Being familiar with rcrump's and rhyno's systems, I'll throw out a couple of thoughts, biased as they may be.
The Merlins excel at what they do, portraying a detailed, musical image, revealing much of the character of the associated equipment. They are most commonly suited to smaller rooms, as their capabilities for moving a lot of air are limited. They work well with music associated with smaller ensembles, such as small jazz and folk groups, as large symphonic works can reveal their limitations. That said, they are still very good speakers. I admire Bobby P's dedication and persistence in refining his products over the years.
The requirements of hefty amplifiers for Sound Labs are about to go away, as Sound Lab demonstrated a pair of Ultimate-1s at CES implementing some new technology realizing significant gains in efficiency and dynamics. Driven by some 100 watt solid state monoblocks, they had no trouble reaching adequate levels despite the lack of a preamp which was held up in customs...they had to make do with a CD player putting out only 0.7 V into the amps which require 1.3 V for full output. With the right preamp driving the amps the sound would have been much fuller and more dynamic. Anyone wanting further information on this can contact me offline.
Brian Walsh
The Merlins excel at what they do, portraying a detailed, musical image, revealing much of the character of the associated equipment. They are most commonly suited to smaller rooms, as their capabilities for moving a lot of air are limited. They work well with music associated with smaller ensembles, such as small jazz and folk groups, as large symphonic works can reveal their limitations. That said, they are still very good speakers. I admire Bobby P's dedication and persistence in refining his products over the years.
The requirements of hefty amplifiers for Sound Labs are about to go away, as Sound Lab demonstrated a pair of Ultimate-1s at CES implementing some new technology realizing significant gains in efficiency and dynamics. Driven by some 100 watt solid state monoblocks, they had no trouble reaching adequate levels despite the lack of a preamp which was held up in customs...they had to make do with a CD player putting out only 0.7 V into the amps which require 1.3 V for full output. With the right preamp driving the amps the sound would have been much fuller and more dynamic. Anyone wanting further information on this can contact me offline.
Brian Walsh