merlin vsm owners , what is your room size ?



Hi, Merlin vsm lovers

I use my merlin VSM in a room size of 12W*23L*9H -Feet
I wish my room was smaller to enjoy my merlins.

How big are your rooms ?
masilu

Showing 2 responses by martykl

I've used mine in many different rooms over the last decade+. Dimensions have varied from 10' x 12' (a spare bedroom in an apt) to 14' x 35' (combo dining room/living room in same apartment) to a pair of 14ish x 20ish dedicated listening rooms (one w/high ceilings, the other lower), as well a few others in between. The speakers will sound a bit different in each setting, but they always retain their fundamental strengths (remarkable midrange clarity and impact) so long as they're reasonably carefully placed and the room isn't a nightmare.

For me, the trade off has always been maximizing imaging vs octave to octave balance. Pulled out into a larger room, the imaging can be really fantastic, but the bass may lose some weight. Backing them up to the wall behind them will generally restore weight to the tonal balance with some diminution of that wonderful staging/imaging. IME, smaller rooms generally make the issue moot - you'll get the bottom end weight at some cost to the image. No choice involved.

I've managed to make the speakers sound very good in each setting, but the bottom line is that I got my best overall results in a room with dimensions nearly identical to yours.

One more data point for you.
Just one idea for you to consider:

Per my post above, the VSM's low end response is IME quite sensitive to boundary reinforcement. You have the speaker about 4 1/2 feet out from the wall behind them - great for imaging, not so great for fullness in the mid-bass. I'd try halving the distance between the speakers and that wall. Ignore any imaging issues for a moment and just get a feel for the change in tonal balance in the lower registers at the new room position.

It may lead you to a better listening experience via a simple change of room positioning, it may lead you to consider the addition of a subwoofer (notwithstanding the BAM related issues you mention), or it may lead you to conclude that you'd prefer a different speaker in that room. In any event, it's probably a worthwhile experiment - simple, free and (for better and/or worse) probably educational.