Gallo 3.5 vs Merlin VSM-MXe

mapman just wants to grind this out some more.
first of all the mx is notceably leaner than the mxe that the op was asking about and profoundly leaner than the same speaker with a master bam and master rc. to be truly indicative of the potential you have to hear or discuss a current design. however, i really do thank you for your input gaotwuss as you see that there is more to sound than the bottom octave. and if you want more get a sub... that is why i am working on one. you see, i like bass too. :-)
m, i also never said the the vsm was designed for 12 by 12 foot rooms, you did. it thrives in rooms of around 2500 to 3300 cubic feet.
there is a lot of personal taste involved here and we know yours m. why not let it alone. you have not heard them so why comment.
best, b

goatwuss, my appology. i saw mx as the header and when i re read your post in full i saw that you had mxe's.
sorry about that but you can see why it happened.
best, b

"you have not heard them so why comment."

BP, as the vendor, you are undeniably biased on this subject, so why comment?

I won't stop commenting.

Will you?

The VSM can sound lean but with careful matching this can be ELIMINATED, but maybe not enough for some tastes. I have owned the VSM-M for 10 years and do not note any leanness at any frequency but it hasn't always been the case. I tend to believe that any 2-way speaker that is ultra resolving will exhibit this tendency without careful system matching, especially one with the aspirations of the VSM. I'd bet the same issues could be the case with the Magico Mini's as well. I can't compare with the Gallos which I haven't listened to. I listen to a fair amount of large scale orchestral music without the feeling that anything is missing or out of balance, just one man's perspective with plenty of experience, trials and experimentation with this design. There are absolutely no issues with bass in this set-up although some might want more. My priorities are natural resolution and control not quantity, ymmv. I really feel that the continuous comments concerning leanness with reference to highly resolving speakers in general is often an issue with other aspects of set-up and ancillaries. Of course some want a different presentation, warmer, fuller etc. and this can also be taken into consideration when attempting to read into listening impressions. You can't have it all in a 2-way but you get quite a bit with the Merlins, coherence, tonality and resolution being their strong suits.

My room size is 16X18X10 into an L shaped area 12X8X10. The speakers are on the 16' wall out 30" from the back wall and approximately 5' from either side wall.

System matching is key, but in my not so humble opinion, the latest version of the VSM, actually beginning with the lead free MXe, is the antithesis of "lean." My experience is that it sounds best with tubes in the amp chain (I prefer tubed preamp and solid state power amp), but I agree with Tubegroover that ANY speaker this resolving can sound a bit strident when interfaced with lesser-quality gear (including CABLES). I'm picky like most audiophiles and I went through several amps before settling on my current setup (tubed Bel Canto preamp with Belles 150A Reference amp). Tried Ayre AX-7, YBA Passion Integre, Coda Continuum Ultra, and other solid state integrated amps, but having tubes in the pre section brought out the magic that these speakers can conjure. The BAT 300X-SE with its tubed preamp section was my favorite (and used previously with Tyler Acoustics speakers) but did not have a tape loop, and I have multiple sources so opted for the Bel Canto SEP2 and Belles amp. Love the combination of nuance and power that this combo provides, conveyed via Audience AU24E interconnects and AU24 speaker cables. No desire to upgrade further except when that aforementioned subwoofer hits the market :)