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Merlin speakers a new start for me

hi folks.... Long time audiogoner and have not used the form a great deal. I am in mid change over from a home Theater setup to a two channel system. The basic problem is space. Running two systems did not work so I combined what I had and have been running 2 channel.

At the moment I am sort of between systems but what is left includes.

Preamp Classe 5L
Amps Pair Threshold T-200's (Both have been updated by Jon S)
CD is the Dennon 2900
TT is a project
Speakers at the moment are a pair of Revel M-20's
Revel B15
I have a S-30 and a pair of older Paradigm ADP surrounds that are not in use
I also have an older Sherbourn 5/1500 left over from the HT.

My thought at the moment is to keep most of what I have and simply add a hi end pair of monitors, or speakers somewhere between 2-5k. I have been bouncing around between

Merlin VMS M or SE
Merlin TSM
Revel Gems
Thiel 3.6 the 2.4 or even the 6
ATC 20's or 50's

I have been a long term fan of Celestions and had either a pair of the SL-600's or the 700SE's for the past 15 years. So I am both a big fan of a clean image and or a very very good sound stage both of which I got from the Clestions. At this point, I simply feel the Celestions are too old to be reliable.... and I would like something new. The room I am in is moderate in size and has a very very bad suck out around 50hrz so the speakers will likely be used with the Revel handling everything from say 60-80hrz down.

Thought I would ask the form espcially those that know and have heard the merlins. My plan at this point is to keep the Classe/Threholds and the Revel B15. I am not really attached to any of it at the moment as I am not getting all that I think the system can offer.... so any suggestions welcome.

Thanks
atkatana
bluebull
269 posts
 
Drew

Merlins ...are there any other choices ?

I owned the Revel M20s before my Merlin VSM-MMs.So,perhaps I can give you insight into what a huge improvement the Merlins will be over the Revels.In a nutshell ...cannot compare.The Merlins are in another league.

You will find the following...the Merlins are much less power dependent,much less position fussy(..and I found the M20s to be quite position friendly) and believe it or not ,easier to match component wise.Bass,which is a strong point of the M20s are bettered by the Merlins.Balance and natural tone of the Merlins are not even comparable....

I have a ss int amp matched with the Merlins.I use a Gryphon Callisto 2100( a Danish masterpiece ...)So,ss amps also an option with Merlin,especially the MM versions.Previously I used the Pathos Logos ,which matched the Merlins pretty well.

I use my Merlins for HT,also.Keep your sub for HT applications ,but for music,you wont need it.If not enough bass with music,search for the problem upstream.

The general trend with Merlins are...TSM owners sell to upgrade to VSMs,VSM-MMs sold for VSM-MXs and when VSMs are sold in favour of other brands,its usually for the + $20000 category...

Merlins are excellent speakers,not debateable .

PS:Looking for a great cd player...have a serious look at the Audio Aero Prima Mk II(new Sony based player).I sold my Mark Levinson 37 and 36s in favour of the Prima...
bobbyapalkovic
729 posts
 
go to the dealer and listen for yourself and let that be the decision maker. then, if you want to, give me a call and i can make recommendations. the vsm mm is the one you want, the m is not as relaxed and the se is a 10 year old speaker that has been refined on many different levels.
good luck!
bobby at merlin
mdhoover
690 posts
 
Very few people, even on this site, seem to be aware of the Intuitive Design Summit loudspeakers. I don't sell them and have no vested interest in the company. In an attempt to get the word out on these, I have posted a very, very detailed review, right here on A'gon, for other A'gon-izers. The problem is that so many people are impressed by their own speakers, that it's hard to know--without listening for yourself--when something is truly special. Some speakers get raves, and to my ears they stink. Forums like this are a great starting point, but in the end your own ears will have to help you decide. So, I would strongly recommend at least listening to the Intuitive Design Summits, if at all possible. I think that sooner or later people will start to discover them, but so far the silence has been deafening.
martykl
3,563 posts
 
Merlins are funny animals. I've had VSM SE's for 5+ years. They can be incredibly convincing - A prominent L.A. area high end dealer came to my home to set up a new 'table and was astonished by the VSM SE's driven by Cary 300B SET's. Subject to ultimate volume limitations, the dynamics from this set up are absolutely startling and vocal reproduction is about as good as it gets.

However, whether using the low power Carys, medium power Cary 845 SETs, medium powered SS Krells, or high power Odyssey SS amps, (yes, I admit that over the years my amp collection has gotten a bit out of hand!) the Merlins always sound a bit thin through the mid bass. Though reasonably neutral, the tonal balance is just a bit lean and the bass alignment highly damped (especially for a ported design).

My guess is that a sub probably isn't the answer - the issue (I'd hesitate to call it a problem) is higher up the frequency ladder. In short, the Merlin SE's are terrific if your taste doesn't demand a warmer tonal balance. Hope these observations help.
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
I can only compare MM's as to how they sounded in my room with whatever speakers I have owned. Compared to Montana EPS--MM;s killed the EPS from the mid on up. However from the mid down it wasn't close at all. Much like the Wilson Sophia--vs MM's--Not close at all. Listen to L.Reed's "Walk On The Wilde Side" on both speakers. No sub needed. It is strange for me in that before I bought these MM's I was unaware of them being bass-shy. Since then I have heard casual mention of this from many more trusted ears;so it ain't just me; my room or my electronics.
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