Merlin VSM-Mx with super BAM

I was very impressed with Martin Dewulf's recent review in Bound for Sound. He captures the reasons why I (and many other Merlin owners) find the Merlin VSM-Mxe to be one of the all-time great speakers that has and will continue stand the test of time. This is no "flavor of the month" speaker. If you are a Merlin owner, the review will make you feel good. If you are not it gives you plenty of reasons to audition this speaker against anything out there.

http://www.merlinmusic.com/reviews/bfs_vsmmxe.htm

A used Manley Stingray integrated would be a good choice if your budget is small. The Bryston is a good amp, but less than ideal for Merlins.

hi m148b,
the super bam is an improved version of the bam. it offers a new external digital switching power supply, higher potential battery pack by 30%, nichicon muse series charging caps in the internal power supply and a reduction by 30% of the voltage regulation in the ac and battery supplies. the super bam has a lot more pitch defintion in the bass (more solid bass, rythmic and room filling) so it is superior imho. the older bam sounded leaner and more forward by comparison.
newer brystons sound fuller and more relaxed which is a good thing. i would strongly recommend the vsm mme or mxe version as they sound a lot better with ss. or have the mxs upgraded with an e mod to get the most out of them with the amp.
the speakers can play very loudly, are efficient and you could get away with less power if need be, just so you know.
regards,
bobby

The Merlin VSM's should be good for your room and music preferences.

Please don't ruin their sound with a Bryston amp. Heed the advice of the above posters and look into a quality tube amp.

Give Bobby a call at Merlin and ask his advice on amplifiers within your budget.

Good luck!

As a VSM-MM owner, I agree that you don't need the 150 watts. Or at least not *Bryston's* 150 watts. They may be a little brawny and beefy for speakers that could use a little finesse in their amplification.

I think you will not find a better speaker for your room and musical taste. The difference between BAM and SuperBAM is that the SuperBAM is a later version that was improved. The current SuperBAM is lead free and can be used with an MX, the MXe is a leaf free version of the VSM. If you go to Bobby's website you'll find the details, or better yet, give him a call. I think you should seriously consider getting a 30-60 Watt TUBE amp to use with your VSM. While the VSM can run with solid state, the are ideal for tubes. And you don't need those 150 watts to run the Merlins.