Tenor Hybrid v. VTL MB-450 Sig.

I have been keeping an eye on this string and have a few things to add.
Robert, you are judging all VSM Millenniums by the ones heard at Rhyno's home and this is a mistake. His speakers were wired with the S harness. This version is voiced to be the antithesis of certain types of amplifiers that are both SS and tube. It tends to embellish the middle portion of the bandwidth to flesh out the music core. It does make for better image density but produces a more forward and less deep and wide presentation. Under certain situations they can be made to sound unbalanced, forward and somewhat truncated in the extreme treble and bass. By crossing the speaker over at 100 Hz you would again set the balance to lean and forward side by unweighting the natural balance of the VSM. That is why my subwoofers (which I will release when I am ready to increase my production) will cross over at 30 Hz at 12 or 24 dB per octave.
The T version of the speaker is not voiced and is much harder to lean out. It is capable of producing much more ambient information because it is more fleshed out in the extremities and thus, by comparison, relaxes the mids. This T version actually sounds quite a bit larger and tonally richer than the S version. And latter versions of the speakers with the 6th toe mod, tuning pucks and ERS materials sound even more relaxed, uniform and fleshed out making them sound even larger and more believable again.
The latest version of the VSM, the MX, sounds even fuller and considerably larger again so it is doing an absolutely fantastic job of recreating size and venue.
I am a big fan of Dr. West's electrostats and Andrew's Rockports and recommend them routinely for larger room applications. But, there is no doubt in my mind that the VSM has a special place in this market for normal sized living enviroments and in fact rooms of in excess of 5000 cubic feet with attention being paid to the tonal virtues of the wires and electronics.
I think you make fabulous products Bob but in my opinion they work much better with the latter T version of the VSM Millennium and the MX version than what you heard them on.
Happy New Year!
Bobby@merlin

And by the way Rhyno, the dynamic compression and loud level playback issues have been fully dealt with. A few months before the review in Stereophile, we made a flying production change to the VSM M and extended the front double baffle down the entire enclosure. This greatly reduced an energy storage issue which John Atkinson picked up on in his tests. The unfortunate thing is that the speakers tested by Stereophile predated the change because we needed to provide the speakers in a timely manner and to make a new pair would have delayed things another 8 to 10 weeks. Then about 15 months ago we offered up the 6th toe mod which places 2 cones on the front and one on the back. The additional support for the firing plane and superior dynamic coupling greatly enhanced the tonality (which Tubegroover and others can comment on) and the addition of the tuning weight and ERS for the BAM and digital sources enabled the speakers to sound much more robust and dimensional. These changes were clearly picked up on by the press comments of last years CES. That is also why many that read Robert's and your comments can't agree with you. Your product predated theirs and did not have the enhanced performance. The last and most critical aspect of the on going research was completed with the MX version. I would say that dynamic compression is now incredibly low and that you can now play these speakers louder than stink. Why else do you think I showed with Ken Stevens of CAT, the dynamics and volume King of high end audio. There was little doubt that the system in AP1652 was capable of some really extraordinary output and dynamic potential.
Anyhow, good to see you are still around and have fun with your SLs.
Regards,
Bobby@merlin

Hi Kevin,
I ask you to read my last post again as it explains that the resonance issue was actually dealt with prior to the review in Stereophile. Flying changes to the production of the VSM were made in advance of the review but the review sample did not have the changes because of the time issue. The truth of the matter is that the resonance is not measurable unless extreme output (well above 100 dB) is generated making this a non issue for 99.9% of the listeners. That is why this matter was dealt with after the cabinet material change and not before.
Regards,
Bobby@merlin

Bye the way Kevin, did you ever do the sixth toe mod to your speakers? This will make a really big difference for you and actually further reduce energy build up in the VSM while providing more stable footing. The additional bass extension and fullness makes a really big difference to the ambient energy and size of the presentation. The ERS and tuning puck makes the sound more uniform so you can really hear into the music core to a greater degree. Additive noise in the way of RFI and EMI can add a false fizzle to the sound and once this is removed, the resolution, smoothness and purity are enhanced.
Regards,
Bobby@merlin

Hi Kevin,
Sorry, I thought you were an engineer friend that owned the speakers in CA. Many thanks for your kind thoughts and feel free to contact me at any time if there is something that I can do for you. We would be pleased to have you in our Merlin family.
Regards,
Bobby

I wish I had a picture of you while you were sleeping. Shoes off, totally exhausted from four days of music and banter. Thanks for your help and company.
Bobby@merlin

I thought that was a given!