hi catsmeaow,
you have mentioned a number of very astute things about the tsm's sound and i thank you.
but it is not the expense of the amp that would cause it to interface better with the tsm but the damping potential and the tonal balance. the truth is that these are two very different designs and would sound more right with different wires, sources and amplifiers. they are also designed in a very different manner. the b&w likes to be more toed in and listened to in more of a near field setting, preferably on tweeter axis. the merlin on the other hand, likes to be listened to farther away and 10 degrees off directly on axis because it was designed using its power response. the truth of the matter is that a system that would make one sound more right would make the other sound less right and the same can be said for the set up and listening characteristics.
listening to both in a more synergistic setting may prove to be impossible but that would ultimately be the most fair to both.
thank you for your insightful post.
regards,
bobby at merlin
