Merlin Room at 2004 HE Show in NY

I think the Kharma/Lamm/Walker room was superior. I could find no fault whatsoever with the sound. Of course, you are dealing with some serious money in that room. Everything is the best of the best, and it costs that way too. Lloyd's turntable is otherworldly, and even the Audio Aero Capitole in the Merlin room is nothing in terms of a match for it.

There was not perfect sound in the Merlin/Joule Electra room, but it was very, very good. There was a bit too much bass, which overpowered the room. Slipknot1 felt the room was overtreated, which I cannot disagree with. I felt the bass was plump and plummy. I wondered if the Merlins need a big room, despite their small size. I also wondered if removing the BAM from the equation might work better in that room, but I don't really have enough experience with the speaker to say for sure.

While the sound was superior to what many will ever achieve, I have heard the speakers sound a lot better than this. In fact, I have heard them sound so good, that I actually suspended belief in what I was hearing, and felt I was listening to live music. To be honest, I have never heard better sound, EVER.

Joe,
Excellent report. I'm quite jealous, and wish I'd been able to join you three. Hopefully next year.
Any more to share about Lloyd Walker's plans on a more affordable tt? Any idea of his target price and timing?
Also, sounds like # of 2 channel demos are holding up well vs. multichannel, true? Was crowd interest in 2 channel holding up, too? Same question on tubes & vinyl?
Just out of curiousity, but how small was the Merlin Joule room? The room at Mark Paul's house where the Philly Audio Group demoed the Merlin/Berning/Joule system wasn't a large room, IMHO. Assuming that's where you loved the sound, was the NYC room much smaller?
Also, FWIW, I've been experimenting with my VSM-MXs w/battery BAM, and no doubt that it's much, much better with BAM(The new MX BAM does have improvements over the older BAM).
See you soon. Cheers,
Spencer

Trelja,

Could you share with us the details of your experience with Merlins that you referred to as the "best ever" in your post? What were the associated electronics, cables, etc.? How was the room set up (demension, damping, etc.)? What kind of music were you listening to? Was it the VSM-MX model or the earlier VSM-Ms? Thanks in advance for sharing your insight.

Henry

I was at the show and thought both rooms were superb. The Kharma/Lamm room was excellent but as Trelja mentioned, some very pricey stuff there. The sound was incredibly lifelike, so much so that my gf doesn't want to leave, but...
The Merlins/Joule room was one of my favorites at the show. I'm currently using the Vsm-m and wanted to compare them to the new model. Within the constraints of the show room, the sound was great and overall a nice improvement over the old model.
I actually came back for a second demonstration, as the room was crowded the first time and there were others lining outside to get in. I stayed for about 15 minutes the second time (around closing time, but Bobby was going the distance) and listened hard as he played some cuts from a Joni Mitchell album. Vocals and instruments have a smooth and rich qualilty, with that certain sparkle and finese that seem to bring life to the music. Imagery was also well done, as Mitchell's voice was dead center with presence and other instruments clearly separated. You're in for a real treat once they're broken in, and especially when you've done your room treatment and take care of various vibration issues.

I have friends who heard the MX & swear it was the best speaker they ever heard. This was with the Berning gear. The vote for best sound at the show with most people was the Von Schwiekert VR4jr. I think I spelled it right. Unbelieveable sound. One of the truly great buys in speakers. We all felt it gave the Merlins true competition for the $ & should be considered seriously. The line out the door to listen to the VR4jr was long. Can't say much as give them a listen since we only listened under a controlled demo setup. The Merlins were just playing anything. I lovew that Dynaudio tweeter. Can't be beat easily IMO.