Merlin VSM-M or VSM-MX vs. Kharma CRM3.2 series

No Jtinn,
That is what you are saying because the Tennor sounds wonderful on the Merlins. I just prefer the Joules for very specific reasons, which I will not go into here. But think about my choices in cable and ancillaries and you can piece a bit of it together for yourself. You see, I have heard the combinations myself and I know that you would be in for a an even bigger surprize if you looked at it in an open minded manner. It is clear that we prefer different aspects of the presentation. And because these speakers sound very different as do the amps, it is impossible to say which is the better. Anyone who knows me well knows that I routinely recommended the Kharma, Rockport, Vertity, Quad, Sound Labs etc., products when calling my business. I have also recommended the the Kharma/Tenor combination to a few. Lets face it, whats good is good and I don't mind losing a sale to well designed products.
Bobby@merlin

Joneill: Your response truly surprises me. Most of us who have heard the Kharma's and the Merlin's would say the opposite. Not to take anything away from the Merlin's which are a nice value at their price point, the Kharma speakers are all about emotional connection and lifelike presentation.

Are you sure you heard the Kharma speakers in question?

Ah come on Jtinn,
I can say exactly the same thing.
I had two individuals come into our suite at the CES who were big Kharma fans. In fact, both owned the 3.2s and were still in love with the size of their soundstage and other aspects of their Kharma sound. But both felt that the VSM MX had a more immediate character, sounded more live and less dynamically compressed. They have a totally different presentation. Do you like Burgundy or Bordeaux? I'll bet...Burgundy. ;-)
Bobby@merlin

"You build a fine speaker and I am not going to get into why I greatly prefer the Kharmas, because like you, I am in the industry and have a vested interest."

You just gave one Jtinn. Your passion in your preferences is well documented as are mine and others. It really comes down to musical involvement, not better or closer to real. As an example, I own the Berning amp which in many ways seems closer to neutral than the Joule amp with the Merlins yet the Joule has a more "realistic" presentation of the harmonics of instruments, timbre accuracy is another way of putting it. Which one is right? My answer is there is no right, just priorities and preferences so why all the fuss? Maybe the fact that a 10K speaker can be compared to one at 22K in a favorable context? On an absolute level it gets back to preference of how recorded music is presented and the involvement factor, nothing more or less. I think we are talking about 2 superb 2-way speakers that offer different priorities. I have never looked at the Merlin as somehow being compromised because of their price but of offering an extraordinary value in light of it. Why do you seemingly qualify many of your remarks with "at the price". It isn't the first time I've seen you do it. It seems to me some sort of validation or justification for the prices of the components you sell. No offense meant but it is irksome to me.

Burgundy? Bordeaux? Bobby you are far too charitable. Jtinn just likes seeing his customers pay Burgundy prices for the Ripple he stocks.

Mmmm, Ripple ;-)