Will Merlins be too much

Lindisfarne comments may be accurate about the old Merlin's, I am not sure. But I can tell you he is "wrong" about the current Merlins. I have the TSM-MX's, in a small 10 by 12'ish room, and they are anything but sterile. Drop Bobby a line, he is very approachable and will let you know about your situation. Just be aware that they are very revealing and will show any weaknesses in a system.

Regards,

lindisfarne, what model tsm did you have?
and how many years ago did you have it.
newer models can be used with a much wider variety of associated gear.
yes there is a reason why joule is used at shows and it is not because it is the antithesis of the merlin sound.
a lot has happened with the newer models.
bobby@merlin

Yeah, I have a pair of vsm-mms, and let me tell you, they are ANYTHING but sterile. They play any type of music I throw at them with amazing realism and "rightness."

Jason

I've been using my Merlin TSM-MX's in a 13x19 room with Arcam AV gear. I can assure you they are very musical, not at all sterile even with these modestly priced electronics and cabling. I also have Joules in my other 2-channel room, and yes, the TSM's with those amps are outrageously good (musically rich, but still tonally very neutral).

In a 10x12 room you could probably go on the diagonal if it makes sense from a furnishings standpoint. That would get you back a little further from them and maybe help the bass.

BP- I had your TSM model 10+ years ago. I understand Merlins are more "friendly" these days. I have even contemplated giving them another shot. I just could not get into them on any kind of musical level that matters to me. Layering, soundstage, front-to-back illusions are hifi BS to me. A "test-instrument" is not what I want when exploring the joys of music. I want to hear and feel the intent of the artist. I want to cry if the piece is worthy. I just never felt any more goosebumps when your speaker settled into my system. I've tried lots of stuff over the years and I keep coming back to certain brit and single-driver systems. The brit marks I enjoy are generally musical, fun, and engaging. The single-driver gig, with all of its baggage, at least does the coherence thing better than anything else I've explored. You've got a long list of happy customers and have a lot to be proud of.