Merlin Master Bam Alert

02-18-11: Bobbyapalkovic
glory, we are near the end of development of the vsm project. after sixteen years and six new versions of it i have gone through the whole thing numerous times.

Bobby, does this mean you are going to come out with an entirely new model?

nope, the vsm/tsm mmi, mx-r and master will always be on the price list. why give up on something you have been finessing for 17 years? the exhaustive r+d will be transfered to the sub and 3 way.
when a newer technology comes along that we can incorprate into the vsm and tsm, we will do so. many do this to models that have been in their product lines for decades.
ok?
b

Did you say SUB!:)

It's funny, I dumped my VPI turntable for the very reason that I felt it was designed obsolescence. After all, platters were acrylic then combination of metal and acrylic, then all metal. There were other things that bugged me about that approach, not just the platters.

At the start I liked it, (options to upgrade at a reduced cost), but eventually it felt like, (and I know it's a personal thing so please don't turn this into a VPI thread as it's just my own personal opinion), it was going in a big loop and designed to just keep you moving through products and spending money.

I've not felt that way with the Merlin speakers. I get what that dealer is implying but I just don't see it here. The improvements are real, and I don't think that it would have been reasonable to expect them all at once. If that were the case nothing would ever be released as we'd all be waiting for it to be "done" before it was available.

Just my two cents.

PS: Now when will the damned sub be ready! :-)

I agree, but I also think that owners of the original Vandersteen 3, or Atma-sphere M60, or Merlin VSM from years ago still have first-rate gear with no real need to upgrade, unless they have the desire to take the original up to the nth degree, but they were all well thought out and engineered from the start, why the launched products destined to be classics - oh, the CAT SL1 is also like that. No drastic changes needed when the designer knew what they were doing from the start. Don't want to "upgrade" one of these classics, you don't need to, but you won't regret it if you do.