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Merlin speakers a new start for me

hi folks.... Long time audiogoner and have not used the form a great deal. I am in mid change over from a home Theater setup to a two channel system. The basic problem is space. Running two systems did not work so I combined what I had and have been running 2 channel.

At the moment I am sort of between systems but what is left includes.

Preamp Classe 5L
Amps Pair Threshold T-200's (Both have been updated by Jon S)
CD is the Dennon 2900
TT is a project
Speakers at the moment are a pair of Revel M-20's
Revel B15
I have a S-30 and a pair of older Paradigm ADP surrounds that are not in use
I also have an older Sherbourn 5/1500 left over from the HT.

My thought at the moment is to keep most of what I have and simply add a hi end pair of monitors, or speakers somewhere between 2-5k. I have been bouncing around between

Merlin VMS M or SE
Merlin TSM
Revel Gems
Thiel 3.6 the 2.4 or even the 6
ATC 20's or 50's

I have been a long term fan of Celestions and had either a pair of the SL-600's or the 700SE's for the past 15 years. So I am both a big fan of a clean image and or a very very good sound stage both of which I got from the Clestions. At this point, I simply feel the Celestions are too old to be reliable.... and I would like something new. The room I am in is moderate in size and has a very very bad suck out around 50hrz so the speakers will likely be used with the Revel handling everything from say 60-80hrz down.

Thought I would ask the form espcially those that know and have heard the merlins. My plan at this point is to keep the Classe/Threholds and the Revel B15. I am not really attached to any of it at the moment as I am not getting all that I think the system can offer.... so any suggestions welcome.

Thanks
atkatana

Showing 2 responses by martykl

martykl
3,578 posts
 
Merlins are funny animals. I've had VSM SE's for 5+ years. They can be incredibly convincing - A prominent L.A. area high end dealer came to my home to set up a new 'table and was astonished by the VSM SE's driven by Cary 300B SET's. Subject to ultimate volume limitations, the dynamics from this set up are absolutely startling and vocal reproduction is about as good as it gets.

However, whether using the low power Carys, medium power Cary 845 SETs, medium powered SS Krells, or high power Odyssey SS amps, (yes, I admit that over the years my amp collection has gotten a bit out of hand!) the Merlins always sound a bit thin through the mid bass. Though reasonably neutral, the tonal balance is just a bit lean and the bass alignment highly damped (especially for a ported design).

My guess is that a sub probably isn't the answer - the issue (I'd hesitate to call it a problem) is higher up the frequency ladder. In short, the Merlin SE's are terrific if your taste doesn't demand a warmer tonal balance. Hope these observations help.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Just want to clarify my earlier comments re : VSM SE

First, I really, really like the SE - I've used it for almost six years.

Second, the tonal balance/bass character which I characterized as "lean but highly damped" strikes me as a reasonable trade (though I understand that some listeners would disagree if they prioritize a warmer balance). By way of comparison, I 've also used Verity Parsifal Encores over roughly the same time period in a second home. The Verity's provide greater bass extension and mid-bass warmth, but offer less pitch definition through the lower octaves. Both are wonderful speakers which combine overall high quality performance with well integrated (though differently balanced) bass response. I 'm sure many people (like me) could happily live with either trade-off.

N.B. - The Verity's were roughly twice the cost of the Merlins.

Third, I've never heard the more recent Merlin designs in my system. My comments apply ONLY to the older VSM SE.

Good luck with the hunt!
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