Everyone whose Merlins...

Obviously, most people that have this speaker love it. Most commentators at shows and magazines love it. What makes it so special? The key for me is that it is able to reproduce beautiful from top to bottom in perfect balance. With this speaker, from low bass (though not the lowest ocatave) to the high register you have a sense of proper proportion, nothing gets hidden, nothing is exaggerated. I think people referto this a smoth tonality, these speakers have it. They also convey an incredible liveliness or jump factor, while it can fully articulate a whisper, it can instantly repsond to a crescendo - that is, it has excellent dynamics, present and crisp. The soundstage with every recording changes -- this is as it shuld be, it does not impose a character on the recording, it lets the recording speak for itself - it is accurate and honest. The truly amazing thing about this speaker is that it can do all that with just two drivers and a small 43x8.5x8.5 cabinet. Much of its cohesiveness must be due to the fact that it only has two drivers, but how does it product that sublime, rich, detailed bass from a 6 1/2" woofer/midrange driver. Well, it must be great drivers, a well engineeered enclosure, a great crossover, and of course the BAM (external, electronic Bass Augmetation Module). However it is done, the VSM-MX provide the total package, unless you listen to 16Hz electronic tones - I don't, for listening to music, nothing is missing (noting meaningful). If this was a large, multi-driver speaker producing the same sound, it might even sell more. With the deceptively simple cabinet (though beautifully painted and elegant indeed) and only two drivers it might be hard to understand how it can be worth $10K. Listen to this one blindfolded and you'll soon understand. Undoubtedly one of the great speaker designs.

Something tells me that the rest of the system will have to be changed to accomodate the speakers...sigh($$$).

VSM-MX (piano black) with Super Battery BAM
Room/Setup: 14’ x 20’ x 8’ dedicated room in basement
speakers positioned along the short wall 62” out from front wall, 32” out from side wall
speakers are 6.5’ apart using three Z-feet

listening chair is 9.5’away from speaker planes
Room is heavily treated with Echo Buster Phase4 Traps, Bass traps, echo and double buster panels, Corner busters.

Equipment
VSM-MX (piano black) with Merlin’s Supert Battery
Dedicated 20 amp circuit (amp/preamp plugged directly into this)
Sound Application Linestage 7000 Signature PLC
Cardas Golden Reference wiring, Elrod Sig 2 & Sig 3 Powercords
Capitole II Cdp
Joule Electra LA 150
Joule Electra VZN 100 Musicwood
VPI SuperScoutmaster Cardas Heart

The speakers came in a single box @200 lbs with detailed setup instructions. Set up was a breeze as this is the third generation of VSM in my room. (SE, M and MX) Fit & finish is as it should be in a 10K + speaker. They are drop dead beautiful for sure!

The MX’s deliver a huge, expansive, highly seductively soundstage. Micro and macro detailing is outstanding. Images are suspended in the stage in a most beleiveable manner. The midrange is focused and the speakers are crystal clear from top to bottom. Perhaps the biggest improivement lies in the clarity. The MX’s seem more relaxed in their presentation of high frequnncies. Cymbals shimmer and have that metallic grit and bite that seems so hard for many to reproduce.

Bass quality is vastly improved. Pitch, definition and detail are outstanding. I suspect that the new Super Ban makes considerable contributations in this area.

A few words regarding the Super Bam. For the first time in my rig, the new Super Bam on full AC power is very very close to full battery. I still prefer full battery but only by the slightest margins. I also have noted continued improvement of the Bam as I fully drain/rechaged the unit in weekend listening sessions.

Weakness is still the bottom octave. Bass freaks need look elesewhere. Since my room will not support a large stadning wave, not a consideration for this hobbyist.

Thew VSM MX is yet another quantam leap in performance onver the M version of the speaker. Bobby P continues to perfect his design and support his customers in a manner like few in this indyustry.

hi george,
i am happy that you found something that you really like and enjoy to listen to, i wish you continued enjoyment!!
you mentioned to me in an e-mail that your listening room was filled with a lot of items and that you could not listen to the speaker at the suggested listening distance. the merlin vsm sounds fuller the farther you get from them. it is not a nearfield system because it is too damped and it is too uniform in amplitude. it uses the power response of the speaker in the room to build the full tonallity. used in the manner it was designed to be used in and with gear that is suited to them in damping, you would have had plenty of bass, imho.
still though, even the most powerful and robust bass possible is not enough for some. it is a matter of taste.
enjoy your wilsons!
regards,
b

I agree with Oneprof's comments on the SuperBAM. The BAM with its current improvements add significantly to the performance of my VSM-MX. I have had the SuperBAM for a few weeks now. The SuperBAM provides for a fuller sound and it lowers the noise floor. The BAM upgrade has made a great performing speaker even better. The upgrade is worth the effort and cost.