Merlin TSM comparisons

"a subwoofer, while it might help, is a difficult thing to pull-off well, when it is not part of the overall design of the speaker"

True, its up to you and not the speaker designer to pull it off, which is a BIG difference. You just have to trust your ears.

paul, there are many aspects of thinness but i think in this case it is a foundation to the music that adds expanse and a breath of life. some speakers do a better job than others but monitors in smallish rooms with the resulting bass reinforcement modes can be superb. however these monitors in too large a room volume can sound lost. this is where a sub can help.
the hardest aspect of sound reproduction is the range below 30 hz. just having the output is not everything to everyone. making it sound like it fits the performance is more important to me.
best, b

08-23-10: Mapman
OK, but not meeting listener expectations does not mean the fundamental design of the speaker is flawed, only that the buyer chose the wrong speaker.

Generally, I agree. However, I believe a thin sounding monitor speaker is one that is fundamentally badly designed. There's no excuse for a high end loudspeaker to sound thin, IMO.

One cannot judge monitor loudspeakers using full range loudspeakers as a baseline. It's an apples to oranges comparison.

If one wants full range reproduction, then one must buy a full range loudspeaker, and again, there are plenty of full range loudspeakers (including some with well integrated, built-in subwoofers) that do not require separate subwoofers.

I am a fan of monitors in smaller rooms.

I have heard some like Dynaudio and Totem that can also sound very convincing in a larger room, but in general I would go with a larger speaker, monitor or otherwise, in a larger room or else add a sub.

Also I should note that I find thinness with good moniters relative to larger designs generally only becomes an issue for me when volume goes up. At low to moderate volumes, in adequately sized rooms, most any monitor I would call good does fine.

I agree with you Robbob about the great sound the Merlin TSM's deliver, I own TSM-MXE's, and a person who hasn't owned or spent a good amount of time with Merlin speakers viewing the comments of their owners as possessing a cult-like devotion to Merlin speakers. It is not a cult, but the appreciation of a terrific product that gives them a great deal of enjoyment. There are some who always have to criticize because a product is praised by many and so many seem very happy with their purchase. It is fine if someone tries a product and finds it is not for him or her or prefers another product,no speaker is for everyone, but I feel some people are just contrarians. I appreciate the Merlins because they enhance my enjoyment of one of life's great pleasures-music.