Merlin VSM-M or VSM-MX vs. Kharma CRM3.2 series

Daveyf I can really relate to what you are saying there are many music enthusiasts that feel as you do. I remember well when I heard my first "hi end" system beyond what I felt was the pinnacle of reproduced sound at the time. I was swept away not because it sounded like live but it preserved much of what I hear in live music. Since that time I have come to realize that although the reproduction of music has improved, it still doesn't sound live regardless of the components used. There are many music enthusiasts that recognize this and don't even bother with hi-end systems feeling spending the money on such gear isn't worth it. All you can do is find the gear that gives you enjoyment and try to stay away from the "live" comparison. Having said that I guess what I like about the Merlins is that in many of the aspects I find important in reproduced they excel, dynamics, tonality, space between instruments and immediacy, things that remind me more of live. The imaging, soundstaging aspect which they also excel at are decidely less important to me in a real sense but a characteristic of reproduced sound that we have come to expect from our audio systems. Again it comes down to choices and priorities. Thanks Bobby for your very lucid explanation, well said!

Panorama,
I hope that you believe me when I say that I really admire your speaker choice. I also hope that everyone sees that there is no right and wrong here but that personal preference is most important. After all, you are the one who has to pay for and live with the choice in the end.
Daveyf,
I think the point about the horn player's speaker is a good one but think that this was probably another example of where the product was so loaded to one side of the medium that it sounded really dynamic, present and live on drums but lacked the relaxed and ambient qualities to make it enjoyable on recorded music. This and the opposite of course are evident throughout the music industry.
You have made a valid point about the sound of real instruments and one thing that we have not talked about is how the instrument interacts with the room. These reflections or reinforcements are also picked up by the sensitive ear and most recordings of instruments are close miked or sparsely miked in a room or studio. I know from personal experience that it takes an extremely gifted recording engineer to bring out these natural qualities. I think David Chesky is an example of one that is driven to resolving this type of information and his last CD shows this in spades. Dave plays on the CD and recorded the piece knowing what it sounded like in the recording venue. He listened to his disk at least a half a dozen times in our suite at the CES at felt that our system was the most life like at the show. Sorry for the small plug but it goes along with our conversation. He also mentioned that there were a lot of other excellent rooms that were doing other things incredibly well.
I think that a really interesting thing for you and others to watch would be the people coming and going from our suite at an audio show. The reactions are really quite amazing. Some get it immediately and fall in love hard. Others think it nice and some just don't like it...period. The reaction to the more immediate perspective is what I comment on here. I used to think that there was no accounting for taste ;-P but now realise that we all like to sit in different locations in the concert hall. So, pick your spot and go for it.
Regards,
Bobby

Bobby.... I hope to hear the Merlins sometime in the future. There are no dealers in my area, just like the Kharma's. The other Kharma I would like to own has gone off the radar screen (up 30%) for now thanks to the really weak dollar. LOL!

Your input into this thread shows what a real gentleman you are. Thanks for the informative posts.

Michael

Michael,
You are most welcome and if you have a chance to listen to the MX in particular, let me know. I would just like to know what is in the system to see whether you'll get a good indication of what they can do. But for the most part, I will be watching the product association very closely in the beginning and not selling any to individuals that may have problems so you should be okay.
Thanks again,
Bobby@merlin

Bobby, do you happen to recall the title of the Chesky cd? Thanks.