clean, precise, tight, fast, dark, natural and balanced

broke my fingers

Merlin VSM MM/MX Super BAM Upgrade My speakers disappeared! It all began in the early 1970s when I was a full time luthier (musical instrument builder). A client who was picking up a mandolin I had just built for him, upon seeing my crappy stereo among all the great guitars and mandolins, gave me a pair of1960 Marantz Model 5 mono blocks and a nice set of speakers. The amps were my primary power until about three years ago when I blew a transformer and one of my audiophile friends offered to undertake the repair. He hadn’t been in contact with me for a few months and when I called he just said dejectedly, ”guess you want your amps back”. After some very reasonable offers that I declined, I auditioned the amps on his Merlin VSMs. What an experience to behold. Being an instrument maker, collector of vintage Martin and Gibson guitars and mandolins, musician, and frequent concert attendee, I have a decent sense of the sound of live, high-end instruments. From Woodstock to Carnage Hall and many small venues in between, I’ve experienced a lot of live music and can distinguish great sound from average sound. I’m not an audiophile and prefer to play my own music or listen to masters in an intimate setting. The Merlins coupled with the Marantz amps replicated the sound that musicians seek; the speakers/amp combination reproduced a powerful bass in Marley music and subtle overtones of the acoustics instruments as is heard in the studio or in a live venue. I purchased the ruby red VSMs with single ended bam, Audible Illusions pre amp and Audionote CD player and tried to duplicate the sounds that I heard at my friend’s house. While it was great, something was missing. My buddy had tweeked his system for years and I had to put in my time in research, testing and an attitude adjustment to accept the voodoo magic of cables, stands, room placement, treatment, etc, etc. Bobby Palkovic of Merlin was extremely helpful – “get rid of some of that sh.. and try XXX.” With audience Au 24 cables (after auditioning a half dozen or so) new tubes all around (thanks Kevin at VAC) and turning my living room into a studio with an impressive array of electronic toys, I was getting there. Now half of my cds sounded unbelievable, one quarter were great and one quarter sounded like crap. It wasn’t the system but the recordings. I gravitated towards the best cds and was in audio heaven for a while, but I wanted more. I always liked the tight low base of the Merlins– they sound real to me and not contrived like so many subwoofers or gigantic systems. After my friend got Bobby’s new upgrade for his VSMs and spoke of the wonders of the improvements, I had to take the next step. I was so proud of my system and literally spent hours with all the blinds closed, TV and doors covered, lights down and volume up, but imagined it could be better – only because Bobby and my buddy testified to the upgrade. A couple of days before I was to send the speakers and BAM out for the MM /MX upgrade and super BAM, an unnamed friend who had way too much to drink at our party, leaned into one speaker, and as it toppled over, I cushioned the speaker’s fall to my white oak floor with three fingers on my right hand, cleanly breaking the tips and seriously marring the impeccable finish on the speaker. For the several weeks while the speakers were at Merlin I had no stereo, couldn’t play music and had too much time on my hands. What the hell – tweek. With an electrician, I installed a new main panel and breakers with all the noise isolated to one side, two 10 gauge dedicated circuits, ridiculously expensive outlets and connected the dedicated lines to 160 pounds of balanced power transformers from Equitec. I burned in everything using the TV, fans and lights and waited. I received the speakers in late December and over the holidays I set everything up and listened. I really don’t know how to describe sound the way that I have read in some reviews. All I can say is that it’s full, pure, balanced, dimensional and real. Now I’m only aware of the music and the tubes glowing in the dark. The speakers are gone and a huge 3-dimensional sound stage emulating from behind, in front of, between, and to either side of the speakers places me in the front row of the concert. They are so easy to listen to at any volume it’s mind-boggling. When I crank it up, I can still have a calm conversation from across the room. I don’t even have to sit directly in the center with my ears positioned in the perfect sweet spot – imaging and balance occurs everywhere in the room. The mids and highs were always sweet and now the bottom is more explosive, tight and lower. Terms such as deep, black, nuanced, natural, room filling and dynamic come to mind. 90 % of my CDs sound magnificent and 10% suck (due to the recording process) but are still enjoyable. I like a lot of David Grisman stuff and can identify individual historic instruments on his Tone Poems albums – its like tasting fine wines and knowing the vintner and vintage without looking at the label. Voodoo. I don’t know how this all happens with just those two little speakers in a very heavy cabinet (my fingers have healed and Merlin’s repair of the dents and scratches is about as fine as any master violin restorationist can accomplish). I am now forgetting my stereo. If someone suggests Cardas Golden Reference, upgrades to my CD, Pre amp and room treatments, I’ll just smile. If they suggest modern amps, I’ll kick then out of the house. After three years (plus 30 with the amps) and some serious learning, my stereo system is in the same class as my 1922 Gibson F-4 mandolin, 1933 Martin OM 18 and 1938 Martin 000 28 instruments. Bobby’s approach seems to be similar to makers of fine stringed instruments – discover a great idea and keep refining it to near perfection. I have built guitars that some think rival my old Martins. Creating music and associated tools is one of the most rewarding endeavors I know of. In both these cases, the tools must be well designed and crafted using the finest materials, but in the end, it’s all about the music! Thanks Bobby.

Soundstage, tonality, clarity, bass & midrange focus.

If your looking for bottom octave, look elsewhere.

VSM-MX (piano black) with Super Battery BAM Room/Setup: 14’ x 20’ x 8’ dedicated room in basement speakers positioned along the short wall 62” out from front wall, 32” out from side wall speakers are 6.5’ apart using three Z-feet listening chair is 9.5’away from speaker planes Room is heavily treated with Echo Buster Phase4 Traps, Bass traps, echo and double buster panels, Corner busters. Equipment VSM-MX (piano black) with Merlin’s Supert Battery Dedicated 20 amp circuit (amp/preamp plugged directly into this) Sound Application Linestage 7000 Signature PLC Cardas Golden Reference wiring, Elrod Sig 2 & Sig 3 Powercords Capitole II Cdp Joule Electra LA 150 Joule Electra VZN 100 Musicwood VPI SuperScoutmaster Cardas Heart The speakers came in a single box @200 lbs with detailed setup instructions. Set up was a breeze as this is the third generation of VSM in my room. (SE, M and MX) Fit & finish is as it should be in a 10K + speaker. They are drop dead beautiful for sure! The MX’s deliver a huge, expansive, highly seductively soundstage. Micro and macro detailing is outstanding. Images are suspended in the stage in a most beleiveable manner. The midrange is focused and the speakers are crystal clear from top to bottom. Perhaps the biggest improivement lies in the clarity. The MX’s seem more relaxed in their presentation of high frequnncies. Cymbals shimmer and have that metallic grit and bite that seems so hard for many to reproduce. Bass quality is vastly improved. Pitch, definition and detail are outstanding. I suspect that the new Super Ban makes considerable contributations in this area. A few words regarding the Super Bam. For the first time in my rig, the new Super Bam on full AC power is very very close to full battery. I still prefer full battery but only by the slightest margins. I also have noted continued improvement of the Bam as I fully drain/rechaged the unit in weekend listening sessions. Weakness is still the bottom octave. Bass freaks need look elesewhere. Since my room will not support a large stadning wave, not a consideration for this hobbyist. Thew VSM MX is yet another quantam leap in performance onver the M version of the speaker. Bobby P continues to perfect his design and support his customers in a manner like few in this indyustry.

See review

1. Does not cost $1000. 2. Fairly long wait time, however it is hand made.

VSM-MX (piano black) with Battery BAM Room/Setup - 14’w x 18’l x 7’h dedicated room in basement - speakers positioned along the short wall 72” out from front wall, 48” out from side wall (measurements taken from center of woofer) - speakers are 6.5’ apart (mid woofer to mid woofer) using three Z-feet (2 front, one center rear) - listening chair is 10’ away from both woofers - cement floor with wall to wall heavy carpeting and a big oriental rug on top of that between listening chair and speakers - room treatment is a Jon Risch-based DIY panel absorbers that measure about 5’ high by 2.5’ wide (on 1’ stilts). Composed of 6” of fiberglass wrapped with 1/2” high loft polyester. Out from walls about 5”. I have 5 of them at various strategic positions. Equipment - VSM-MX (piano black) with Merlin’s latest Battery BAM (see Merlin’s webpage under “What’s New” – June 10, 2005) - Dedicated 20 amp circuit (amp/preamp plugged directly into this) - Isolation transformer (1 KVa) fed from the 20 amp circuit. CDP, BAM, tape deck hooked into this - Marantz SA-14 v1 SACD player - Joule Electra LA 150 newest revision (one with 8 tubes –no 6H30-P as the Mu follower – he returned to the 6350 workhorse tubes for that) - Belles 150A Hot Rod stereo amplifier - Nakamichi RX-202 tape deck - Interconnects from Element Cable (JR-based 89259/89248 twisted design with Eichmann Bullet Plugs) and Heartland cables (89259-based with Eichmann Bullet Plugs) - Goertz MI-2 6’ speaker cables (single wired) Phew, I hope that that is helpful to someone! Ok, I am going to approach Bobby and ask if I can buy shares in his company as I have bought the VSM-SE (with AC BAM), the VSM-M (BBAM), the VSM-MM and now the VSM-MX with the updated BAM. The speakers came in a single box (~200 lbs) meticulously packaged and the setup instructions were straight forward. Mine came initially without the BAM as Bobby was in the final stage of updating it. Thus, I lived with the VSM-MX for about 6 weeks without a BAM hooked into the system. The sound prior to the BAM? Fantastic, but missing a bit of the wallop that I was used to experiencing with the VSM. What the hell else did you expect? Now with the BAM hooked up into the tape loop of the Joule, the sound has become more involving and tactile, and of course, deeper with more grunt. Of all the three BAMs that I have owned, (AC BAM, the older BBAM, and now this one) this one betters the others. The reason? Better power supply (and more versatile), improved batteries, improved filters…all the above plus others that Bobby keeps to himself? Who knows, but the end result is mostly all that matters to me. I am not well versed in the typical writing fashion that so many audiophiles seem to have mastered; however, there is a certain “rightness” to this speaker system that I cannot adequately put into words. Notice that I said “speaker system”. This includes the often recommended components to partner with the Merlins that seem to have synergy (I am sick of seeing that word, but it is true here nonetheless). According to Bobby, the MM and MX’s have now a wider scope of equipment that mate well with them including the ARS Sonum Filarmonia integrated amp. They do not have to be expensive (look at my amp). I usually have only 45 minutes to one hour at the end of a busy day (professional life, children, wife…you know the usual routine) and EVERY SINGLE DAY I eagerly look forward to the time that I sit down, relax and listen to my music. It helps keep me going. You know what I am talking about. Is it worth the $10 500 US MSRP? Well, if you want the best two way damn-near full range beautifully finished speaker system on the market today with a customer support network that is the best that I have ever encountered (just one example: he phoned me at home to inquire how things were going!), then yes it is. Questions/Comments? Feel free to email me. David

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Cohesiveness top to bottom Dynamics Neutrality (in the best sense)

Does not look as impressive as it sounds, and it looks pretty darn good.

Obviously, most people that have this speaker love it. Most commentators at shows and magazines love it. What makes it so special? The key for me is that it is able to reproduce beautiful from top to bottom in perfect balance. With this speaker, from low bass (though not the lowest ocatave) to the high register you have a sense of proper proportion, nothing gets hidden, nothing is exaggerated. I think people referto this a smoth tonality, these speakers have it. They also convey an incredible liveliness or jump factor, while it can fully articulate a whisper, it can instantly repsond to a crescendo - that is, it has excellent dynamics, present and crisp. The soundstage with every recording changes -- this is as it shuld be, it does not impose a character on the recording, it lets the recording speak for itself - it is accurate and honest. The truly amazing thing about this speaker is that it can do all that with just two drivers and a small 43x8.5x8.5 cabinet. Much of its cohesiveness must be due to the fact that it only has two drivers, but how does it product that sublime, rich, detailed bass from a 6 1/2" woofer/midrange driver. Well, it must be great drivers, a well engineeered enclosure, a great crossover, and of course the BAM (external, electronic Bass Augmetation Module). However it is done, the VSM-MX provide the total package, unless you listen to 16Hz electronic tones - I don't, for listening to music, nothing is missing (noting meaningful). If this was a large, multi-driver speaker producing the same sound, it might even sell more. With the deceptively simple cabinet (though beautifully painted and elegant indeed) and only two drivers it might be hard to understand how it can be worth $10K. Listen to this one blindfolded and you'll soon understand. Undoubetley one of the great speaker designs.

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-resolute, natural 3D image -big smooth sound stage -faithfully reproduced subtle, musical nuance and cues -plays loud and clean

none

Merlin VSM-MM Review I’ve owned the Merlin VSM-SA since 2002 and have been quite pleased with the product. But even very good can always get better, and this past fall, I decided to send these speakers back to Merlin Music Systems and have them (and the BAM) upgraded to the current VSM-MM product. I didn’t exactly know what to expect from the upgrade and didn’t want to get my expectation set too high. However, after having the MM version in place for over 6 months, I can say without any reservation, that this speaker exceeds my highest expectations. I listen to a wide range of music, everything from quiet jazz and folk to hard hitting rock. My desire is to have a system that can deliver the resolution and musical nuance that is so apparent in jazz and folk recordings but still be able to deliver a clean, powerful rock listening experience. The VSM-MM really can do this! On the quieter music side, a couple CDs I’ve used to evaluate the MMs are Pat Metheny’s “One Quiet Night” and Ricky Lee Jones’s “Naked Songs”. The first difference I noted with the MMs was a significant improvement in the breath and depth of the soundstage. I’d close my eyes and it is if the sound forms a curve that I describe as sitting in the bow of a large boat. The very nice image is in front of you at the point of the bow, with the sound stage wrapping around you to the port and stern sides. The image and resolution is wonderful. I listen to a lot of live music and have always felt the magic in guitar music comes from the ability of the musician to directly touch the string and convey very subtle musical feelings by the way he or she engages the string. There are very subtle but impactful musical cues in this that I often find missing in recorded music. The MMs, however, do a wonderful job of presenting these subtle cues to the listener, creating a very real, engaging and natural “live” listening experience. My gold standard for rock music sound systems is the live concert UltraSound system that the Grateful Dead used back in their hay-day. They set out to and achieved a system that could deliver gobs of power without the slightest hint of compression or distortion of any kind. This was truly an obsession of the band’s and of sound system’s creators. The Merlin’s, I’m very happy to report, do achieve this and exceed my gold standard. They can play very loud while also delivering clean, powerful sound. These speakers just don’t compress. It is a very stunning experience. My current favorite demo CD in this vein is Wilco’s latest “A Ghost Is Born” (I also feel this is the best rock CD to come out in many years). Jeff Tweety goes from playing some very quite stuff, to out-there electronic stuff to some just very hard hitting rock. He also has a voice that is very nuanced and expressive. The Merlin’s beautifully reproduce all this and do it all in great form. Tweety’s vocals a very well imaged and resolute and impacting without sounding pushed (something I find with most other “rock” speakers). The loud parts are loud, clean and big without any hint of compression. The experience really leaves you with a smile on your face! I don’t know how Bobby at Merlin was able to get this all to play so well in one box but somehow, he did. All in all, I’m extremely satisfied with the MMs. This is a speaker I recommend whole heartedly to anybody, no matter what their musical tastes is.

Merlin VSM-MX review by Steve Burton, April, 2005 The Merlin VSM-MX is an elegant speaker. Fit and finish is exemplary. Mine are Piano Black with a mirror smooth gloss finish. Wife acceptance factor (WAF) is at the high end of the scale. Well packaged in a single box they arrived with no damage to box or contents. Associated Components: CD players: Audio Aero Prima, Cary 303/300, and Ultech UCD-100 Pre-amp: Aesthetix Calypso Amps: Berning ZH270 and AES/Cary Sixpacs Interconnects: Cardas Golden Reference Speaker cable: Vampire Wire Room: 14 x 15 x 8 Music: Jazz, Blues, and Classical Over the years I have read numerous glowing reviews of the Merlin VSM speakers. Always wanted to audition them but never got the chance. Finally ordered them “sight unseen.” Easily the best audio purchase I have ever made. The VSM-MXs took approximately 300 hours of play before they sounded their best. I have used the MXs with all the equipment listed above in various combinations. The Merlins are a clear window for the upstream components to shine through. Someone said they are like “sonic microscopes.” I agree. They are as clear as the best electrostatics I’ve ever heard, maybe more so. It’s kind of difficult to review the Merlins because what you are hearing is the upstream components with almost no color added by the speakers. Any upstream change makes an audible difference. My most important listening priority is having the music totally separated from the speakers. When instruments appear to emanate from the speaker itself, for me, the illusion is broken. The Merlins pull the disappearing act as well as any speaker I’ve heard. The soundstage is very wide, very deep, with plenty of bloom. Images are precise and natural. Tonal balance is even. Instrumental timbre is natural and convincing. Vocals are spectacular through the Merlins. With the Berning amp in the chain female vocals appear to be “in the room.” With the components listed above, the sound is rich, smooth, and refined, with absolutely no brightness. However, be warned, I have no doubt that they will convey the shriek of bright components in a heartbeat. Okay, okay, I’m done with all the flowery prose. Not! Gotta tell you about the bass. The bass may be my favorite MX feature. There is no shortage of impact. The bass is full, tight, and articulate. No, it doesn’t have the lowest octave, but most listeners will never miss it. Driven by the Berning ZH270, these speakers can shake the walls with bass. It’s hard to get enough of it. Most people already know the Merlins work well with the Berning ZH270 amp. I am happy to report the MXs also sound great with the AES Sixpac amps. The Sixpac/Merlin combo is rich and smooth, extremely easy to listen to. It produces a tremendous soundstage. With the Berning you get incredible resolution, more articulate bass, and more transient attack, yet the sound is still rich and full. Prior to upgrading my CD player, I thought the Berning was a bit lean. With the Cary 303/300 and the Audio Aero Prima the sound through the Berning is now warm and full. (That’s what I mean when I say the Merlins convey the upstream components.) The music is more “real” through the Berning. Though different, I like the presentation offered by both amps. If you want a different sound just change an upstream component, tubes, or wires. You’ll hear the difference. This is much easier than swapping speakers looking for a particular sound. Is there anything to criticize about the Merlin VSM-MX speakers? Not much. The missing lowest octave I suppose. They do require the best sounding upstream components to sound their best, but fortunately that doesn’t always mean the most expensive. I can’t complete this review without mentioning the great service, support, and advice I’ve received from Bobby Palkovic at Merlin. Bobby is one of the very few manufacturers that actually care about your success with their product. He goes out of his way to help you. He’s been making the VSM speaker for ten years now, refining them, honing them, into the best they can be. This approach appeals to me much more than manufacturers that simply toss out idea after idea, hoping for a “hit.” The Merlins are thoroughbreds. True classics. Other speakers I’ve owned: Isophon, PSB, Apogee, Von Schweikert. Other high-end speakers I’ve auditioned: Wilson, Magnepan, B&W, Innersound, Martin Logan, Eminent Technology, Scientific Fidelity, Acoustat, Totem, Focal JM Labs, Audio Physic, Fuselier, Vandersteen, Aerial, Alon, Infinity, Thiel, Revel.

natural broad stage, Voices exeed all expectation

none. People who find there is too less bass seems to have ruined their taste with a cheap subwoofer. They better buy a pair of car loudspeakers with a subwoofer.

Even if it may be boring to repeat what most of the other reviewers wrote about the Merlin VSM, I want to enlist myself in the many admirers of these exceptional loudspeaker. The Merlin VSM-MX is a musical revelation in every sense. I have owned many loudspeakers from B&W, Infinity, Magneplanar MG 3.0, Audiophysics Virgo I and since some years also a Merlin EXL II, which I still have in use and like very best. Because there is no more distributor in Switzerland I got in contact to Bobby Palkovic, who offered me a VSM-MX. After 7 month inquiet waiting I got his huge package. Without ever before listening to this speakers I was convinced that they will soud as least as good as my old EXL II and I was not disappointet. I never had a better speaker and I don’t rember have heard music of a better quality out of a loudspeaker at any occasion, not even with the biggest famous infinity, I had the opportunity to listen some years ago. I never heard my records and CDs so detailed, so neutral full and with a big stage. There is really nothing missing and you forget that you are sitting in your living room, it’s just music and never annoying. Untill now I have not found any music which did not sound optimal through these loudspeakers.

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Natural,musicality,dynamics,purity,accuracy,timbre,attack,nuances,mid to die for,highs,low frequencies uncanny with BAM, sound stage, good looks in a pro studio, efficient, functional, minimalist way. I think these speakers redefine the flat/round earth theories, less pear shaped more the hi fi equivalent 'hyperbolic paraboloid', probably a total malaprop but I like the architectural link. I do believe that Merlin designers consider the whole.

Concerned about the step down convertor needed for 240V to 110V (for the BAM box), used a travel model which wobbled unsatisfactorily until i found a solid model in Maplins for 29.99 (UKP). I was initially intimidated by set up but actually found it quite simple, may work towards perfectionism as time goes on. If I had a large dog running around I might worry about stability and them toppling over. Otherwise, none that I can express at this time.

Purchase of my VSM-MM's built as recent as Jan 05 was my opportunity to aquire from a friend in the US whose needs changed suddenly. He waited a couple of months for the coveted Magic Mod (MM)VSM to be built. I waited 2 weeks from when they were offered to me, paying him the cash and taking delivery in the UK during February. I have to say my tastes in how I take my music have changed considerably over the last couple of years. Two years ago I was running a long standing Naim active six pack (6 x 135 pwr amps) with all the attendant boxes consisting of power supplies, pre amps, Mana stands et al, all into giant (for UK at least) DBL speakers. You could say there was a 'club' atmosphere in my Victorian home, great for parties, nerve wracking when my 20 something sons were home, I was constantly standing guard by the volume knob and remote! Actually the DBL's were'nt bad at low listening levels but I started to crave simplicity, sold the boxes at famously good Naim residuals (prior to interest rates starting to creep up)and moved to long intended to try ATC active speakers - voilla! 1 rack containing pre amp, cd, tuner and turntable. I did enjoy the ATC clarity and dynamics immensely, music and timing were all there with the level of detail and accuracy much lauded by ATC fans, all there. Despite all that excellence and musical truth I knew that my tastes were changing and I think that was sparked by my decision to buy an Audio Aero Capitole CD player, once again heard at a friend's house overseas. Such a natural, musical, satisfying listening experience, it was pointing the way for me to go. I could listen to it for longer periods, at more sustainable listening volumes that with any other piece of source equipment i'd owned, apart from my Leak Troughline valve tuner, which was the perfect source component match. I sold the ATC actives to inject some cash into my business, went through Quad 22's, ESL 57 speakers and various integrateds before arriving at a killer combination of an Adyton 'Opera' Integrated and the buying blind, at the recommendation of US friends and much reading of reviews etc, Merlin TSM-MM standmount speakers. This was only towards the end of 2004, I bought them from the UK dist Paul L, great service and attention to detail. My vision of simplicity was complete, i was now down to the AA capitole (never let it go!) Leak Troughline (kill you if you try to take it!). Wherever you are in the world if you've never heard the TSM-MM and you're in the market for a standmount, they will shock you. I suppose it's all relative and you need source and amp synergy but you don't need huge power and those speakers will give you everything except mega low LF, I listen to a lot of percussive music, both acoustic latin/afro/jazz and contemporary electronic based sounds, never felt lacking in bass. That rig met my needs if i'm being honest, low level listening integrity, party potential, sound stage, boogey factor, spatial honesty, musical honey. So why the VSM-MM? because I knew I was going there, you would if you could after the TSM-MM, I just did'nt know when. It was pure Voodoo and heavenly devilment that my sub conscious mind arranged it so and made it happen, one man's misfortune, my alter ego you might say, and my deserving and angel spirits luck, ha ha. And yes i'm a proper and considering english person but i can talk this way on account of the truth brothers and sisters! are you going to part of the solution or part of the problem? (MC5 - 1969/70) The VSM's are easy to set up although i was irritated at the thought, they proved no problem, i set them up according to the manufacturers advice and had lots of help from the Merlin guys, especially Bobby P even though i had bought second user. They are simply the business! no bigger footprint than the TSM's on a stand. The build quality and attention to detail are apparent, you would'nt believe to look at them that they could be so heavy. The energy levels emmanating from the cabinets when playing remind me a lot of Linn Isobariks, similarities end there, the VSM's are natural, musical, accurate, rhythmic, dynamic and sheer bloody fun, fun, fun (just to exemplify earlier comments from a fan ;). They are real, the instruments and voices exist in that space that is my listening room (15' x 11')firing across.I celebrated my good fortune by adding a Manley Stingray Integrated valve amp which has an unbuffered tape loop option to accomodate the Merlin BAM box. The bass levels are superb, I certainly don't need a sub. I love the start and stops of my percussion music, Salsa, Brasilian, Afro Cuban folkloric/Rumba etc,leaves me standing on the edge of a delicious, dangerous,black precipice when the rhythm stops, sound and colour kicks back in again to move my mind and body as it sits or barely gets away without dancing.A first for me, this review thing but..wow!..VSM-MM! They do it for me,this good,and yet to break in fully. As said, stunning and fun!

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Naturalness,transparency,imaging,timing,balance,neutral etc

None

This is by far the best purchase in audio that I have made in 15 years' interest in the field.Absolutely stunning loudspeakers .Dont really need to say more,as I find them as good as musical reproduction can possibly be.Up there with the very best,at any price.

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all of the things that audiophile reviewers rave about. (ie. imaging, detail, frequency extension, soundstaging)

finicky speakers that require extremely expensive gear to sound pleasant. Listener fatigue and lack of emotional connect to the music.

After reading all of the positive reviews on this speaker, I was very interested in this speaker. Then I spoke with the owner, Bobby Palkovic, and he offered to sell me a pair at dealer cost since there were no dealers in the area that I resided in. I then figured that I could not go wrong and quickly purchased a pair. After following Bobby's instructions regarding proper set up, I sat down for a listen. The speakers seemed to all of the things that audio reviewers talk about very well. (ie. imaging, detail, frequency extension, soundstaging). However, there was a major problem in my opinion. The speakers left me cold and fatigued. I could not listen to them for more than 10 or 20 minutes at a time depending on the source material I was listening to. Remebering all of the positive reviews about this speaker, I figured that the problem must be somewhere else in my system. I spoke with Bobby approximately 15 times over the course of the two years that I owned these speakers as I desperately tried to find a way to enjoy these speakers. Initially, I thought the problem was with my amplifier matching so I purchased a Belles 150 Hot Rod. I was still left fatigued by the sound. Then I tried cables. I went through so may cable mfgs. that I literally can't remeber them all. I tried Cardas GR and GC, Acoustic Zen, Goertz, TG Audio, Harmonic Tech, JPS, and many, many others. Some of these cables helped the problem, but none of them could ever leave me a pleasant listening experience that I could live with. Then we figured the problem must be digital. I was tired of messing around, so I figured I would buy the best I could and purchased the Audio Aero Capitole MKI CD player. This improved the my system, but I still was not able to emotionally connect with the music as I had been able to in the past with much less expensive systems. Still wanting to believe that the speakers were not the problem, I went back to amplification. I then purchased the Joule LA 100 MKIII preamp and the Joule VAMP stereo block. This was probably the best combination for my interests but I still was left with listener fatigue. I wanted a system that could give me goosebumps and emotionally connect me to the music in a way that I could listen for hours on end. Unfortunately, this was still not happening. Then I sold the Joule gear and purchased a Berning ZH-270 based on all of the positive comments I had heard. The Berning did things that I did not know was capable from amplifiers. The bass response was tremendous and the detail was incredible. Unfortunately, the sound still left me cold even after tube rolling with the best NOS tubes on the market. I finally gave one more last ditch effort to live with these speakers and I purchased the Supratek Sauvignon preamplifier. All I can say is wow...! This is one hell of a preamp. I felt like it wanted to portray the emotion that I was longing for, but I was still left frequently fatigued and cold. Finally, after two years of trying to live with these speakers, I decided to sell the Merlins. I have not looked back on that decision. It's not that I think these speakers are a poorly made product. They most certainly are. But, if you enjoy coming home at the end of the day and relaxing in front of your system and often finding yourself emotionally lost in the music, than I would recommend that you look elsewhere. The Merlins taught me so much that I am thankful for about the wonderful potential of high end audio. Unfortunately, they were not this listeners cup of tea. I have learned that I am more a lover of music than I am a audiophile by its current definition. I have sinced learned to seek out gear that breathe the essence of music, not things like imaging and detail. Thankyou Merlin Music for teaching me about fine audio!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, Merlin, Reynaud Concordes, Cain & Cain Abby, Living Voice, Lowther, Verity Fidelio