B&W Signature 805s v. Merlin TSM-Ms ?

The sigs require good stands to get the most from them. Time to get some custom made end tables made from rock maple with 100lbs of lead buried in them. That way you can get the most from you speakers and appease the wife at the same time.

Good luck,

I have owned the 805 sigs. Really depends on what type of music you listen to, I thought the sigs did a poor job on old rock and rock in general...this is probably because they are so accurate, their sound on rock is very separated, no real PRAT...on the other hand the sigs do a great job on classical and jazz...

The tsm-m sound is more for tube amps, they do not do as well with some solid state amplification...

Hope this helps

You really should check out all the user reviews of these on audioreview.com. I've seen comments there from happy TSM owners, who had previously owned 805s.
Although I agree with Italy71's comments, the TSMs do mate well with many solid state amps. If you call Bobby at Merlin and talk with him, I bet he will be happy to personally make some recommendations to you, based on your needs, preferences and budget. Personally, I'd always recommend going with tubes, but the TSM can work well either way. Cheers,
Spencer

They're both excellent speakers, but telling us something about the rest of your system would help a lot in giving advice. The "sitting on end-tables" part of the equation doesn't sound too promising. And, there are less expensive speakers that are also very good, like Spendor S3/5's. It's like, if you're going to stick them on end tables, why buy such expensive speakers?

Get a new wife. Why'd you marry someone that won't let you enjoy your hobby?