Best small 2-way floorstander?

HI-FI Nut - If you love your TSM's you should really love the VSM-SE now VSM-Millenium. But before committing this amount of money, if not sure, do more auditioning. I currently own the VSM-SE with battery BAM and it is certainly among the finest speakers I have ever heard at ANY price including some big systems. Their price makes them an excellent value. They are however forcing me to make upgrades to bring out their best. I don’t think these speakers have any limitations. Have since listened to many fine speakers since purchasing them, partly to validate my decision. After living with the VSM-SE for going on 3 months, every system I have subsequently listened to sounds like there is a veil over the music. The Merlins lay it all out, Resolution, dynamics, coherency, tonal and spectral balance imaging and huge sounstaging and that immediacy that you either like or don’t. THEY SOUND REAL and do it ALL except the bottom octave, I love them, if you haven’t guessed by now! Listen to the Kharma if you can so you don't regret making the wrong choice. I doubt there are too many systems, if any in this category that come close, maybe the Audio Physics Virgo (2-way floor stander). Good Hunting, Will

BT HI-FI Nut tubes all the way with the Merlins if you aren't using them already. E-Mail Bobby, he is always ready to help.

I agree with sdcampbell on the Vandy 3a Signatures. I doubt there is a better 3-way system under 5k, that beats them, at least I haven't heard it. Problem is you need the room for those speakers. They do have their virtues but the Merlins hmmmm..... Will

Dkuipers I find your comments enigmatic. My question to you is how can we hold credibility to your choice on the Kharma Ceramiques as being music when you purchased a pair of Merlin’s and are now invalidating that decision by calling them Hi-Fi? Furthermore which I find quite frustrating is a common observation, why make a proclamation that a product is this or that without any constructive criticisms as to what you hear? Your paragraph said nothing! It holds no value to anyone who has heard neither speaker. Why don’t you instead tell us specifically WHY you don’t like the Merlin’s now and WHY you like the Kharma and attempt to articulate their differences? Obviously there was a reason you purchased the Merlin’s in the first place unless maybe you are just an equipment junkie.

A comment about "Hi-Fi" versus music. I just want to say one thing, Yes the Merlin's do ultimately sound like Hi-Fi that is to say you almost always know you are listening to an audio system instead of the real thing. I have only heard a few systems that ALMOST made me believe for a magical moment or two that I really was listening to live music. The Merlin's are included in that short list IN MY ROOM! All the talk about Hi-Fi versus music is a bunch of BUNK. Ultimately all we are really talking about is Hi-Fi systems and trying to approximate the real thing, at least that is my goal. If you don't believe it maybe you need to hear more live music and experience the obvious differences. Real music and Hi-Fi ARE TWO DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. I really get on the High Horse when I see that phrase, which has become almost a buzz Mantra Hi-FI versus music, Hi-FI versus music, Hi-FI versus music. Maybe if you say it enough you will believe it. I say go hear some real music. My final 2 cents on this thread!