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Merlin VSM MXr vs Thiel 2.4 vs Dynaudio C1

Hi, I got a lot of good recommendations from viewers of my other thread "Best speaker under $3K". I wonder if I stretch my budget to around $4K- used, what would be the choice?

A few people mentioned the Dynaudio Confidence C1, Merlin, Thiel, etc. Anyone have experience with these fine speakers? How would you differ them?

FYI, I listen to a variety of musics - orchestra, chamber, vocals(female and male), jazz, pop songs,etc and prefer natural, accurate, musical sound with smooth treble and good bass as well as excellent sound stage and imaging.

I had experience listening the Vandersteen 5A and was very impressed by the dynamics and details it rendered. But it's way beyond my reach.

Realistically, I would consider the few candidates mentioned above and maybe the Reference 3A Veneer. My listening room is about 13 x 15 x 9.

Thanks for your help.
r0817

Showing 6 responses by pubul57

pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Stringreen may have heard the Merlins, but he does seem to hear them
differently than most. Perhaps personal taste or something, after all, I heard
most Thiels and Dynaudios and unhesitatingly preferred the Merlins - which is
why I bought them, must be the Dynaudio Esotar tweeter. That being said
these are all very fine speakers, but the Merlin will certainly be the easiest to
drive, especially if you want to use a tube amp, can't imagine too many tube
amps able to handle the Thiels (maybe something like a CAT JL2).
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Yeah, really good analogy - thanks for the insight. I'm happy that I am deaf
enough to think the Merlins are some of the best sounding speakers on the
planet - absent the deepest bass, where it can't compete with the Vandersteen
5As for example, though the Merlins are far more resolved and nuanced in the
midrange which is why I switched from Vandersteen; even if I lost some of that
bass performance, it was worth the tradeoff for my taste - it saves me a lot of
worry over the next speaker upgrade, or sports car.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
One thing about all three, even though they all do sound quite different is that they all tend to be unforgiving of source and electronics, they all do thrive on the very best gear to feed them, another very fine speaker that you may also want to consider is the Harbeth HL5, which a very appealing to many and has the added advantage of not being quite as picky with associated gear - wonderful on speakers on acoustic instruments and voice - just another option to consider along with the 3 you mention and likely to work well in your size room.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
OP, you say you loved the VS 5As, were you able to hear the 3A Signatures as
well? I get the sense that most listeners gravitate to either Thiel or
Vandersteen, but generally not both, as the sound signatures are quite
different. The VS 3As would certainly be in your price range and I understand
that some of the drivers from the 5 have trickled down to the 3As.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Lovely speakers. How much in your budget for an pre/power amp? Harbeth owners seem to like the LFD integrated.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
A google search will get a few reviews on the British LFD, Telling reviewed the
MKIII version I think, he claimed it was the best integrated he has heard, but
that is one person's view, but you will also find many fans in the Harbeth Forum
that like it too, they also tend to be fans of SS gear for matching with Harbeth,
of course I heard them with the MAC 2275 tube integrated and they sounded
superb. You should probably start a thread specifically on amplification for
Harbeth, I think there are quite a few users on Audiogon.

P.S. There is an LFD MKIII up for sale right now - $2,000.
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