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Utopia Micros + Sub vs. Utopia Divas vs. Merlin

Hello,

This is my first post and my first foray into the home audio world. Everything I know about 2 channel systems I've learned in the last two weeks reading hundreds or thousands of posts here. I'm building my first system for a carpeted room that is 13x18 with an 8' ceiling where the speakers have to be placed against the long wall and no farther than 3 feet from the wall behind. I listen to singer songwriter stuff (Jack Johnson), acoustic leaning indie rock (Shins, My Morning Jacket), some pop (the Fray, Corinne Bailey Rae), and a little classical. I only am interested in CDs.

I have a deal working for a McIntosh MC352 and MCD201 cd player, which will also act as a pre-amp.

I can only afford used speakers--Micros and VSM-MMs seem to be in the $4K range; Divas more but the difference is about the same as a sub--looking at the ACI Titan.

Given this approximately $5K-$6K speaker budget, would you recommend the Utopia Micro Be + a sub, the Utopia Divas, or the Merlin VSM-MMs?

Can I even run a sub without a dedicated preamp?

Thank you very much for your input.
conrad_80

Showing 2 responses by conrad_80

conrad_80 OP
3 posts
 
Goatwuss,

I've heard the Utopia but not the Merlins.
I'm basing my choices a lot on a composite of all the comments and reviews about both.
I know--it's not the best way to go about it but I find listening at dealers almost less helpful and I don't want to put out people that I won't be buying from because of budget constraints.
conrad_80 OP
3 posts
 
I thought the Micros were very good, definitely good enough to make me happy. I've thought this about a number of speakers. They've all been pushed by fairly expensive electronics, though.
I just have a hard time comparing listening memories at this time since I've not been able to do quick A/B comparisons at the push of a button like I did when I bought Dynaudio car speakers about 4 years ago.
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