Merlin speakers a new start for me

Good post Trelja,that pretty much sums it up,their going to be the last speaker alot of people will own,Bob

Hi George!

Isn’t this a great hobby? During the time that I have owned the Merlin VSM’s, I have also owned a pair of Revel F30’s, a pair of Gershman Avant Garde RX-20’s and Paradigm Studio 60 v2 (also took out on loan Dynaudio Contour 3.0). All of them (except the Dynaudio’s) showed the mid-bass hump via my RS digital dB meter. For me, they definitely sounded “heavier” then the Merlin but untrue, and after a short period of time, annoying. The Merlins (I have the VSM-MX) measure, from 200 Hz down via the Stereophile Test CD #3, relatively flat (+/- 2 dB) except for a 5 dB suckout at the 63 Hz signal, right down to the 31.5 Hz signal. That suckout is a room problem.
Additionally, in my experience, equipment matching IS important here. I had initially used a Sonic Frontier Line 2 SE (a very well reviewed tube-based preamp) with my old VSM-M. It sounded lean to the point where I bought a REL Storm III subwoofer. After finally going with the numerous suggestions of the Joule LA 100 MK III preamp, I sold the subwoofer as the speakers sounded much more fleshed out. It really was not a bass issue.
For a good discussion on this, have a look at an old thread of mine about Merlin's and bass.

David

trelja's point is well taken. the spectral balance/tonal balance is a function of the equipment, set up and room.
the vsm has been manufactured since 1994 and there are many versions. to date, there are thousands of pairs of these out in the field and as i said before, i have little or no control over how people use them or set them up. this speaker is a completely different design than most things on the market and because of that, their set up should not follow a preconceived path but the suggested one. it would also be wise to call me at the plant if you are having an issue to discuss the set up. if we give the speaker a chance to show what it can do, the problems may go away. this is simply not done by many people. i go through this every day.
b

Just want to clarify my earlier comments re : VSM SE

First, I really, really like the SE - I've used it for almost six years.

Second, the tonal balance/bass character which I characterized as "lean but highly damped" strikes me as a reasonable trade (though I understand that some listeners would disagree if they prioritize a warmer balance). By way of comparison, I 've also used Verity Parsifal Encores over roughly the same time period in a second home. The Verity's provide greater bass extension and mid-bass warmth, but offer less pitch definition through the lower octaves. Both are wonderful speakers which combine overall high quality performance with well integrated (though differently balanced) bass response. I 'm sure many people (like me) could happily live with either trade-off.

N.B. - The Verity's were roughly twice the cost of the Merlins.

Third, I've never heard the more recent Merlin designs in my system. My comments apply ONLY to the older VSM SE.

Good luck with the hunt!

Hi George Again!

To further expand on the mid bass hump that David Berry speaks of, I too am of that impression with the Montana's. Now this is not to say some might not prefer this, especially when listening to classic rock music. I have a buddy that has a pair of Montana ESP's and he too listens primarily to rock. I always notice the cabinet resonance in the mid bass when I listen to his speakers. Fortunately this doesn't bother him. His impression of my Milleniums is pretty muched summed up by you and your buddies, apparently less bass (lean?) that is until I finally got the cabling right and added several pair of tube traps in my quite uncooperative room. He isn't saying they lack bass these days although he still prefers his Montanas in the bass. Of course from the mids up there is no comparison as we both agree. When I added a second Berning (a temporary situation unfortunately) what became readily apparent was how much air these speakers are capable of moving. What is always interesting is the wide range of amplification that can be used but in my experience there is no substitute for plenty of power when the music calls for it, particularly large scale. I really enjoy listening to music through his system providing it is rock which is what it is balanced for.

Speakers are indeed a matter of tradeoffs. In a large room there may be other options besides the Merlins that are in their performance peer group, unfortunately, as noted, they will cost considerably more. I look forward to owning the MX in the future but find it difficult to believe that the top end of this speaker can be improved upon too much beyond what I am hearing at present, famous last words!

P.S. We both agree that the Merlins can and DO rock. One of his favorite cuts from Alan Parson always blows him away. The sense of space and dynamics not to mention the clearly defined bass line puts him in the groove.