Merlin vsm mme owners, Cardas cabling Question.

It seems clear that some of the folks in this thread have a much higher budget for cables than I did when I was shopping for a match for my TSM-mmi's. For what it's worth, I'm using Supra Classic 6.0 cables between my TSM's and my Manley Mahi mono-blocks. I am sure they are not on the level of the Cardas cables but Bobby described them as "stupid good" for the price. YMMV, of course.

s, in large rooms relaxing the mids will give you a sonic character of wider bandwidth and in smaller rooms the more continuous sounding cable sounds best to my ears because of the additional boundary reinforcements. this whole discussion is relative to the volume and reinforcement modes of different sized rooms. one cable will not make everyone happy.
b

Don't know if the GR's I listened to were cold forged, but both the Harmonix and Vitus Andromeda interconnects with the top of the line (there are two models) Cerious Nano Reference speaker cables were so much better than the GR's in my system, that I'd be surprised if cold forging could close the gap. I would like to try the Master BAM and RC at some point, but didn't make it a priority because in my system the VSM-mme's sound better without the Super BAM (I am using the RC). Even in full battery mode the Super BAM has a slight but audible electronic signature. Based on what I've read that would not be the case with the Master BAM, but I wanted to focus on cables first. In my small room the bass is more than adequate without the Super BAM. In use the Super Bam is OK with acoustic bass, but electronic bass is sometimes too much for the room. With the cables I have the VSM-mme's sound glorious in my system and I am very happy with them.

c, without the bam you are listening to more im distortion and dynamic compression. what you hear is probably the sound of aluminum foils caps pushing the presence range. and yes with the master mods that will be gone. the sound will be more room filling, clearer, purer and more expansive. the new power supply is 50 times quieter too.
what you say may be right to a degree but with the bam in place there is less distortion and a more linear resolved sound. what you have decided on for cables may not be the same or indeed right when the bam is as good as it can be. be careful to pass judgement. i have never heard the positive effects of the bam outweighed by the negative ones and you may be the first in this case.
now all of this makes more sense as i know why you preferred the other cables.
bobby p

I think the reason the VSM-mme's sound better to me without the Super BAM may be the single ended, zero negative feedback Inpol circuitry in my modified Pathos TT RR. Both in circuit design and sound the TT mimics an SET amp. I have seen several references online over the years to the VSM's sounding better without the BAM when used with an SET amp. For example: Part 3 of the July 2005 Six Moons.com "Industry Feature" on SET amps ends with a list of SET friendly speakers (see http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/set/set_3.html). This list includes the Merlin VSM but it specifically says "Merlin Music Systems VSM without BAM". It is probably an oddity of my system and particularly the Pathos TT that the VSM's sound better without the Super BAM, and I wouldn't be surprised if VSM owners not using an SET or Inpol amp experienced opposite results. I will report what I hear when I try the Master BAM and RC. As for the GR cables, I did my cable comparisons both with and without the Super BAM. I have also heard the GR's in other systems. The GR's weren't bad in my system, at their price point, and in a different system their synergy with the VSM's might be the deciding factor. But their performance in my system was just not on the same level as the cables I settled on. I will also report what I hear if/when I try the Cardas Clear cables. Not intending to be controversial - just sharing experiences. I also want to be clear how pleased I am with the VSM-mme's. I spent three years auditioning speakers to replace my Ars Aures monitors. Among the speakers that would fit in my small room, the Merlins are the best I've heard. They are world class small room speakers, and are my first recommendation to anyone who asks for advice regarding speakers. Note that a complete description of my system can be found at Audio Asylum, Inmate Systems, under "CBernardino's system". Perhaps there is something else about my system that is contributing to the results I'm getting.

c, 6 moons never reviewed the speakers and only heard them at shows. since se's tend to be lower powered they were concerned about the boost freq and the demands on the amp at the boost plateau. even wavelength posed the same concern. se amps tend to sound rounder and smoother than others so i can see why you may prefer the sound without the bam. it may appear a little more defined, delicate and and less bodied but the additional definition is increased distortion and ringing in the hf. the same thing occurs at the other end of the spectrum. when ever out of band energy is reproduced it appears in the form of im distortion in the usable bandwidth. selecting a superbly recorded coral works will show this quality by smearing the layering and specific nature of the piece. when the bam is used it is profoundly more coherent, less complicated and real sounding.
i am grateful for the wonderful comments that you have made about my work. i am not trying to argue with you but a number of people have felt this way and in the end, changed their minds about the bam. you should reserve judgement knowing that virtually 100% of all the end users much prefer it in the system unless there is some compensating factor specific to their system.
enjoy your system.

bobby p

Yes - the Six Moons piece was an "Industry Feature", not a review.

I will keep an open mind with regard to the BAM, and at some point I will try the Master BAM.

Cellcbern :) you said that right....surely Merlins are the BEST "small room speakers" i agree 100%