Gallo 3.5 vs Merlin VSM-MXe


Hello,
I'm looking to upgrade to different speakers. At the moment I'm running Gallo Strada's with a T3 Sub. While I enjoy this system, I would like a little more coherence and weight. Some more musicality would be nice too. I've been given the opportunity to get a pair of used Merlin VSM-Mxe with super bam for a nice price, or a new pair of Gallo 3.5's for the same $.
Any ideas?
g_goodwin
BP,

If they do 30hz up, then agree that should most likely suffice in a small room.

However, most very good small monitors I am familiar with do not go that low. For example, I use a pair of Dynaudio COntour 1.3mkii monitors in a 12X 12 room. I think these do things down below 50hz to some extent. VEry nice in that room! Until you compare to larger floorstanders that also fit well into that room and go a bit lower. Then you notice you are missing something with music that benefits from response in the lower octaves.

It is very dependant on room acoustics, agreed. Those same floorstanders that shine in the 12X12 room I mentioned tend to be a bit bass heavy as you describe in the 12X12 sunroom with cathedral ceilings above it. But that can be tamed. It is sometimes easier to subtract what is there to start with than to add it later.
m, i asked if you have heard them?
not only would they suffice in a small room and potentially over power it but i have used them in much larger rooms at shows and many ask, "were is the sub or subs?" if you carefully set them up so that the boundary reinforcements embellish the bottom end, you would be surprized what you can get out of them. and this is with no 2nd or 3rd order harmonic distortion in the bass. mf in sterophile had them going down to 26 hz but i was the one who set them up. i use them in an 8000 cubic foot room at the factory and i am sure "you" would be very surprized at what they can do in this regard.
i like bass every bit as much as you do but there is a time and place for the lowest octaves.
best, b
"m, i asked if you have heard them?"

No, but I have heard a lot of top notch similar monitors and have a good feel for what is possible out of a speaker that size. I've also read a lot about the MErlins.

As I said, I have no doubt they can perform extremely well as do the others, especially in smaller rooms.

But the fact is there is only so much you can wean out of a small box with small drivers.

For some rooms, that may be enough though, granted.
the problem with the merlins is, that you need to spend,
close to $6000 in cables, let alone the amplification,
to mask the lean nature of the sound they produce,
withought cardas cables, they sound like a table top radio,
switched to proac D38, and I'm in heaven:

cheers;
Juancgenao, you have very unique hearing if the Merlin sounds like a table top radio to you, with ANY cables (well, most any, I'm sure you could find something to screw up the sound of any amp/speaker). Do like the ProAcs though, owned two version over the years.