Hi Rcr,
I'm afraid that you have no idea what the Merlin VSMs sound like without the BAM. The BAM is part of the system and is in fact the speaker's management system. It would be like driving a Vette on 3 wheels and saying that its handling and acceleration are suspect. Resolution, depth, extension, purity, tonal balance and dynamics are all greatly improved when it is used. There is also the matter of which finish Merlin VSM you had because the clearcotes are quite superior in resolution again. IMHO, the Tenor is a better match with the 3.2 than the Merlin and the Joule is a better match with the Merlin than the 3.2. Comparing the 3.2s and Tenor to the Joule and Merlin VSM M or MX would prove quite interesting.
Bobby@merlin |
Kmmorgan,
The MX is a very new introduction and was shown to the public for the first time at the CES in Vegas. Rich Brkich, one of my best friends only heard it about ten days before the show so there are none in the field. We have already sold out months of production and are in the process of stock piling the necessary parts. We begin limited production of the MX the first week of February.
Bobby@merlin
|
No Jtinn,
That is what you are saying because the Tennor sounds wonderful on the Merlins. I just prefer the Joules for very specific reasons, which I will not go into here. But think about my choices in cable and ancillaries and you can piece a bit of it together for yourself. You see, I have heard the combinations myself and I know that you would be in for a an even bigger surprize if you looked at it in an open minded manner. It is clear that we prefer different aspects of the presentation. And because these speakers sound very different as do the amps, it is impossible to say which is the better. Anyone who knows me well knows that I routinely recommended the Kharma, Rockport, Vertity, Quad, Sound Labs etc., products when calling my business. I have also recommended the the Kharma/Tenor combination to a few. Lets face it, whats good is good and I don't mind losing a sale to well designed products.
Bobby@merlin |
Ah come on Jtinn,
I can say exactly the same thing.
I had two individuals come into our suite at the CES who were big Kharma fans. In fact, both owned the 3.2s and were still in love with the size of their soundstage and other aspects of their Kharma sound. But both felt that the VSM MX had a more immediate character, sounded more live and less dynamically compressed. They have a totally different presentation. Do you like Burgundy or Bordeaux? I'll bet...Burgundy. ;-)
Bobby@merlin |
hc,
You had me fooled there...until I saw the wink.
B@merlin |
Hi Daveyf,
Ok, here I go.
I think that you really enjoy music and your system but you feel that live unamplified music is quite superior. You then asked me if I was disappointed with my work/product as a musician.
I think that most musicians like to hear a centered presentation that allows them to hear if their instrument is in tune. It must be uniform, resolved and accurate in timbre and lack dynamic compression. I think that most music enthusiasts like a focused, wide and deep soundstage. They want the presentation to be transparent and tonally rich, extended and dynamic as hell. IMHO and what I strive for in my designs is a sense of accuracy that is a balance between the two and not loaded to either extreme. The two offer a substantial difference in perspective and image density and while I enjoy both extremes I like to hear a presentation that does as much right as possible. IMHO, having one or two incredible characteristics at the expense of others does not offer a balanced product or presentation.
I spoke to a man yesterday that rebuilds and restores saxaphones. He has a Tenor amp and two expensive and famous pairs of speakers. After the work is completed on an instrument, a recording is made and played back through his system. He felt that one of his pairs of speakers was tonally challanged and that the other compressed perspective through the mid band altering the character and dynamics of the sound. This is a perfect example of a musician having trouble with his equipment because his recording does not sound as good as the sax sounds live.
I think that are a number of designs and system combinations that can present a more live and believable presentation. I think that Daveyf may ultimately never find one that thrills him in the same manner but he can find one that gets him perhaps, a lot closer.
Am I happy with my work? Absolutely! I've been working on the VSM project for ten years.
Regards,
Bobby |
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Kharma and Tenor combination is world class. But there is also no doubt in my mind that the Merlin and Joule or Convergent combinations are also. Just because the VSM does not retail for a similar price does not make it inferior because if you turn the tables and look at the retail prices of Merlin and Kharma in Europe, the oposite is now true. Since most of my production goes to Europe, I feel confident that we are doing something right. But more important is the fact that I apply only a 3.7 time markup on my cost to retail. This is what keeps my prices down. And when you consider that almost 70% of the design is proprietery and totally hand made, it makes for a remarkable value. I will also compare my indivdual parts cost with any product on the planet...period. That in a nutshell is what I'm about.
Charles and I are excellent audio friends, have shared many a drink together and at one time joked about doing a Kharma and Merlin ad together but thought that the world was not ready for this type statement. And as we see here, our feelings were correct. We have great admiration for each others work. I am sure that if he read this string he would find it quite amusing.
Jtinn, if it makes you feel better to think that I am comparing my product to more expensive things in the hope that some of it rubs off, you couldn't be more wrong. I am not the one who is doing this. It has been done time and time again in the press and private discussion. And Mr. Morgan, forgive me but I will not do as you ask. Both designs have a very different presentation and try to convey a different perspective of what is live to its designer.
Bobby@merlin |
Hi Daveyf,
First of all, it would be just as bad form to extoll the magnificence of my product as it would be to knock someone elses. And to be sure, I have done neither.
You have a very good point about live and unamplified music but you can't get me here because I have a piano at home, go to countless shows and concerts and frequent homes and clubs where music is played. It is a very large part of my life and the reason for what I do.
You have in fact added another complication to the dicussion because we do not know what aspect of sound makes it more live for you. We all have buttons that can be pushed and that is what this is all about.
Bobby@merlin |
DaveyF,
I will respond to your great question when I get into my office. I am running a little behind.
HC, Everyone is entitled to an opinion but there is no reason to turn this into a personal thing.
Regards,
Bobby@merlin |
Panorama,
I hope that you believe me when I say that I really admire your speaker choice. I also hope that everyone sees that there is no right and wrong here but that personal preference is most important. After all, you are the one who has to pay for and live with the choice in the end.
Daveyf,
I think the point about the horn player's speaker is a good one but think that this was probably another example of where the product was so loaded to one side of the medium that it sounded really dynamic, present and live on drums but lacked the relaxed and ambient qualities to make it enjoyable on recorded music. This and the opposite of course are evident throughout the music industry.
You have made a valid point about the sound of real instruments and one thing that we have not talked about is how the instrument interacts with the room. These reflections or reinforcements are also picked up by the sensitive ear and most recordings of instruments are close miked or sparsely miked in a room or studio. I know from personal experience that it takes an extremely gifted recording engineer to bring out these natural qualities. I think David Chesky is an example of one that is driven to resolving this type of information and his last CD shows this in spades. Dave plays on the CD and recorded the piece knowing what it sounded like in the recording venue. He listened to his disk at least a half a dozen times in our suite at the CES at felt that our system was the most life like at the show. Sorry for the small plug but it goes along with our conversation. He also mentioned that there were a lot of other excellent rooms that were doing other things incredibly well.
I think that a really interesting thing for you and others to watch would be the people coming and going from our suite at an audio show. The reactions are really quite amazing. Some get it immediately and fall in love hard. Others think it nice and some just don't like it...period. The reaction to the more immediate perspective is what I comment on here. I used to think that there was no accounting for taste ;-P but now realise that we all like to sit in different locations in the concert hall. So, pick your spot and go for it.
Regards,
Bobby |
Michael,
You are most welcome and if you have a chance to listen to the MX in particular, let me know. I would just like to know what is in the system to see whether you'll get a good indication of what they can do. But for the most part, I will be watching the product association very closely in the beginning and not selling any to individuals that may have problems so you should be okay.
Thanks again,
Bobby@merlin |
I think it was Bob Mintzer. I have it at work.
B@merlin |
Yes, it is Bob Mintzer and the disc is called The Body Acoustic, Chesky JD274.
Bobby |
Hi David,
Nice to hear from you again and really glad you are having fun. By the way, the Ellington Jazz Party sounded goofy good on the VPI TNT VI in Vegas.
Thanks again.
B@m |
