I haven't been on the forum for ages, but I thought I'd bump my own thread to let everyone know how this played out (I appreciate when people do that). As it turned out, I went in a completely different direction. While I was debating between the Merlins and the Gallos, I noticed a ridiculously good deal on a pair of Linn Majik 140 floor standing speakers. These weren't at all what I was looking for originally, but the price was too good to pass up, and they were located driving distance from my house, so I thought I'd check them out. As a bonus, they have a glossy white finish, which happens to perfectly match the very modern furniture in my office. They are a lot bigger speaker than I was planning on getting, but in the white finish, they almost vanish into the white wall behind them (why aren't there more white speakers? They look great IMHO and are much less obtrusive). Anyway, for the price, I figured I'd try them out and see how I liked them. I figured I'd have no problem unloading them for the same price if they didn't work for me.
As it turned out, I love them. They are very neutral and clear, but warm enough not to be clinical. The bass is authoritative but not at all boomy, and the drivers are perfectly integrated.
I still want to try the Merlins one day. I will probably get a pair of TSMs for my home system one day.
