wood used (maple) is the preventing cause.