How do the Merlin TSM compare to other speakers

you must have had an older tsm and not the mm or mx to have said what you said.
b

george,
i think you should try some different tube amps (like the one i sent you the brochure on) and wires like the cardas i told you about. this will change the timbre more like the sf but still retain the uniformity, speed and clarity of the merlin. the merlin is just telling you what the rest of your system sounds like.

b

and george the things like the siltech and the meridian sound better on the sf because they are lighter and leaner. this goes better with the character of the sf. you need to try things that sound better on the tsm to get the true picture of the comparison. things like au24 wire or cardas golden ref will make you understand because they sound like the tsm.
b

ok, but understand that the merlin tsm is a more damped design so it has a higher q. this means you want to use the speaker with an amp with a lower damping factor or higher output impedance. tubes on the merlin will make them sound their best just like all of the high resolution/uniform speakers of today.
did i send you an amplifier recommendation by e-mail?
b

in terms of bass alignment/cabinet construction the q of .7 is neutral, i agree with you. i was trying to make the point that our designs are more damped electrically and mechanically so one should pay attention to the damping factor and output impedance of the matching amp. sorry for the confusion, i am not 100% with it because of a loss in the family.
b

thank you all, lost my father in law who has been like a father to me for the last 20 years. my wife and i spent the last 6 1/2 months trying to get him strong again but he just wasn't able to make it through this time.
b

or so you'd think but i have found that multiples of output tubes while reducing the output impedance tends to damp the bass more so. i prefer the tonality and presentation of amps with fewer output tubes and higher output impedances. control and tonal balance are two very different things and on a speaker like the vsm you can hear the difference very easily.

bombaywalla, thank you and thanks to the rest of you too.
b

the tsm is less damped than the vsm and the mm version of each is less damped than the mx version of each.
as far as a specific damping factor that is most ideal, that is impossible to say because i have heard amps with low damping factors that are tonally challanged and over damped in the bass and other amps with high damping facors that sound lush, relaxed and complete. go figure. sorry chris but i can't give you the magic equation, wish i could but i can't.
all i can tell you is that i think that a speaker should control the noise, distortion and color so when you turn up the volume you you get louder music and not an increased level of the items mentioned earlier. damped speakers are a good thing imho and all we need to do is find a relaxed complete sounding amp to make them work their best.
b

nothing planned but just revamped the bam. the new super bam is really a big improvement. i think as much as another 25 or 30% to the whole system.
price had to go up slightly because it cost us 33% more to build.
b

a few are on their way now and more coming right after that so VERY soon.
b