Speakers free of grain, glare and steel?

Yes, omni's are different and often require some time for the ears to adjust if not used to it. That's one of the reasons OHM offers such an extended in-home trial period.

I've owned OHM Walsh speakers since 1981 and I found my ears did not fully "get" the newer models improved sound at first. It took some time to get fully tuned in. However, for many, once they do get "tuned in", there is no turning back to conventional designs for total satisfaction, for better or for worst.

I suspect the Merlins would be a very good and very safe match with the TAD gear. You would probably want the mods that make them more tube friendly, which I believe is an option.

I think audiogoner MartyKL owns MErlins, OHMs and the TAD amps, among others. It might be worth pinging him for his findings.

I have never heard Silverlines but they have a good reputation. I wonder if the other monitors you are looking at are really any better? PRobably different sounding to some extent at a minimum.

You have a nice system, including the speakers. I spent some time listening to Silverline speakers at THE SHOW in Newport. I liked them.

I am familiar with your amp and as Jdoris said Fritz runs these at shows with the Modwright amps. At THE SHOW in Las Vegas we had a room and Fritz lent us the Carbon 7's. We ran them with a 60 watt tube amp and they sounded very good. I suspect though they might like a bit more power and your amp can certainly provide it.

The Carbon 7's are underrated. They are worth a listen.

Just ordered the Merlin TSM-MMI with Master RCs. Since the proof's in the pudding, I'll report back after they've had a chance to break in...

Pm,

Let us know how the Merlins work out with the TAD Hibachi 125 monoblocks.

I suspect this should be a match made in heaven.

I know the TADs are working out extremely well with my little and fairly easy to drive (like the Merlin with RC I suspect) Triangle monitors, which is all I need out of them currently but I suspect they are capable of a lot more with bigger, more full range monitors or floor standers.

The TADs are also working out very well with my Stax sr80 electret headphones, which are pretty demanding in regards to amplification, much more so than my Triangles and I suspect perhaps more so even than the MErlins.