Verity Parsifal or Magico V3 or Wilson Benesch ACT

You are raising good points that can help advance the discussion.

Aldavis

I know very well that people buy audio for different reason. But there is a different between a warm speakers that was design properly to be voiced slightly warmer (A controlled elevated lower region), and a speaker, like some Sonus, that is generating way to much energy form its enclosure, and therefore is extremely colored. Some do mistake it for ‘warmth’ and ‘musicality’ when it is basically acting like a musical instrument that is adding lots of uncontrolled and uncalled for energy to everything played into it. Same goes for the ‘impressiveness’ of the Wilson. Elevated midbass, and grungy highs will do the trick. I am saying that you can be accurate and warm (Or cold if the recording is) and impressive yet articulated when you design and build it right. Music is all of the above if you can reproduce it accurately.

Tubegroover,

It is not difficult to get goosebumps from a design without a step correction. The elevated midrange is impressive to the ear on first listen. Especial on a tube amp that has a real easy time with the elevated impedance at that region. But you are listening to a very colored and unnatural representation of the source. I can see why some would like, and I admit that it is fun some times, but not all the time. Not to mention that these kinds of ‘effects’ work on very specific recordings only. So as an avid audiophile, you do end up listening to a very narrow band of music because of that.

To me, listening in room with you electronics, and yes, using your ears is the only that really matters. Yes, the Merlins definitely sound best with tubes, they can work with SS, but they are not the same speaker, they are optimized for the way tubes amps work. And yes, rooms make a lot of difference. The difference between my system with room treatement and without significantly changes the perfomance (better with bass traps and side defraction panels)and in that setup, the Merlins are very coherent and balanced from top to bottom (maybe not the very bottom - but you can't have everything in a speaker - I don't think. It is interesting that Merlin lovers seem to like Verity - there is something they are both doing I right - not sure measurements would tell us why.

Well of course your right Dhaan but SF actually uses the 'transducer as a musical instrument' implicitly in their advertizing. In sense they "voice" the cabinets. The crazy thing is lots of people like this. What can you say? THEY think this is musical and THEY like it. The Wilsons elevated midbass , I think, is intentional and aimed at a consumer who thinks this is normal and indeed expects it. The people at Wilson Audio are not dummies and I have no doubt that for a fraction of what they charge they could produce a better behaved speaker if they so chose. They don't so choose and they are making a hell of alot of money not doing it. Hip hop, boom boxes, the ubiquitous poorly designed sub, even alot of R&B have conspired over time to place an unnatural emphasis on the midbass. If you don't listen to much unamplified music it's hard to unlearn this. Most people don't. - Jim

The people at Wilson Audio are not dummies and I have no doubt that for a fraction of what they charge they could produce a better behaved speaker if they so chose

I have asked myself that same question many times. You may give them too much credit. Yet, I may be be given them too little…

Al and Dhaan,

I agree that Wilson's speakers are usually voiced this way. Did you ever wonder how they sound in a 50,000 cu/ft space? I bet the bass region falls substantially back to a more "normal" balance? I don't want to overstate the room thing, but I wonder whether Wilson voices their speakers for palatial rooms - maybe appropriate for their clientele. I've had the same question about the big MBLs.

Marty