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Merlin speakers a new start for me

hi folks.... Long time audiogoner and have not used the form a great deal. I am in mid change over from a home Theater setup to a two channel system. The basic problem is space. Running two systems did not work so I combined what I had and have been running 2 channel.

At the moment I am sort of between systems but what is left includes.

Preamp Classe 5L
Amps Pair Threshold T-200's (Both have been updated by Jon S)
CD is the Dennon 2900
TT is a project
Speakers at the moment are a pair of Revel M-20's
Revel B15
I have a S-30 and a pair of older Paradigm ADP surrounds that are not in use
I also have an older Sherbourn 5/1500 left over from the HT.

My thought at the moment is to keep most of what I have and simply add a hi end pair of monitors, or speakers somewhere between 2-5k. I have been bouncing around between

Merlin VMS M or SE
Merlin TSM
Revel Gems
Thiel 3.6 the 2.4 or even the 6
ATC 20's or 50's

I have been a long term fan of Celestions and had either a pair of the SL-600's or the 700SE's for the past 15 years. So I am both a big fan of a clean image and or a very very good sound stage both of which I got from the Clestions. At this point, I simply feel the Celestions are too old to be reliable.... and I would like something new. The room I am in is moderate in size and has a very very bad suck out around 50hrz so the speakers will likely be used with the Revel handling everything from say 60-80hrz down.

Thought I would ask the form espcially those that know and have heard the merlins. My plan at this point is to keep the Classe/Threholds and the Revel B15. I am not really attached to any of it at the moment as I am not getting all that I think the system can offer.... so any suggestions welcome.

Thanks
atkatana
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Merlins are funny animals. I've had VSM SE's for 5+ years. They can be incredibly convincing - A prominent L.A. area high end dealer came to my home to set up a new 'table and was astonished by the VSM SE's driven by Cary 300B SET's. Subject to ultimate volume limitations, the dynamics from this set up are absolutely startling and vocal reproduction is about as good as it gets.

However, whether using the low power Carys, medium power Cary 845 SETs, medium powered SS Krells, or high power Odyssey SS amps, (yes, I admit that over the years my amp collection has gotten a bit out of hand!) the Merlins always sound a bit thin through the mid bass. Though reasonably neutral, the tonal balance is just a bit lean and the bass alignment highly damped (especially for a ported design).

My guess is that a sub probably isn't the answer - the issue (I'd hesitate to call it a problem) is higher up the frequency ladder. In short, the Merlin SE's are terrific if your taste doesn't demand a warmer tonal balance. Hope these observations help.
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
I can only compare MM's as to how they sounded in my room with whatever speakers I have owned. Compared to Montana EPS--MM;s killed the EPS from the mid on up. However from the mid down it wasn't close at all. Much like the Wilson Sophia--vs MM's--Not close at all. Listen to L.Reed's "Walk On The Wilde Side" on both speakers. No sub needed. It is strange for me in that before I bought these MM's I was unaware of them being bass-shy. Since then I have heard casual mention of this from many more trusted ears;so it ain't just me; my room or my electronics.
bobbyapalkovic
729 posts
 
as i said earlier, the ses are a 10 year old design and have been improved on in many ways. used with the correct tube gear, wires and source equipment they can still provide some superb sound, that is for sure.
but the m and especially the mm and mx all sound fuller and more relaxed, more even and less bright too.
the biggest issue in the se is the mdf cabinet and the port tuning which were both revised in the millennium.
glad you are still enjoying them and the carys should be s superb match.
bobby at merlin
bobbyapalkovic
729 posts
 
the perceived quantity of bass and extension has to do with the tonal balance of your gear, your wires and positioning of the vsm speakers relative to you seating position. if i was at your home and had a chance to work with the speakers and you, perhaps i could have made the problem go away or decrease it enough for you to be happy.
there is no doubt that the montana has more midbass bloom and so does your Wilsons. but that does not make the vsm wrong. the vsm is a totally different design that you must listen to at the right distance, with the correct toe angle so that the tonal blance is right. i design my products with the power response of the speaker and not nearfield testing. i have little or no control over what people use with the speaker or how they set it up.
sorry you didn't like yours george.
too bad i didn't live closer to you because i certainly would have come over and tried to help you.
b
trelja
3,223 posts
 
Personally, I think mid/upper bass response can be tailored greatly by both the gear, room, and the treatments therein.

For example, simply substituting JPS Superconductor (interconnect and/or speaker cable) will produce that kind of bloom and richness, and take the edge off the sound, if it's required. Not only with the Merlins, but with most loudspeaker products.

I've heard Merlins in various instances, and in all cases, I was most impressed. In my opinion, the effectiveness of the design, and skill of implementation of it by the folks at Merlin have been proven by its disparate owners. I've heard a fair share of criticism of the speaker, but it can also be viewed as a testament to the success in dispersing the product. At this point, the owness falls on the individual to mate the speaker with the appropriate gear and site the speaker correctly - in an appropriate room. Is it a PERFECT speaker? No, of course not. Such a beast does not exist, and there never was, and never may be. But, the Merlins sure are as satisfying a loudspeaker as any produced. I can see no reason why a pair of Merlins would not constitute a lifetime purchase, and that's a truely rare thing in high end audio these days.
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