FWIW, I've always thought that the Merlins sound a fair bit like (classic) Quads (don't know the 989), except more dynamic and with more extended bass. OTOH, all the Focal Utopias that I've heard (again, don't specifically know the Minis) lean toward the more typically audiophile response profile - a little extra oomph in the mid-bass and some offsetting punch in the presence region. Overall, both speakers sound nicely balanced to my ear, but pretty different from each other. Nothing wrong with the Focals, but if you're only losing the Quads due to space considerations, you might want to think Merlin.
Marty
PS There is more than a little irony to the "Merlins only work with (fill in the blank) amps, cables, etc." claim. I've used mine successfully with a huge variety of amps from Cary 300Bs, to Cary 845s, to ARC VT130se, to Krell KSA 50s (SS), to TAD Hibachi (SS), to Prima Luna 6 monos, to Pancor Dyna Reissue, etc, etc. All work very, very well...although they do sound different one to the next. I'm not sure which I liked the best, so I'm hardly gonna say which you'll prefer.
The irony? Bobby's own very enthusiastic proclamations have created a bit of a cultlike following for certain system matches, so the Merlin users tend to flock that way. Although they mate nicely with a LOT of different stuff, the "only works with" label is largely of Bobby's own (inadvertant) making.
Marty
PS There is more than a little irony to the "Merlins only work with (fill in the blank) amps, cables, etc." claim. I've used mine successfully with a huge variety of amps from Cary 300Bs, to Cary 845s, to ARC VT130se, to Krell KSA 50s (SS), to TAD Hibachi (SS), to Prima Luna 6 monos, to Pancor Dyna Reissue, etc, etc. All work very, very well...although they do sound different one to the next. I'm not sure which I liked the best, so I'm hardly gonna say which you'll prefer.
The irony? Bobby's own very enthusiastic proclamations have created a bit of a cultlike following for certain system matches, so the Merlin users tend to flock that way. Although they mate nicely with a LOT of different stuff, the "only works with" label is largely of Bobby's own (inadvertant) making.