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.

troutbum

R.I.P. Bobby...miss you.  It will be 10 years this summer...

Same here.  I was extremely sad to hear he was gone.  He was a very bright, charismatic, and passionate guy. 

@troutbum 

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.

A fine speaker.

Been a while since I've heard them though.

I just searched HiFi Shark and there are 5 or 6 pair for sake. So obviously people do move on.

There's life after Merlin. Good as they are, sometimes you just need a change. I had a pair of VSM MXe a few years back and moved on to a pair of Dunlavy SC-III, which I found similar in presentation to the Merlins, but even more coherrent, with better integration between frequencies. The Dunlavy's put out an even more believable soundstage in terms depth and layering, but a tad less extened on the bottom end. (They're quite a bit taller and more imposing, though their footprint is about the same).


I've had two pairs of the TSM BME also, and enjoyed them a lot. In fact I just sold the last pair before the holidays. I replaced the TSM in a second system with a pair of Voxativ Zeth, which are more expensive but definately a couple steps up the ladder.

I ran an older ARS Sonum Filarmonia with the TSMs, but if you can find a good 45 SET amp with the Merlins then they really do shine. The Audio Mirror SET45 is a great partner with the TSM.

Just my 2p worth,