Unfortunately, he made his best speakers in the early 1990s.>>>
I'm afraid you do have an axe to grind with the above statement. I've had the chance to listen to an "old" set of Merlin TSM speakers vs. the quite recent MMe version. Right away the MMe was a better speaker, more coherent and flatter sounding. Both sets were powered by Rogue gear.
Are you even aware that he's changed the tweeters and altered cabinet construction?
But it is your comment about spectral balance deficiencies that rings truly false. EVERY speaker suffers from these and everyone tunes their system to THEIR taste. As I said, the Totems are COLORED far beyond the Merlins. It is the Merlins quest for tonal accuracy, transparency and resolution that drive owners to further tweak their systems. I understood this very well when I recently compared a pair of Focal Diablos to the Merlins. The Merlins were more balanced by a clear margin, though the Focals "impressed" more initially with their presentation. It was the Merlins that sounded more like real instruments in the room.
Finally you speak of value. High end audio has very little to do with value. It's a pursuit of arguably ever diminishing returns relative to cost. Since the majority of reviewers and owners don't seem to agree with you, perhaps you should let it go. The comment about his speakers being at their best may only be your opinion, but it's patently absurd. Your only defense of your position is that everyone is caught up in some sort of audiophilic religious fever over the Merlins. Yet virtually every review is in awe of these designs used with a wide variety of gear. My friend recently auditioned Merlin VSM's in LI and said they were in the top 10 speakers he's heard at any price.
You should consider letting this go. Bobby makes a high end niche product that is highly respected. Who exactly are you? Just one guy with an opinion and that's all. I know people who prefer Canton to Snell. And they're entitled to say that. But when you say that Bobby built his best speakers 15 years ago it begins to sound like you have an issue with HIM and not the product.
Rob
I'm afraid you do have an axe to grind with the above statement. I've had the chance to listen to an "old" set of Merlin TSM speakers vs. the quite recent MMe version. Right away the MMe was a better speaker, more coherent and flatter sounding. Both sets were powered by Rogue gear.
Are you even aware that he's changed the tweeters and altered cabinet construction?
But it is your comment about spectral balance deficiencies that rings truly false. EVERY speaker suffers from these and everyone tunes their system to THEIR taste. As I said, the Totems are COLORED far beyond the Merlins. It is the Merlins quest for tonal accuracy, transparency and resolution that drive owners to further tweak their systems. I understood this very well when I recently compared a pair of Focal Diablos to the Merlins. The Merlins were more balanced by a clear margin, though the Focals "impressed" more initially with their presentation. It was the Merlins that sounded more like real instruments in the room.
Finally you speak of value. High end audio has very little to do with value. It's a pursuit of arguably ever diminishing returns relative to cost. Since the majority of reviewers and owners don't seem to agree with you, perhaps you should let it go. The comment about his speakers being at their best may only be your opinion, but it's patently absurd. Your only defense of your position is that everyone is caught up in some sort of audiophilic religious fever over the Merlins. Yet virtually every review is in awe of these designs used with a wide variety of gear. My friend recently auditioned Merlin VSM's in LI and said they were in the top 10 speakers he's heard at any price.
You should consider letting this go. Bobby makes a high end niche product that is highly respected. Who exactly are you? Just one guy with an opinion and that's all. I know people who prefer Canton to Snell. And they're entitled to say that. But when you say that Bobby built his best speakers 15 years ago it begins to sound like you have an issue with HIM and not the product.
Rob