having owned a pair of merlin vsm/se with bam i can tell you they are great speakers. however, i traded them in on a pair of aliante model one pinifarina speakers ( see lars fredell's review in the fall ultimate audio mag) and can unequivocally say they are the best monitor speaker you can buy. you can get a pair for $5000 ( don't get the vela stands with them). they are the best speaker for deliniating the human voice you will probably ever hear. if you listen to alot of classical,jazz,and vocals these are the speakers for you.
Merlin vs. Totem vs. Verity vs.????
I'm having to replace my beloved Vandy IICE's with something physically smaller. Associated equipment is an Audio Research D-115 mk2 amp (100 watt) , LS-8 preamp ( both tube), CAL Audio CL-10, and MIT 750 cables). Leading candidates right now include the Merlin VSM-SE, The Totem Mani2's or Forests, perhaps ( a stretch financially) the Verity Fidelio's , if they're half as good as the awesome Parsifals, and anything else worth listening to at or below the size and price of the Merlins. Question is, what should be in this group? The ProAc 2.5s have been recommended. How about the Meadowlarks? Anything else that ought to be in contention? JimB