Bottom line, there are better performing speakers but obviously at a cost. Also it's best to demo for yourself to decide which ones "resonate" with you.
Are Merlin TSM speakers buried with their owners?
For now....I have decided to stick with my TSMs. I spent a LOT of time on the internet trying to find any discussion of speakers that people have moved on to from their Merlins. I can't find a darn thing. Someday, I'd like to move on just to try something different (the change disease is terrible with no cure). I'm sure there are probably speakers for $10k that I could buy, but I'm not looking to go that route. Very frustrating and quite perplexing.