2. speakers
  3. 1271075732

Merlin TSM comparisons

Hi,

I've been reading up lately on all kinds of monitors, and have been intrigued by Merlin's TSM. The latest iteration is the mmi, I believe.

If you've heard the TSM lately, especially in comparison to other, current monitor offerings out there, I'd love to hear your opinions. I know that there are other Merlin threads on Audiogon but I am especially interested in hearing from folks who have compared them to others, especially if you've lived with them.
rebbi
bobbyapalkovic
729 posts
 
m, the two speakers are essentially the same but the crossover components are picked to a different tolerance, the woofers have a different amount of latex coating on them, the torque settings on the fasteners are set differently and the undercaots of the finish are different. a polymer coat adds mass to the mx-r which makes the cabinet a little quieter, the sound more continuous from top to bottom so there is more resolution.
there is an obvious difference in the way they sound because they are tuned differently.
the mmi is easier to get great sound out of while the mx-r does sound more right/better but you need a better system to get it out of them.
ok?
best, b
best, b
guppy
133 posts
 
I found that following the directions mad a BIG difference in sound.
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Yes, Bobby is correct. I have an ICE amp, a Bel Canto S300.
bobbyapalkovic
729 posts
 
g, the tsm directions?
yes of course, this speaker is designed with its power response and it needs to be listened to the way it was designed. it also wants to be listened to on its musical center and not on tweeter axis. use of the jumpers and not internal bi-wires or shotguns also make a profound difference as they should. piece of cake once you understand what is going on. i have worked on them for over 13 years so i know the ropes and it takes all of the guess work out of the set up.
best, b
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,460 posts
 
I suspect the Merlins and tube amps represent a particularly tasty and effective combo.

I've heard Totem Mani IIs for example. Wonderful speakers, but need lots of good SS juice to peak and justify the cost. Dynaudios are similar I believe.

Even the Magico minis when I heard them were running off a top notch VAC tube amp with more tubes in the VTL pre-amp and a $20,000 DCS player (which does some very special things with its DAC technology). How much of the magic was Magico and how much the tube gear? And or the DCS Ring DAC? Hard to say. The combo was very "sweet" though in the best audio sense.

Someday I suspect I will venture into tube amp waters. WHen I do, I think the Merlins will become especially appealing also.
More to discover