Dredster- I am not a merlin owner but I do enjoy there speakers. If you have any techinical questions get a hold of Bobby at Merlin he can answer ANY question you may have, he is the owner/designer and a super nice guy to boot(if you are into golfing he will be your best friend :) I can assure you this much if the BAM did anything bad to the sound he wouldn't use it- Bobby is all about the sound NO gimmicks.
~Tim
~Tim