Merlin Upgrade Experience


I recently had my (very late production) VSM-SEs upgraded to current status and thought I'd share my initial impressions on the change for anyone who might be interested.

Bobby tells me that pre-upgrade my VSMs were among the last SEs manufactured, and thus were quite close to the MM although not yet so badged.

My context for commenting on the VSMs includes both "in a vaccuum" impressions of their sound as well as comparison to other loudspeakers that I own and use regularly.

Until recently, I've owned 2 homes and thus the Merlins were the main speaker in town and my Verity Parsifal Encores served the same purpose at the beach. Additionally, I own a pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas which live in my living room. From time to time, I have been able to insert all 3 into my main system and they now all reside in a single, suburban residence (alas the baby arrived and beach house went!) more easily allowing for direct comparison.

PRE-UPGRADE:

My personal definition of the distinction between a music lover and a music loving audiophile is that the music lover wants all his records to sound good, while the audiophile wants his bad records to sound bad. By this definition, the VSM SE was a classic audiophile device, while the Creomna is more a music lovers device. Bad sounding records (and I own way too many) have tend to sound bad on the VSM SE and less so on the Cremonas. Conversely, the distinctions between any 2 records show up much more vividly on the VSM - for me, this is not a bad description of a phenomenon that many people like to call transparency.

IMHO, the likely cause of this difference is a measure of mid-bass warmtn and low bass wallop on the Cremona compared to some mid bass leanness and deep bass limitations on the VSM SE. The overall frequency response graphs of these speakers may not differ wildly, but there is significant difference in the octave to octave balance and resultant tonal signature:

The Cremonas have significantly more energy below the midband than do the VSM SEs. FWIW, the Verity - which in many respects combines the best of both worlds -- is voiced much closer to the Cremona. I suspect that most of the criticism of the VSM SE is due to people who either prefer a warmer voicing, need more ultimmate deep bass capability, or both. People with larger, less damped listening spaces probably highlight these issues in their environment.

THE UPGRADE PROCESS

Due to logistical issues on both sides, the process took longer than either Bobby or I would have liked. While his enthusiasm for his product may strike some as a "bit much", say this for the guy: He looks after his customers with unusual energy. He kept in regular touch with updates during the process and followed up multiple times after delivery. By any standard, in any business, this is a very high level of customer service.

I actually decided on this upgrade somewhat reluctanlty. Almost 2 years prior to pulling the trigger, I heard the then current VSM MX (MM?) at a local dealer. I was impressed by the warmer tonality and apparently unchanged mid band transparency, dynamics, imaging, and bass pitch definition. As far as I could tell at audition - the speakers biggest shortcoming had been ameliorated (though not eliminated) while its strengths had seamingly all been reatined.

However, an in-store demo is not dispositive, and I was still concerned that the speaker might lose some of its "magic". For as long as I can remember, much of my favorite mid band reproduction has come from speakers which (like the VSM SE) featured less than full energy below the mids (from earliest Quad through latest Lipinski). Hence my hemming and hawing. Ultimately, I went for it - though I remained a bit conflicted.

POST UPGADE

These observations must be qualified by the change in listening environment attendent to my move and the limited (2 weeks+) exposure to the new speakers. The listening room environmental effects are somewhat reduced by the continued
opportunity to compare the upgraded VSMs to the Verity and Cremonas.

In short - I couldn't have asked for very much more.

This upgrade is a VERY skillfull balancing act from Merlin. The most obvious difference is improved deep bass dynamics - which are immediately evident on tuned drums. Descending drum patterns on Peter Gabriel's Last Temptation no longer evidence rapidly diminishing power. Kick drum
and bass drum (Putttin' it Down, Out of The Cradle, Sinatra Live at The Sands, "E"'s Shine It All On) all showed greater impact up through significantly higher SPLs.

Meanwhile all else is right in the VSM universe. The mid-band is still SOTA for me;
voices on Sam Cook's Night Beat, Marti Jones' Unsophisticated Time, Joan Armitrading, etc. etc. were consistently as good as I've heard.
massed horns from the aforementioned Sinatra through Duke Ellington's Queens Suite and Intimacy of the Blues are still stunning.
Individual Horn timbre still amazes (The Hawk Flies High, etc.)

My take - this is the same speaker with obviously improved deep bass performance. My gut impression is that little adjustment was made in the warmth region (maybe tweaked up a smidge) but that the overall signature feels warmer by dint of increased energy below 60ish cycles. This is just a guess - no measurements taken.

IN SUMMARY

Bobby likes to talk in percentage improvement. I can't say that I think that way and I would be at a total loss to attach a number. I would say that this is the same speaker with so much of its near SOTA capability retained and its most obvious shortcoming significantly redressed. If you liked the SE, I'm almost certain you'll love the cuurrent version. If you were lukewarm, you might find yourself convinced. If you REALLY didn't get the appeall of the SE, I doubt this new version will be your cup of tea.

Though true headbangers still need not apply - I suspect that just about everyone else will really like this speaker. FOR THE MOMENT, it has displaced the Verity P/E as my first choice for serious listening to high quality source material. It's new and that may change over time, but for me-for now- it's about as strong an endorsement as I can provide.

Marty

A Note; The speaker still seams amp friendly in a big way. They work like champs with Cary 805s (expensive) and Pancor Dyna re-issues (dirt cheap). Haven't yet had rthe chance to try my 300Bs.

Another note: Bobby uses BAX global which has about as good a rep as any shipper I know. Unfortunately, it seems that BAX subbed out the "last mile" in this case to a local company which, from the appearance of the crates, uses chain saws to move boxes. Notwithstanding serious damage to the cartons, the speakers arrived unscathed. Score on for for Merlin's packing/crating protocol.
martykl
Unbelievable Low-Cost Upgrade for Merlin VSM-MXs! I recently had an itch to do something to my system - perfectly happy with it's sound, but we all know the drill - gotta be something better to try! I decide to look for a tube amp to rotate in and remembered some discussion a while back on a new EL34 based integrated imported by Bobby at Merlin Music. I called and was very dismayed to learn of a long wait time (5-6 months), but decided to get on the list anyway - will be a nice Christmas present hopefully!

I knew of the lead free initiatives (as I work in a non-audio electronics industry we all are going through the process of revising products to "get the lead out") - we do it for no other reason than EU legislative mandate. So I was surprised and skeptical to learn of significant audio improvements of the lead free solder in the new "e" series Merlin speakers. Fortunately, there is a relatively low cost "test upgrade" that I was willing to try. Merlin offers a few minor upgrades - lead free power cord for the BAM, lead free jumpers and higher capacity (230 MaH) batteries.

Now this upgrade defies reason & all logic, but works! The results are very noticeable - this is not a minor upgrade. I did the upgrade in two steps; first the pc & jumpers - this provided more texture in the bass region and an overall smoothing of the sound across all frequencies - a more relaxed, musical presentation. Soundstage may have broadened in height a bit as well. The second step (battery upgrade) added more weight at the bottom. I didn't know I needed these improvements until after the upgrade.

If you are on the fence about the upgrade - just buy it! For less than $200, it's a winner! Merlin also offers an lead free upgrade to the speaker itself - based on the improvements heard with the above, I may just have to send them back for rework (if I can live without them for a few weeks).

System currently consists of McIntosh C200 or C220 preamp, MC-501 monoblocks, VSM-MX's w/Super BAM.
I just received and installed the new 230mah batteries and the lead free jumpers. Amazing! The batteries added bass weight and fullness. The speakers sound bigger, much bigger. The lead free jumpers added clarity and airy-ness, yet also made the presentation softer. Kind of hard to explain. I like it. I like it a lot! Looks like I may have to spring for the complete lead free upgrade in the not too distant future. Good job Bobby P!
Below is what I wrote to Bobby regarding my jumpers/PC/batteries mod experience.

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Overall, without isolating any specific element, my modified MX sounds even more musical and linear (i.e. continuous in your parlance). Upon receipt of the new jumpers/powercord/battery, I behaved well by resisting the temptation of immediately listening to my system as I wanted the batteries to be fully charged; further, during the ensuing days, I would let my system play, with only cursory listening sessions, in order to let the new components settle-in as much as possible. Of course, my hectic work schedule certainly helped me emphasize the "cursory" part of it.

In the past two weeks, mostly weekends, I logged in approximately 10 hours of listening time. I pulled out the usual, personal favorite CDs and a few other I had not listened in a while, to seriously test my "new" system. While I am not certain that I can adequately ascribe my favorable impression of the modified MX to concrete factors, I did identify a few listening elements that I particularly enjoyed.

Again, my initial impression was speakers' linear expression, a sound that was smooth and "uninterrupted." To my ears, the top-end, or the higher frequency was not hot or shrilled, but blended in with the rest of the spectrum. As an example, the trumpet and female vocals were so very pleasing, smooth, and yet still palpable and lively. The bass -- yes I mean bass -- has ever asserted itself. While the bass is not the 15-inch-woofer-pounding-your-chest kind of impact, it is so much more tuneful. The upper bass frequencies are more musical and delineated. The string bass comes across so clearly and with a full body.

Let's move on to sound stage and imaging. To me, and a few friends of mine, VSM's ability to provide a good sound stage and imaging was always there. And yet, the subject components made further improvement to this facet of my VSM. When I speak of sound stage, I think of it in two halves, the front-half and the back-half. I'll first comment on the back-half. To my ears, the back-half of the sound stage has widened. How do I mean? Well, think of the letter "V" for a moment -- the apex, or bottom, of the letter as the back-half and the top as the front-half. In short, the "V" is now more of a "U" in the overall presentation. As you can see, the back-half of the sound stage has expanded in that when the musical content is there, the placement of various instruments are no longer confined to the center of the speakers, but are now more behind and even beyond the speakers set-up width. The front-half of the sound stage is as wide as before, but the presentation seems more off-the-speakers in that the sound does not appear to be emanating from the drivers, unless it's called for by the music.

Last, but not least, is the overall imaging height. I've always thought the height of the musical imaging, more specifically vocal, could be -- not necessarily should be -- higher. Now, I feel as though the imaging of vocals has been lifted by another 8 to 12 inches, which is a pleasant surprise.

Well, Bobby, I want to thank you for recommending the subject modification. In summary, I believe my modified MX, or an MXe wanna-be, now has a more musical, tuneful, and impactful presentation. Bravo.
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Toward the end of my listening session with jumpers/pc/batteries mod, I inserted a pair of pure gold interconnects from KCI. While the jury is still out, thus far, these interconnects have added additional bass and smoothness to the VSM.

In short, I may have to spring for the full MX-e mod, as well.

Ken
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
I've been enjoying Merlin VSM's since 1997 and have had them upgraded throughout the years.They have never ceased to amaze me with through each new upgrade.I received the new MMe's 2 weeks ago and am blown away by the improvement over the MM's.The first thing I noticed was the "see through" quality with layers of veiling totally lifted.Nothing ever gets lost in the mix.In fact there is so much more musical information you can actually enjoy the Merlins at lower listening levels.You don't have to crank it to hear all the extra detail. Instruments were more harmonically complete which boosted the believability factor bigtime.Also dynamic resolution is greatly improved.Both micro and macro dynamics are better resolved with greater nuance which is very important to me when listening to classical music,especially piano.I find the MMe's soundstage is more expansive and better able to fill my room with a highly transparent focused 3 dimensional soundstage than ever before.These speakers have made it possible to enjoy many older recordings in a way that I have never experienced.In short, these speakers are a stunning achievement that I will enjoy for years to come.Asscociated equipment:Audio Aero Prima SE dac/preamp,OCM800 amp,Jps superconductor 2 cables, Audio Research CDT-1 Transport Theta DataII transport