Gallo 3.5 vs Merlin VSM-MXe

mapman, yes it is true that i am a vendor, i am proud to be one and of my work. have i seen you posting in all maker's threads of mini monitor speakers? why does it seem like you prefer to spout your opinions more in merlin threads? as i said before, use the right tool for the job and if you want the lowest octave get a sub. what is wrong with that???
rarely do you discuss the many attributes of monitors in general. yet you seem to fixate on the lack of bass extention and weight. everyone here knows where your taste falls. as i said you have to hear it to know for sure because anything you say is "mostly" speculation and when you speculate you should say "imho".
your opinion is not a given for everyone.
do you know how many people have told me that their vsms totally over power their room with bass and the sound is unlistenable because of it? i was also at a home recently where an individual had a moderate sized room with speakers that on their own, imho have too much bass and he had two subs hooked up at 120 hz. he asked me what i thought but i did not comment. it takes all kinds i thought.
odds are that you will not like my work if or when you hear it. come to rmaf to room 9014 and hear them for your self. then make comments that are based on first hand knowledge. judging my work based on your dyn's and other similar designs is unfair imho.
best,
b

"why does it seem like you prefer to spout your opinions more in merlin threads"

Because that is the topic you happen to be monitoring maybe?

I offer opinions and observations on many topics of interest to me based on what I learn over time from various sources, including others whose opinions I respect.

IS that a problem too?

In general, I try to keep discussions positive and sometimes humorous. I seldom get into threads about topics or products I do not like and would not consider buying myself or recommending to others. The exception is when I suspect people may be making a flat out mistake or throwing their money away for no good reason.

If I start talking about MErlin less, you can take that as a bad indicator and a negative trend, FWIW.

If the OP is still out there and cares, after reading through things further, and getting past all the noise, I realize that you are comparing used versus new at a particular price point. That's important.

Used MErlin VSM-MXes at a good used price will probably not depreciate as much as new anythings.

Given that, I personally would be even more hard pressed to go for new Gallos over floor standing MErlins with Bamm.

This is just my opinion of course. I have never heard MErlins but would feel confident trying them in your situation if it were me.

A sub can always be added later if needed, but the benefits would likely be marginal as indicated and only with some recordings/music types in a smaller 12X12 room.

Of course, some people feel more comfortable buying new, all other things aside. Only you as the buyer can make that judgement.

m, "A sub can always be added later if needed, but the benefits would likely be marginal as indicated and only with some recordings/music types in a smaller 12X12 room."
was that so hard? thank you!
b

Is the OP's room 12x12? If this is the case, that's too small for either the Merlin floorstanders or the Gallos. Not to mention identical dimensions that will cause havok in your end result...

The TSM or the Gallo Strada with a small sub would be far better matched to the room size IMHO.