mkletecka

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $0.00 from dealer

Summary:
For reference and comparison, over the years I have owned SF Concerto’s & Guarneri’s (not the new memento version), Magneplanar 3.6, Spendor, JMR, and Vienna Acoustics. Also, if I had to choose which I liked best, it would be the Mag. 3.6’s, Guarneri’s and Vienna’s, which I preferred equally for different reasons and only sold them due to various relocations/space issues.

When deciding on replacement speakers and integrated amplifier this go around, a sincere “cost conscious, get the best I can” approach was utilized to address my smaller 1000 sq. ft. living environment (which is not much space to work with). After a year’s worth of research, I finally decided on the Merlin’s TSM MXE’s based on having listened to them a couple of years ago, combined with the many favorable reviews from both professional and hobbyist reviewers who have had/used similar speakers/equipment that I was familiar with.

THE SOUND: After approximately 120+ hours of usage, I find the TSM’s are one of the best, if not thee best that I have owned thus far, because they just do everything “right” in a perfectly manner, allowing me to totally enjoy and explore the proper placement & size of various instruments, hear the lead singer, back up and/or chorus in a life sized 3D presentation, along with the emotion, color & texture that the music being played has to offer. Because of this, I just forget about them and embrace the musical presentation (something, even my above three favorites lacked in some degree or another). Also, the TSM’s are very “revealing”, but to me are no way harsh and can be listened to 24/7. In addition, the TSM’s have no boundaries of H, W, D and provide a virtual wall of sound, if the music dictates) and I can almost sit/stand anywhere in the room and not be out of their sweet spot. Some have said that the TSM’s bass can fall short; however, because I find the TSM’s to be perfectly balanced, they don’t miss capturing the essence of the lower octaves (a subwoofer might be in the future for me, but I don’t find myself thinking or missing it when the music is playing, if ya know what I mean).

LOOKS/FINISH: Let’s face it, for most of us this is a factor, particularly if being placed in one’s everyday living environment. With this in mind, I find the TSM MXE’s in “Black Ice Blue” (one of their five standard colors, or for a bit extra one can order any color they like) are visually stunning and possess a timeless, handmade craftsmanship, heirloom quality about them, which visually complement and not overtake my living environment. Because of this, I rather prefer the looks of the TSM MXE’s on an everyday/live with em basis compared to the more elegant, visually stunning, work of art, Italian themed, can’t stop looking at them Guarneri’s.

In closing, I highly recommend to anyone who is looking for speakers in this price range to try to take a listen to the TSM’s, for me anyway they have proven to be “one” of the few, far and between “best” all-time purchases I have made in this hobby of ours.

Strengths:
Sonically right, balanced, neutral and seamless

Weaknesses:
None to my ears, however during 0 to 5 Hrs of break in the TSM’s were dry/thin/lifeless, then begin to show their stuff around 20+ hrs. & fully blossom at around100 hrs. Although not a problem for me, the color “Black Ice Blue” almost appears gloss black in low/ambient light conditions (unlike the flash photo sample on Merlin’s website) and to achieve that color, naturally bright light rooms/dedicated track lighting/or other lighting options are required.

Similar Products Used:
As mentioned in my review

GraveTones

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $0.00 from direct

Summary:
These are one of thje most refined, natural and realistic speakers around. Their ability to resolve detailand yet remain musical is what sets them apart.

The midrange is full and clear, High frequencies are realistic and the bass is natural and articulate with no no artificial mid-bass hump . They take a min of 25-30 hours of break-in to start sounding good and opening up (they can be very closed and scarily lean initialy !), with subtle improvements after that.
. The resolving ability of the MMe's is good at low listening levels as well as at higher listening levels. They can play loud enough to impair your hearing if you're not carefull. .
One word of the "creator"- Bobby Palkovic has created a quality product; and is very helpful with questions regarding his products and how they perform with gear from other manufacturers. the very thought of one man so committed ti his product that he can spend more than 12 years to iron out any wrinkle in order to bring it to perfection is perhaps what finally sold me to it. so unlike other manufacturers who keep changing their models every 2 -3 years making the earlier one redundant and its owners a bit insecure !

Strengths:
1 Easy to drive
2 very non fatiguing and clear
3 the high quality of the drivers, the cabinet, the binding posts and even the speaker grill really stands out.
4 one of the most tuneful and articulate bass i have found in a standmount.

Weaknesses:
1. Henry fords you can take any colour as long as it is black :) wish there were color options in the MMe
2. binding posts do not take Banana pins

Similar Products Used:
have auditioned many in that range

Terry Uy

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $3000.00

Summary:
Fantastically right! That's my personal description of the sound from these little marvels. While other speakers get your attention with gross colorations masquerading as musicality the Merlins lay the music out for you. The result is a sensory experience that bypasses your audiophile sensibilities and jacks straight into your brain. You forget about discerning and just listen to music, toe tapping, grinning, drumming, head bobbing, you'll find yourself doing these things without even knowing it till after the fact.

Ok the sound, detailed, detailed, detailed, not bright, not bright, not bright ( except on some cd's ) very very expansive soundstage, width and depth gives you a sense of the recording space, vocals are suspended and separate but not forward. Full bodied with all the virtues ( authenticity ) and warts ( some chestiness on some recordings ). Vocals are followed from the first breath going in to the last tremolo fading out. Amazing. More than once i was shaking my head in amazement. hell these shouldn't be called Merlins. it should be more bad-ass like Gandalf or Sauron haha.

Liquid liquid liquid. more than once you'll for no apparent reason visualize water droplets into ponds when you hear what these guys do to plucked strings and close miked vocals, the consonants in the lyrics positively drip in slow breathy passages.

Dynamics, the rise and fall of the song had a fantastic presentation on the merlin. this was one aspect i never even took into consideration with other speakers i've heard. Usually with dynamics you can picture the dramatic crashing of musical waves and The Merlins certainly did that but they also had a very unique quality that bordered on gentleness. For the first time I didnt just hear crashing but gentle rising and ebbing like slow moving waves. It could be a piano key decaying just a little bit longer or a string plucked with a little more twang. Whatever! I heard it, and I never heard or more importantly felt what those notes were doing before. BTW the Merlins were very quiet between the notes so when the new note came on you felt it more.

Bass. Tuneful and Dynamic. Not only were they punctuation marks to the music they were commas, dot dot dot's and question marks. Your thinking "question marks???!!! Geddueatahere!!!really?? Yeah, with Holly Cole for sure they were. Who knew bass had so many notes? Not me that's for sure. listening to my old stuff. Oh sure i heard them before but with the merlins I really r e a l l y heard them. I have no plans off adding a sub anytime soon.

It sounds very good at a low volume, you don't need to turn it up to be moved.
or to tap your feet.

It sounds very very real. my cat has been roused more than once by a singers vocals. that never used to happen.

Neutral. The word itself is underwhelming kinda like Nice but in the end Nice is the most important quality just like neutral. It's all about the basics and the Merlins have the basics down.

Lastly i'd like to add that for sure these speakers aren't for everyone, in fact a lot of people will probably hear them and not really get them. The Merlin design team has decided to walk a tightrope and commit themselves to values that are not safe but i think ultimately right. Just look at the product.

Strengths:
Beautifully communicative speaker for music.

Outstanding build and construction. You know where your money went.

Slightly retro styling ( the brass bars ) in my opinion looks very cool in an art decoish sort of way.

The box itself is dead quiet ( not surprising, you could crack coconuts on the box, very heavy and inert ) and totally disappears.

I like the binding posts.

Sounds good straight from the box.

Even the speaker grills are made to a higher spec, the cloth is nice too.

Weaknesses:
You need to set them up properly to get the best sound. And you need to read to read the manual.

Although it sounds good straight from the box, without proper break-in and set-up listening fatigue can set in. My first day I was fatigued ( then again I listened for like 8 hours ) but by the fourth day, right around the time I set them up properly and around the 20-25 hour mark of playback i was listening longer and louder.

RTFM

The Merlin sticker comes off too easily. Bobby can I order these?

AlanBstone

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Used

Summary:
Having owned some great speakers - Proac Response 1SC, ESL63, SF Electra Amator & Guarneri Homage, JM labs 927Be and B&W 805S amongst them I write with reasonable experience.
I bought the TSM-MX used and recently had them upgraded to the MXe (well worth it even from the UK). I use them with the MJ Acoustics Reference 100 subwoofer. Audience Au24 Spaker cable and Cardas lead free jumpers.
These speakers are uncannily real sounding and certainly leave the 805S that they replaced in a shade. The holographic soundstage stretches from wall to wall and goes so deep that one is left in awe (and a great big smile), Voices are 'in the room' and the timbre of instruments is a joy to hear. They are so perfectly balanced and no particular instrument shouts at you and makes you say "Hear that". MUSIC isn't like that. Drums, strings, brass - well everything sounds as it would in real life. They are non-fatiguing and make you want to play evrything in your collection. They favour no particular genre. Play well used CD's and they sound so fresh and like you have never heard them before.
My pair are in pano black finish and they sit on Partington Dreadnaught Broadside stand also in piano black. They look awesome!! These are the best speakers I have owned (or heard) by a mile and feel i have now reached my 'Hi Fi Heaven'

Strengths:
Holograpraphic soundstage, dynamics, 'real' sound. Fantastic build quality. Beatiful looking. Premier (better than 1st) class manufacturer back up.

Weaknesses:
Don't be silly!! There aren't any.

Similar Products Used:
See review.

peterl69

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1700.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
For Jazz, Vocals, Instrumental, Easy Listening, and moderate Rock these are the best speakers I have ever heard. They have an angelic openess and detail with full rich midrange and an an accurate well defined bass presence that charges the music. They made my B&W 805s sound like something was wrong with them. The 805s were harsh and fatiging, these speakers were as open without being such. The TSM MMs played everything well and excell at beautiful sound reproduction even at lower playing levels.

The Merlins outperformed my Dali Helicons, B&W 805s, and Dynaudios, with the only exception by my ears in that If you like to play slaming loud heavy metal, I might give the Dynaudios a slight edge with that type of music only, otherwise by my ears the Merlins are the best made and my personal choice.

Strengths:
Wonderful revealing live performance like midrange, bass, and treble
Non fatiging yet detailed (unlike B&W 805s)
Efficient and not power hungry, great with solid state and tubes
Sound wonderful with all types of music

Weaknesses:
A bit pricy but the best around, well worth the invenstment

Similar Products Used:
B&W 805
Dynaudio Contour
Dali Helicon