Best speakers at show? Merlin by far

Couldn't agree more, Doug. Heard them at CES '01 and was blown away.

Gimme an Ice Blue set. Gorgeous.

The Merlins were very good, but in view of all the other great sounding exhibits that I heard, like the Joseph Audio speakers, the Impact Technology Airfoils, and even the Newform Research R645s -- as much as I liked the Merlins, I'd have to say that "by far" is a slight exaggeration. Still, for the money they appear to be a very good value, the finish is first rate, and they don't dominate too much real estate. The sound with the OTLs was very respectable.

Didn't rock my boat like Plato. Very good but finish and knuckle rap test while good, wasn't up to the Merlin. The sound was fine on Joseph, but on bigger ones I detected some suck-out (pleasing sometimes) and a little strange but euphonic phaseiness--could the phase be reversed in demo? I also got to question them and other speaker manufacturers on their drivers specifically mentioning the big silk esotar in the Merlin and they kind of blanched. I know the cost of them as a DIY and I saw some really cheap off-the-shelf drivers on many, many expensive speakers. I know, I know, they all say they modify them, have them built to their specs, etc. But an off the shelf driver I can buy (especially the preponderance of cheap titanium tweeters in very expensive speakers!) for $20 bucks isn't going to to cut it in a 6000 dollar and 25000 speakers (I saw the same $20 OEM titanium dome in two at those exact price points.) That's always bugged me about Aerials. Love their cabinetry and bracing and finish, but the components ("made special and modified for us") are not worth the cost of the speaker. Believe me, after making many pairs, I can guarantee you the limited edition Esotar in a speaker under $10K is mindblowing! The Khorus also uses a cheap titanium (no wonder the 80% off retail on resale at Audiogon!

As an owner of Merlin for 5 years running, first, let me admit I am biased.
I was at the Show as well and would say that judging & comparing sounds at the Show is difficult at best. The set ups are sub-optimal, the choice of music sometimes questionable, and by the end of the day, you are just too tired to really make a good and consistent judgement. But one thing I will say, I came home to my setup (Merlin-VSM-Tube, Transcendent Sound OTL, Rowland preamp) and felt satisfied with what I have. Some setups at the show may have more bass, some more lush, but in the end, the Merlin does everything very well. Like a thoroughbred, the more you throw at it, the better it sounds. And when you throw junk at it (lesser electronics, bad recordings) it will let you hear it too. In fact, although I have owned three generations of VSM, it is the only component that remains from my original setup from 5 years ago. That says a lot in this crazy hobby.

Estwest ;

We only had the one pair at the show - RM33si's, I don't know what you mean about "bigger ones".
I made sure the absolute phase was correct for the demonstration pieces used (hey, you *never* know when
Clark Johnsen's gonna pop in!) As for the implication that we use less expensive drivers - please check the cost of the Seas Excel
tweeters - they certainly are not $20! The Esotars are more expensive still, but I feel they are better suited to slow slope crossovers where they are pushed harder. (And besides, the Seas Millennium tweeter is a killer!) And btw, I happen to know that the Aerial tweeters ARE custom made to their specifications, and modified for them.
Anyway, thanks for visiting our room, we'll find out what the showgoers' thought when Stereophile tallys the votes

Jeff