In their frequency range, these speakers are darn near perfect!

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This is an update to my comments below dated 10/12/98. Now that I have lived with these speakers for almost 2 years, I thought an update was due. (I also wanted to help the average rating recover from the experience of the gentleman who gave these *instruments* a '2' rating - everyone's entitled to an opinion even if its dead wrong.)

With a growing family and increasing job responsibilities, I have less and less time to just sit and relax and listen to music. I don't have time to listen for 30 minutes or more to allow my ear/brain to adapt to the version of reality being delivered by my stereo system. You've been there: after a while, the system starts to sound good, and you relax into the music and enjoy it. Well, I need it NOW: no adjustment period. After letting the system warm up for 30-60 minutes while I do other things, my system needs to deliver maximum performance from the time I sit down until something pulls me away. (I'm not complaining - life is good!)

The system described at my site http://www.21stCenturyServices.com/audio, with the Merlin VSM-SEs delivering the musical goods, meets this need, and is truly outstanding. (I recently changed cartridges to a van den Hul Black Beauty, and the interconnects to Harmonic Technology: excellent upgrades!)

After adding the Merlins, I have mostly "retired" from the audio rat race, stopping by stereo stores to chat with friends, and reading reviews more for entertainment and to keep up with the market, than to shop.

I still listen to other systems occassionally, but I never get that "connection" to the music that the Merlins provide. And the VSM-SEs do it ALL the time, EVERY time. I'd like to reiterate my comment that the Merlins deliver recorded piano music that sounds like the real piano in my listening room. It really doesn't get better than that, IMHO.

I've heard Bobby has upgraded the SEs, and I would guess they are even better than the early SEs I have. Maybe I'll hear them someday. No hurry. As I said, life is good!

The Merlin VSM SE are the finest speakers money can buy!If you want accurate and true to the source buy'em.They will not cover up a system problem,So if your gear is not up to par you could have problem's.Alot of the reviews on this page are up upgraded model's.They will not perform as the new se's.They have different crossover parts and a different port,glue ect....

harmonic integrity, accuracy, soundstage, dimensionality, coherency, transparency, separation of voices & instruments, etc...

You've got to be kidding, it would be nitpicking... but if you want one: replace the soft copper binding posts on my model with harder alloy posts.

If there is a better speaker, I have never heard it. No electrostatic, no dynamic speaker that I have ever listened to, does all of the things as well as this speaker. To put this into some sort of perspective. As a CT resident (home of Krell and Mark Levinson products, to cite just two...)I have been in Madrigal's testing/demonstration room listening to their system: Wilson Grand Slams, Levinson electronics, etc. This was a $200,000 system (not a misprint). To say it was wonderful would be an obvious understatement. However, when I went home and played my modest (in comparison) system with VTL Tiny Triodes driving my Merlin VSM - Gen III's, I had no desire to replace anything, especially the Merlin's. As a professional musician (trumpet player) I am very concerned about harmonic accuracy and overtone structure. Woodwinds should reveal that the origin of their sound is from a wooden reed, unlike brass wind instruments. The Merlins are spectacular in this regard. You will simply hear deeper into the fundamental essence of an instrument or voice. I thought I had a criticism of the Merlin's as being slightly "thin" in harmonic structure until I replaced my preamp and realized that the Merlin's were simply revealing that preamp's shortcomings. The soundstage also improved dramatically in width and depth with the preamp change. On some recordings of large scale symphonic works, I can close my eyes and feel as though I could pick up a rock and throw it off of the back wall of the stage. I can hear the boundaries in all directions and in dimension in a cathedral or large recording hall. All of the speakers listed above had either apparent shortcomings or set-up problems. The Legacy Focus, a very fine speaker, had a bottom end that I just couldn't tame in my listening room; the Legacy Convergence had a high end that was not very open, extended or transparent. the Celestion Sl-700's compressed in protest over sudden dynamic passages or crescendo's. The point is, these generally excellent speakers all put a sonic signature on the music with every recording that revealed a speaker or speaker-room-interface problem. The Merlins in comparison, are simple to place (no bass placement nightmares; have a high end that extends endlessly and effortlessly into the stratosphere; do not compress loud passages, etc. Over the years, I have become very trusting of my own ears. For what it's worth, I don't let people who make a living writing audio reviews make decisions for me. Owning equipment for snob appeal or bragging rights ("I paid more than you paid: ergo, mine's better...") disgusts this person who sold his Krell amp without regrets because a little Audionics CC-2 blew it away. (Sidenote: the CC-2 owners out there will understand this...we know something you don't know :-) ...a real shame that little Oregon based company went under years ago). Not being wealthy, all of my expensive audio equipment has been purchased used, at less than half price of the actual selling (not retail) price. These speakers have now been in my home for years, they are not going anywhere, ever. P.S., all of the comments regarding Bobby Palkovic working with and responding to his customer's inquiries is absolutely my experience as well. He is a wonderful person to talk to, and made suggestions for me that were directly converted into improvements in my system. How many companies can you call where you could speak directly with the owner/designer who is also eager to talk to you?

Similar Products Used:

Legacy Focus, Legacy Convergence, Metaphor Model 5, Celestion SL-700, Harmonic Precision, etc.

Speed, accuracy, imaging, clarity

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I first bought a pair of VSM-SEs about two years ago and thought they were just about perfect. But, in one of the many conversations I have had with Merlin's owner, Bobby Palkovic, I was convinced to have them upgraded to Millenium specs even though I couldn't imagine that a new harness, new feet and a few other minor tweaks could make much of a difference.
WRONG. I got them back a few weeks ago and the improvements are astonishing. The imaging capabilities of the speakers, excellent before, are now startling. The soundstage has grown materially in all dimensions and there is a clarity and depth to the sound that allows me to hear far further into the music. These are incredibly involving speakers.
For those who feel these speakers lack bass, I understand but don't agree. When first bought the VSMs, I also bought an REL Storm III which mated perfectly and which added just the right amount and quality of mid-deep bass support. I still have the REL in the system, but have it set so much lower in both frequency and volume than before that I am unsure it's even performing except during electronic bass lines or organ music. Perfect.
I also had a slight glare in the mid-upper frequencies prior to getting the upgrade which is now gone. In all fairness, though, it was probably more a function of the Sonic Frontiers Line 2 preamp I had then, which I have since replaced with the new Joule Electra LA150, itself a superb piece of gear. The result is an absolutely glare-free, smooth and liquid sound across the frequency range.
The balance of my system consists of a Meridian 508.24 CD, a Plinius SA-100 Mark III amp, Cardas Golden Cross I/C's, Harmonic Technologies Pro 9 speaker cables and Sennheiser 580 headphones with an Earmax headphone amp. IMHO, at least for classical music, this is not a system which could not be materially improved upon for any price, and the Milleniums are its most convincing element.
Mention must be made of the people at Merlin. All of them, but especially Bobby, are unfailingly helpful, informed and forthcoming about their speakers and how they are likely to interact with other equipment. You soon understand that these are people who truly care about their products and their customers.
Why would anyone want to go anywhere else?

Accuracy accuracy accuracy

Accuracy? Limited bass extension

For those like me who desire the ultimate in accuracy in a modestly sized package, these are the it. They are as transparent as stats or ribbons, without the space requirements or dynamic limits. I use a good powered sub x'd over at about 50 hz; the bass power output is limited with the 6.5 in woofer. Within their range, they are dead on-accurate. That means no euphonic coloration, though. Many may find them too lean because of this, (like the poster below, perhaps) but a well recorded piece with natural warmth is absolutely delicious.
GIGO, for sure. They look expensive for a 6.5 in 2-way, but the competition that might match them in their range is much more expensive.(10k and up).

Similar Products Used:

Over 125 pair of high end speakers over 30 + years in the $3000-$10000 range

Balance, tonality, imaging, detail, always musical

lack of deep bass

I really like these speakers. They are extremely well balanced, image like crazy, have incredible detail without harshness, are always musical, and don't take up a lot of space. I have toyed with selling them, just because I'm an audiophile, but I keep coming back to the fact that I've never been more satisfied with any other speaker. I have owned many different types of speakers, and these are the best yet, regardless of price. Only criticism is a lack of deep bass. But they will make the floor rumble and are quite dynamic in the right room. I am experimenting with a REL Storm subwoofer at the moment to see how that works out.

These speakers present a constant 10 ohm load when using the RC networks. OTLS and SETs drive them very well, but I would recommend at least 20 watts. The Merlins do very well with OTLs with the tube wiring harness. That's what they show them with at CES's. If you can't get a Joule Electra OTL, go for the Transcendent or Atma-Spere. They are both cheaper and have 25 to 30 watt models available that should drive them no problem. I have used a Bel Canto Evo 200.2, and was amazed at how good it sounded. I've even used a Creek 4330, and it drove these with no problem. Almost every good component sounds good with them, because they are such an easy load. If I was to point out the best characteristics of these speakers, it would be as follows:

1. Completely natural and believable tonality. Instruments sound like they should. Human voices sound like they should. Listen to a breath a singer takes on these speakers. It's not over-stated, it's not harsh sounding...it sounds like someone taking a breath between phrases. These speakers have no peer in this regard. My last speakers were the highly aclaimed Talon Khorus, just for a reference point.

2. The soundstage is amazingly wide and deep. Nothing comes from the speakers. Imaging is as good as it gets.

3. Musicality. They NEVER sound bad, no matter what you put in front of them. Of course, I don't own any mid-fi stuff, but good equipment sounds like it should. By contrast, I owned a pair of Silverline La Folias. They were hyper detailed in an unnatural way, and were very critical of equipment.

4. Balance. Bobby Palcovik has really refined these things. I can find no weakness other than the deep bass. I would rather integrate a sub than try to find another speaker that does as many things right as the Merlins.

5. Price. Used at under $5000. with the standard finish and the latest model, how can you go wrong? And they don't last long on the used market Re-sale is excellent.

6. Size. They aren't going to require an addition to your home. And shipping charges aren't going to kill you.

I'm quite confused by Jack's review. I guess I would wonder what else he had in his system. It sure wasn't the Merlins that made his system sound bad. These things had a perfect 5 on this site up until that review. He doesn't post enough additional information to really understand what happened there. But they just got a Stereophile Class "A" rating. As long as you have a medium to small sized room, these speakers are the way to go.

Similar Products Used:

Talon Khorus, Silverline La Folia, Innersound Eros, Dunlavy SCIVa, many others

Soundstaging, Clarity, Imaging, Craftmanship

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Maybe too early to give such review, the speakers are not even broken yet. But I can't help to provide a quick feedback on this amazing speakers. When I contacted Bob to ask for his opinions to upgrade my PSB Gold-i to VSM-M. Bob was careful to ask me about my current system. He did give me a honest answer about the upgrade. I took his advise to buy the speakers even I haven't listened to them yet. Base on so many positive reviews, it is hard to make the wrong decision. I and my wife had to say WOW !!! when first listen to the speakers. I don't need to repeat what everyone have said before. They are amazing speakers...and I really appreciate the time Bob have spent with me to guiding me and educating me on this decision.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 802, PSB Gold-i, Joseph Audio RM22si, NHT 2.9

imaging,soundstaging,macro/microdynamic retrieval,speed

if i put a weakness i would be lying.

right out of the box these speakers sound amazing and as the day passes by the sound gets better and better. the
B&W-N805 these speakers replaced wasn't so bad but after
hearing the VSM's oh my i can't believe what i was missing,
its micro/macrodynamic retrieval is simply awesome,the
soundstage is so cavernous i am tempted to reach-out and touch the singer also my the ceiling height of my basement
is less than 7' but it feels like it is more than 10'. the
highs extend to the threshold of hearing without the hint
of harsheness or glare.the bass from the 6.5" woofer rivals
8 inchers and my VSM's don,t even have the BAM. no wonder
reviewers use these speakers as their reference. so if you
are looking for a pair of speakers no matter how much your
budget is do yourself a favor, audition a pair it will be
worht it. Another thing i would like to add is the "best-in-the-business" customer service,Bobby,owner/designer, answers all the questions honestly and accurately.he is very nice and knowledgeable. at this day and age it is very
hard to get answers to your questions from a company let alone talk to the owner of the company. my only regret is that i didn't buy these speakers sooner and could have saved myself thousands of $ from trading-in my previous
speakers.

I ownd a pair of VSM III RC (not the SE with BAM) for a few weeks. I have to say other than lack of lower mid and look, these speakers are as good as it gets. When I spoke to Bob about the lack of lower mid, he suggested the BAM. But I wanted to keep my all balanced setup and was not awared of the availability of BAM with XLR connection, so I sold them.
Now I own SF Extrema. Yes, it's better. But I still missed the Merlin. They are so easy to drive you can hook them up with anything and make music. Bob's design philosophy is very simple - use the best drivers available and bring out their strength. That exactly sums up the VSM's. They are neutral, details, smooth, and dynamic. Very few speakers (in fact, I have not heard any speakers at any price that have all the characters of Merlin VSM regardless of the price) that can do that.

Only if they can make it more attractive and full range without the BAM.

I have had thse speakers for 4 months. They are addicting. They sound less like speakers and more like real life than any other I have heard. If you buy them you will forget about the rest of the speaker market and just relax and listen to music. The treble is perfect. This is high end audio at its best.