MY REVIEW: Merlin TSM MMM BME


The Good & The Great speakers!

Cont’d from my last initial thoughts of these new TSM MMM BME (black magic edition) monitors…..

The TSM have averaged close to 300 hours emerging truthfully and sonically superior. I’ve not heard a more honest speaker such as these. When I listen to the music coming out of these monitors, my only thoughts are of memories, times and places of my life. Its funny how certain moments in life are summed up by various music/songs. That’s what happens when you have a good pair of speakers – you no longer listen to the equipment but drawn by the music. The speakers are so uncolored and true that it allows me to emotionally connect with simply the music and the artist. The new TSM black magic are like a candle in the darkness, it leaves nothing unhidden.

I’ve put this monitor into ring fights against ‘the great’ Sonus Faber Auditor, Devore Fidelity 3XL and Joseph Audio Pulsar. The TSM MMM Black Magic KO’d them all. There are 2 truths at play here: One is that many people do not know what instruments sound like in real life – hence confirming their lack of knowledge to listening since they have been so used to artificial sweeteners (colored sounding speakers) in their daily life. Secondly, most audiophiles will simply abandon and blame the truthfulness of the TSM because it reveals too much of the users faulty upstream components.

Perhaps the TSM black magic edition may still not appease to everyone as their cup of tea…not everyone is a musician who can hear true tones, attacks, decays and pitches of music from live instruments. Otherwise all other speaker manufacturers would have folded years ago. But to those who accept nothing but the truth, I gladly applaud and announce the Merlin TSM MMM Black Magic. It is the good speaker. After so many hours with this pair of TSM, the search is over. Yes Captain Kirk and the crew of the enterprise can come home now and begin a new voyage. The time now is to search out new music, different genres and perhaps make new memories with music as opposed to jumping on Agon or Ebay to rotate audio equipment. Time to get off the merry-go-round folks! And the new TSM is the ticket off that merry-go-round. Time to wake up from the Matrix and realize…the truth.

Please note that in my review of these newly acquired speakers of mine, I don’t talk about what the lows, mids or highs are doing. Why? Because everything the speakers do are musically correct! Who has time to dissect and regurgitate what others have stated already? Not me. Just listen!

Good speakers will leave you hungry for more music because it has subconsciously touched you at an emotional level. That’s what the TSM do! Great speakers (those the TSM KO’d) will grab your attention for a few minutes and then kick you out of the room. Maybe subconsciously making you want to go do something else altogether. Great speakers will fuel that wicked cycle of going through dozens of pairs of speakers and equipment throughout your lifetime here on earth.

Where do I go from here? I’m not sure. I guess I’m done? Like the alcoholic audio trader who’s come out of Agon rehab (from constantly trading audio equipment for years), like the convict exiting the cells from a 20yrs sentence…what to do now??? The TSM MMM BME has been my ticket out from that wicked cycle of audio trading. For those that are willing to listen they are wise. Only the fool, will say otherwise and to them they re-enter that merry-go-round madness still constantly searching….fast asleep within the Matrix.

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Sophia Electric 126S, Merlin TSM MMM BME (Black Magic Edition), Grover Huffman ZX, Shunyata, Sound Anchors, Well Tempered Record Player, Nagaoka MP-50, Heed Audio Quasar, ASI resonators & sugar cubes
vangstr

TSM THE BEST IVE HEARD MONITORS AT ANY PRICE AND THE VSM THE BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST SPEAKERS EVER MADE AT ANY PRICE BUT BUT BUT BOTH REQUIRE YOU TO KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING TO GET THEM RIGHT ITS ALL ABOUT THE MARRIAGE OF COMPONENTS….AND THATS MY FORTE’…you better be prepped to spend some coin because both deserve it from the best cables cardas clear beyond or dh labs deity right to best interconnects cardas or dh labs revelation to the best amplification and preamplification sound treatment and source equipment 

Merlin VSM and TSM are the finest speakers in the world at any price and coming from a guy who has spent over 500k in audio in the last 50 years…period

I own the TSM mxm (version before the Black Magic and nicer cabinets than the mmm ) and enjoy the same type of music you listen to on them very much.
Hello. Has anyone compared the differences between the tsm mmm bme and tsm mmm(I guess model just before the bme). What would the differences in both sonics and hardware upgrade. Thinking of getting the tsm mmm if diff is subtle. Top end smoothness and refinement would be priority. Listen to jazz vocals and acoustic instrumental.
RIP - B. No more dealing with silly remarks from anyone whom have made the rude comments above. B - you will always be missed.
rocker9999, the tsm is imo, a great low level performer especially when used in a suitable sized room.
smaller rooms will offer more boundary reinforcement so the bass will sound more muscular and extended. what are you worried about when listening at lower levels.
. what wires, amp and source are you using? maybe i can be of some help. i am sorry but i think vangstr will not respond because of what happened earlier.
bobby
Mr Vangstr,

Now that you've had the TSM BME for about 10 months, can you offer any insight regarding low volume, late night listening?
mr_m, did you not read my response regarding the bose comparison? I thought it was a joke and that is why I said the bose are better sounding. does this make it more obvious for you? :)
yes, it is all about listening and having first hand knowledge about a product before you offer opinions. clearly this was not done here and that is what brought me in to this. I never said a word about the review or reviewer, did I? that was out of bounds. how many times are negative things said about a person or a product and when no one says a word in defense, it leaves many believing the one side presented. I can give you countless examples of this in every day life. I am proud of my work and I will stick up for it.
bobby@merlin

Bobby. Do the posts in this thread really surprise you? You being a designer of the speakers in question, what did you expect? A lot of people here have no concern for your personal life problems as you have witnessed so why deliberately set yourself up? All this seemed to come about after I made the Merlin/Bose comparison. It was just a JOKE. Albeit a old one.
Happy listening, as this is what it's all about, right?
And yes, I have heard the Virtuosos.
They're a cute pair of speakers for the beginner.
Great hobby and I'm glad we can speak directly to the creators of our toys in most cases. I've owned the TSM-MMI and liked them, still crave to have them again at some point. Anyway, this tearing people down - whether it is the OP or BP is just sad. If you like arguing, argue politics or some other pointless issue rather than trying to create a partisan environment on our dorky little island where we talk about using electricity to reproduce sound.
Common sense (uncommon here) shows me that since Bobby has remained in business this long, many still like his products very much.
I have never heard them as I've not heard most speakers out there.
I just use Beauhorn Virtuosos with no added subs or tweeters.
Since you hadn't heard them, I'm sure you don't like them either:)
Whine of the month:
BAM 2014
Marlin Vineyards
A very thin and flavorless whine with a weak attack and virtually no backbone.
mt, in reading your last post again, i think you misunderstand me. the "someone else's expense" that i mentioned was not mine but others who really do want to read about a product and get involved in the discussion. there are two sides to everything as you know. i am sure you have those who appreciate your efforts but i have many that mail me about this and are offended by the goings on.
at any rate, i leave you to your work.
b
mt, i have said (too many times to count) that my product is not for everyone and you know this. i have read many over the top reviews on lots of products in my years posting. readers know when a product appeals to them or does not. give them some credit.
davey, thank you.
silk domes (any driver for that matter) can only sound as good as what precedes them in the network. the two i use are timeless imho. some tweeters do some things better but on balance, the esotar and ren 30.5 are hard to beat.
best,
bobby at merlin
Bobby, now that many are coming round to the superb sound of the silk dome, it would seem that your thoughts on this older driver have been vindicated.
I will look forward to your return.
BP-it's not trolling when one of us presents a speed bump in an unrealistic Merlin love-fest. I realize that you benefit financially from over-the-top user reviews. However, this is audio and one size does not fit all. Hopefully, AXPONA one day.
mt, fair enough as well.
i have no issues with you, you have never said anything about the speakers. in fact you have said you would really like to hear them, which i appreciate. i just wish that you and others would not troll merlin threads and throw in comments designed to enrage. i suppose it is fun to do but not at someone else's expense.
still laying low after my wife's illness so no for axpona. next show rmaf and maybe the ces.

best, b@merlin
Vangstr, Thanks for your honest comments and review. The Merlins sound ever more enticing and they remain on my short list of speaker candidates.
reynolds, you have not heard the speakers in years and with the last few versions there has been a remarkable move in a direction you would probably like. you had an early pair so what you say is not fair to merlin or to my decades of work.
notice i have not said a thing about the review above or defended the individual. i had no control over what he said in the review or here in the string. my entry was brought on by a individual who called my work lousy. he has a right to his opinion of course but so do i. it is always better to have first hand knowledge of a thing before you make those kinds of comments. i am virtually 100% sure that he does not, nor do you for that matter.
i have changed a lot over the years and i think for the better. time has tempered me. i have also lived through a few family issues that have made me grow up and see what is really important.
however, i can still bite if provoked. :)
thanks for your thoughts.
bobby at merlin
reynolds, you have not heard the speakers in years and with the last few versions there has been a remarkable move in a direction you would probably like. you had an early pair so what you say is not fair to merlin or to my decades of work.
notice i have not said a thing about the review above or defended the individual. i had no control over what he said in the review or here in the string. my entry was brought on by a individual who called my work lousy. he has a right to his opinion of course but so do i. it is always better to have first hand knowledge of a thing before you make those kinds of comments. i am virtually 100% sure that he does not, nor do you for that matter.
i have changed a lot over the years and i think for the better. time has tempered me. i have also lived through a few family issues that have made me grow up and see what is really important.
however, i can still bite if provoked. :)
thanks for your thoughts.
bobby at merlin
BP-fair enough. I don't recall ever addressing your speakers negatively, as I've not heard them. My scraps are typically with ego-driven silliness under the premise of informational communication. I hope you will be at AXPONA this year so I can hear the Merlins. Reading posts where folks take themselves so seriously is highly entertaining. Just reading and not participating eludes me on occasion also.
More like a chihuahua.
And once again, the listener decides what sounds best to him/her.
It's not complicated.
I don't care for the sound of Merlin speakers but think BP's efforts to help his customers when he can is good. However, his entering into opinion driven discussions regarding his product, such as this thread, has always seemed unnecessary and likely counterproductive business wise to me.
mt, i strive to be a gentleman and reasonable at all times. showing restraint is very difficult with some of the crap i have seen. we are, what we are in the end. :) i used to be a terrier that pounced on the slightest provocation. now that i am older and have done this for some time, i find there is no need to be defensive. you either like my work or not. the sad part is that some here offer opinions about things they know nothing about. what financial interest can i have in saying that the the bose 901 definitely sounds better than my own product? you guys take yourselves too seriously at times!
bobby at merlin
Who are you and what have you done with BP? The Bobby we all know here, there and around is defensive and comes to the rescue of customers. He has called some of us names and been intellectually arrogant. Where's the fun in reasonableness?
When a financial interest is involved, that opinion should be taken as having no credibility. It's strictly a promotional tool.
Lousy ethics, lousy marketing. Good match.
everyone is entitled to say what they think.
lousy post. lousy opinion. good match.
bobby@merlin
I wonder if the Merlin's sound better than a pair of Bose 901's? Hmmmmmm.
"I think it was the several insults more than the gushing review that prompted the tone of several of the replies."

Yep, looking back at the replies by the OP, I see he trashed my system. "Cornhuskers" indeed. I will put these "Cornhuskers" up against the best speaker Bobby can make and feel confident that I made the right choice.

Shakey
I think it was the several insults more than the gushing review that prompted the tone of several of the replies.
Hard to know which is most annoying; the over the top, gushing review or the vitriolic piling on that it has inspired.
Chayro and Tubegroover: I was going to add another entry to this thread but you both expressed very eloquently what I had wanted to say.
well said Chayro. My guess is that the OP is relatively new to the hobby. The problem is that he seemingly is unwilling to acknowledge his insulting comment "One is that many people do not know what instruments sound like in real life – hence confirming their lack of knowledge to listening since they have been so used to artificial sweeteners (colored sounding speakers) in their daily life." the result of which are the unfavorable and negative comments directed towards him, certainly not his speaker choice.

Someday he will learn that NO LOUDSPEAKER sounds like real music and that the tradeoffs we all make in our choices may be valid for some but not for others. The Merlins are fine loudspeakers Vangstr and I am pleased that you have found the emotional connection to the music we all seek and desire but like all loudspeakers and audio systems they are YOUR choice, not everyone's, enjoy!
I think we've all seen someone get a new piece of equipment and gone a little over the top a bit too prematurely, albeit it not to this extent. I'll admit to gushing over my Viva amp when I first got it, but I still own it 5 years later and I still think it is that good. But this guy has owned 6-7 speakers over the past 5 years, so my prediction is that his "beloved" Merlins will be "reluctantly" sold within a few months due to "moving in a different direction", "moving", "downsizing", "used to finance a (whatever)" or whatever other reasons people seem to feel they need to justify a sale of something they once raved about.

Of course, the OP may have found his nirvana and I hope he did. Let's revisit this thread in a year and see. The time goes fast. To the OP - I truly hope you have found that speaker that magically clicks with everything you think a speaker should be. It's hard to find one.
Bumping this "review" as the embarrassment factor may spare us from future versions of such.