ProAc or Merlin

I've heard VSM Merlin at friend's in a Air tight then Transcendent' OTL configuration. It was really impressive in a hifi way, but I could not live with this kind of too revealing speakers. I felt flesh and blood was missing. A LOT of transparency and airness, wonderful delicacy. But you know, my friend actually sold them to buy french pro speakers's GKF. He even tought to get proac instead (but not enough efficiency). I had proac resp.2 and now 2.5 and am very happy with them. Not impressive as Merlin but simply musical in all way. I can forget hifi with proac 2.5, not sure I could with Merlin.

manuel

Manuel,

I have had 2.5s for 6 yrs and know exactly what you mean. I think ProAc hit musical gold with this speaker - it is so satisfying that it cured my 'audiophile nevosa' for replacing speakers. I still occasionally search out and listen to others (I'm have been searching for a more SET friendly speaker for 2 yrs but haven't found anything to replace my ProAcs) but keep coming home to the 2.5s.

Hi Manuel,
I find your comments very interesting because the Merlin VSM M is very musical and does not sound analytical unless provoked into doing so. By the sounds of the system, I think I know who owned them and they were VSM SEs which did sound lighter or leaner than the later Ms. I sent this man the mod kit to turn them into Ms but can not vouch for how well he did it. Do you know what wires, digital and the analogue set ups were?

Manual

May I just add something to your impressions. I also believe that an ultra resolving speaker can sound "hi-fi" if all issues with set-up and ancilliaries are not properly dealt with. Sometimes people purchase such a product and don't pay enough attention to these details to the extent they should. This includes room treatments as well. The VSM is a very sophisticated and refined design that requires such attention to the utmost as do all speakers that aspire to such a degree of accuracy and resolution.

To me real 'hi-fi is settling for A music system that sounds very pleasing and very reproduced, it ALWAYS misses the illusion. On the other hand I can see where some folks wouldn't want the degree of liveness and immediacy presented by the VSM.

Happy Tunes with what ever brings them on.

Bobby and Tubegroover, VSM were very musical and impressive (don't think you know the guy "Christophe Debon" in France ?), and the rest of gear was high level (transport : Audiomeca mephisto then Accustic arts, conv. : Adda, amp.: Air tight then Transcendant's OTL, can't remember wires but in the same ballpark). That said, in the long run it appears to hifi for me. it's difficult to explain but I've heard very few of systems that reach a high level of transparency without being fleshless. A real transparency gives a lot of flesh, but it's a very hard way to reach it (neutralityland).

manuel