Dunlavy SC IV or Merlin VSM M

I understand the part about a room's volume, however, it would be difficult to recommend any speaker without knowing more details such as doorways and other obstacles that may hinder speaker set up and performance.

Since the speakers are 10 years old, is there any chance there might be an upgrade available?

My frustration is due to manufacturers and dealers coming to this forum to advertise. Johnny comes here on a regular basis to only recommend Vandersteen speakers, Ralph plugs his amplifiers from time to time and there are others. If I was interested in buying Merlin speakers and I had specific questions I would call you. I would not expect to find you here. Just think of what it would be like if all manufacturers of stereo equipment popped up on these threads everytime their product was mentioned.

rrog, first of all you design the best performing speaker system you can and then use the volume of the room, boundary reforcements and specific damping tools to control the reflections (to make the sound more right). you cannot design a speaker around a specific room because ultimately it will only work in that room and destroy its viability. and last of all, a well designed product has a far better chance of sounding good even in less than ideal environments. i have been doing this for 30 years and these thoughts have proven to be much more right than wrong.

the vsm m speakers are 10 to 12 years old and there are upgrades available for them and the bam. i did not mention them, their cost or what they are capable of giving. i am very careful not to cross the line and "you" should appreciate those who do not as well.

notice what i said in the last 2 sentences above. talking about a 12 year old speaker and saying the room volume is right for it is not advertising. what do i make directly other than offering my help. who knows merlin speakers better than i do or could offer more expert advice?. i could tell you were taking a burn on this very early on but it sounds to me that you have more of an issue with the others you mentioned. these forums are open to all to discuss various topics. the rules are being followed and you must let the moderators do their job when the line is crossed. all posters are welcome as long as they follow the rules. if you do not like a post, forward it to the moderators. i post to clarify issues. what if "you" were a manufacturer and people were saying incorrect things about your work? would you not want to put the discussion right?freedom of speach should enable anyone to post here. this is not a consumer only site. so as marty said above, consider manufacturer's comments as fwiw.
you are entitled to your opinion but so am i.
bobby

I understand what you are saying and I don't blame you for wanting to set the record straight when information about your product is incorrect. However, I did not see any inaccuracies posted about Merlin speakers. Did I miss something?

I believe you were trying to help with your comments about Merlin speakers and how they would perform in the OP's room, but there are a lot of speakers that will perform well in a 16x23 room including Dunlavy SCIV. I truely believe the OP was more concerned about the Dunlavys working in his room than the Merlins.

It is true this forum is open to anyone and I appreciate the fact that you are careful about crossing the line, but the fact remains you are partial to your product and will likely recommend it on this and other forums in the future.

rrog, the op did not ask about other speakers that could work in his room. if that was the case then i would have said nothing. he asked about two in particular and all i said was that this is a perfect room for the merlins. you said you liked the d's in a larger room,i agreed. i did not mention my opinion of how they would work in there until you asked. i knew what you were thinking and i did not cross the line. i never disputed that a product will not work in any circumstance but will it be its best or what it is capable of?i think not. if the op had a very large room i would have recommended the dunlavy. you are way off base here. i think you should quit trying to trick me into saying something to prove your point and enjoy the forum for what it is. let the moderators do their job and if you think i have crossed the line by all means send it to them. do you know how many times i have recommended larger speakers for larger rooms? come on...
bobby

I'm not trying to trick you into anything, but as long as you want to continue discussing this it's ok with me.

Since you brought it up 16x23 is a little larger than average and would accommodate either speaker quite nicely. In fact there is a good chance the Dunlavys would do a better job in that room than a 2way with a 6.5" driver depending on listening habits.

I would agree you are within moderator guidelines, but recommending your speaker is inappropriate. I doubt the OP was expecting to hear from you. How is this different from advertising for free? I know you will argue it is a used speaker, but we have established upgrades are available and I happen to know upgrades can be very lucrative.

I am curious. Do you advertise on this site as a commercial user or just visit the forum?