Speakers free of grain, glare and steel?

I agree about undertaking an home audition of the omnis. I asked John S. at Ohm about hearing them in Seattle but he said he couldn't help me there. If there's anyone in Seattle with omnis following this thread, I'd be grateful for an audition!

My current speakers, Silverline SR-17.5, are rated at 89db/8 ohms. My amp has plenty of power to drive them.

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.