Merlin Room at 2004 HE Show in NY

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.

I went to the show for about 2 hours Friday just to hear the Merlin room and the Epiphany room. The sound in the Merlin room was outstanding (much better than Epiphany room). I have never heard any of the pervious Merlins before, and I was truely blown away by how great that 2 way speaker sounded for its size. I am not an audio critic / writer, so I'll spare you my attemp at describing the details. I will say the sound was 'alive', exciting, fun and easy to listen too. I wished I had brought my own discs to try. I liked them so much that I told the owner Bobby that I'd be putting my order in for a pair of VSM-VX within a week, and I meant it. I disagree with previous comments on the bass, which I though sounded right on the mark. Perhaps the setup changed throughout the show.

The Epiphany room was a huge dissapointment. There were 3 rows of 3 seats, and I had the center seat back row. All of the seats were full. After about 5 minutes of listening, I asked the guy behind me (an epiphany employee) why the sound was only comming from the left had side? He said he thought it was the recording (which made me wonder why they would select it). No one else was saying anything. After anther minute or so, I couldn't stand it any more so I got up and walked over to the right channel speaker and put my ear up next to it, and it wasn't playing!! This revelation sent the room into a flurry of activity trying to debug the problem. Later, when it was corrected, I asked if the large subwoofer was playing, and the answer was 'we think so, but its not set very loud'. OK guys. At that point I left. Presumably, they got their act together later on in the show, since I was one of the first people there on Friday morning.

Merlin's always seem to sound good at these shows. Not necessarily the best, but consistently good. That's your first indication that they will probably sound great in a home environment.

Enjoy,
Bob

It was a good room, but it's not surprising because he knows what he is doing. Besides putting together an excellent speaker, he does a few other smart things:

1. The speakers are mated with electronics known to have ideal synergy. You'd be surprised how many rooms mate their components at the last minute without much prior experience.

2. The room size is more appropriate for the Merlin's versus other speakers. Two years ago, Callix squeezed their humongous $60M speaker (and the equally obtrusive Vyger turntable) in virtually the same room and it was disastrous, IMO.

3. Merlin setup only one line of listening chairs that were an appropriate distance away. Where you are sitting means alot. By eliminating second or even third row listeners, he avoids many people listening at an improper distance and the various issues of listening through other bodies and chairs.

4. They use room treatments effectively.

5. They had a corner room, which is notably more quiet and advantageous is almost every regard.

As a veteran on many shows, Merlin is almost always in my top 10. This show was no exception.