Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I bought these speakers after listening pleasurably for just over two years to a pair of Spendor S5e’s, which I absolutely loved. The Spendors had a warmth and tonality that suited my Cary SLI-80 and Primare D 30.2 perfectly, or nearly so. Ultimately I found myself wanting a sound that was slightly less “romantic” and closer to neutral, without being overly analytical. After much research I settled upon the Merlin TSM-MXe’s.

Dealing with Bobby directly at Merlin, and reading the vast amount of information available from Merlin’s website, I was reassured that everything about this speaker and its manufacture would be undertaken with the greatest attention to quality. Bobby was extremely informative and helpful, even calling me at home (in Canada!) to follow up on earlier discussions. I have been in this hobby for some time and have never before received such helpful attention from any retailer, let alone a manufacturer with a dynamic business to run.

The speakers arrived across the border amazingly well packed in form-fitting foam and double boxes, and they were beautifully finished. They needed some time to break in, and didn’t start hitting their stride until 80-90 hours or so of playing time, but right out of the box I realized that they were special. The Morel tweeter is very quick and extended without in any sense being brittle or hard, and the only way I can put it is that it seems to get out of the way and let the high frequencies emerge organically and naturally. It took a while for the bass frequencies to naturalize, but I now own speakers whose propulsive thrust, attention to the finest detail, and musical honesty is unlike anything else I have heard at anything near their price. They are simply extraordinary.

As a side note I should say that the Merlins were able to allow me to hear that my amp’s bias, which I had deliberately set higher than Cary’s manufacturer’s spec in order to compensate for some of the Spendors' sweetness, was introducing considerable and unwelcome distortion into my music. I’ve rebiased back to the recommended levels and think it wonderful that the Merlins have allowed me to make better use of the rest of my gear.

One last thing worth mentioning is that Bobby’s printed instructions on speaker setup and break in times corresponded exactly to my experiences with my pair; indeed after using my ears to determine the best placement and toe-in I used the included protractor to determine that in fact my ears only confirmed what Bobby had written. He understands these speakers intimately, and his ability to pass on his knowledge to his customers is an extra value when purchasing a pair.

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Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
If you really love music, you will really enjoy these speakers. They are non fatiguing, transparent, very natural sounding, and they simply make music. When you first listen to them, it will be as if a veil has been lifted and the music finally shines through. Great dynamics for a monitor. These speakers could easily be the last speaker for many in this hobby. You will be able to follow any instrument and enjoy the musical flow ( actually hear all the instruments) with a 3 dimensional organic sound.

These can be played with both solid state and tubes with great results. I have used the Audio Research 100.2 with great results as well as the McIntosh MC275. I do think they like tubes a little better. That might be personal preference.

Speakers designed for a music lover by a music lover. You will know this immediately once you listen to them. They are very addicting. I cannot imagine how the VSM would sound on my system given how great my system sounds right now.

I have heard systems that cost at least double what it cost for my setup and through these speakers, I can honestly say my system sounds better. A very full, natural sound. They are that good.

Depending on your taste, a good subwoofer may be a consideration. the Rel Strata seems to have a really good synergy with these speakers. Once setup up, you will be in musical nirvana without the boom and vast coloration of some designs. The good thing about monitors is you can have this very option and really tailor the sound given your own personal taste.

They are truly one of the greatest values in audio today and have great customer support that will help you get the most out of your system. What more could an audiophile ever want?

You will get to the point where you don not even realize how good and revealing they are until you hear another system and come home and fire yours up. You may be very pleasantly suprised when you realize what you have.

They are very, very special indeed.

happy listening!!!!


Associated equipment:

VPI Aries Scout
McIntosh C220
McIntosh MC275
California Audio Labs CL-15
Rel Strata III Subwoofer
Sound Anchor stands
API Isolation Wedge Ultra 1116
Audio Research 100.2 amplifier
Marantz KI Pearl CD Player
Cardas Golden Reference and Golden Presence connections
JPS Labs Interconnects

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is a review of the Merlin TSM-MME, which is replacing a ProAc 1SC in my smallish dedicated listening room. The ProAc is a good speaker; it’s going into my second system. IMHO, however, the Merlin is even better. It’s an extremely musical and revealing speaker. Sounds good at low volume, too, which is a benefit for an apartment dweller like me.

The Merlin reproduces acoustic jazz recordings, like “Miles from India”, with remarkable detail and separation of instruments, but without harshness, smearing or exaggerated glare. The result is an absence of listening fatigue when listening to jazz and other kinds of music as well.

With the Merlins, there’s a lack of compression and a natural balance that allows me to listen deeper into the music. This is obvious on classical music and rock too. Voices are reproduced with three-dimensional accuracy and delicacy—the voices of The Hilliard Ensemble and Bob Dylan’s wounded croak come through equally well.

Of course, the TSM-MME is not a full range speaker. Nonetheless, bass reproduction is accurate, well-defined and tuneful. All in all, the TSM-MME is one terrific small speaker.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
What a product! What a company! I have a very unusual listening area. Quite simply it is very odd in shape and dimension. I have gone through many brands of speakers over the years, all of which are highly reviewed and regarded. I could never get the "Magic" with any of them. One would have great bass but no image. Another imaged well but lacked musicality and so forth. I decided to buy a pair of Merlin TSM-mme monitors partly based on all of the rave reviews. I purchased my speakers from a Merlin dealer on the east coast. I had them shipped to my home on the west coast. Unfortunately the TSM's were not properly packed by the dealer and the tweeters were damaged on arrival. I called Merlin and was immediately well served. They took care of my tweeter issue very quickly and continually kept me informed and posted on the speaker repair. In short Merlin's integrity is beyond reproach. Bobby and Bill the owners personally called me and took care of me. This is a company that stands behind it's product like no other.

Now for the sound quality. Merlin speakers produce bass well beyond what you would expect. They throw an amazing sound stage. They have been the ONLY speaker in my room that does piano and violin work with correct timbre, color and richness. I just purchased the new beatles reissues and I heard words to songs I never heard before when played on other speaker brands. In short these have been musical and magical. I would not own another pair of speakers...period.

I use an all McIntosh tube system, and VPi phono.

PROS - Company integrity and support, build quality, value, bass performance, ease of placement, overall musicaliry, image quality. These speakers at $3100 have easily outperformed other speakers at 4 times the price, making them a superb value.

CONS - None so far. Maybe causing me to think about a pair of VSM's.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
It has been a gradually increasing pleasure to listen to the TXM-MME speakers these past several months! Because there are so many previous reviews which address the soundstaging, imaging, and other properties of these modest but powerful monitors, I was determined in my review to focus as much as possible on the musical characteristics of the speakers.

In Seattle we are blessed with a wonderful symphony orchestra and a stupendous symphony hall. Listening to the Seattle Symphony live has never led me to expect or even aim for a close approximation in my home listening. The overall power, denseness of sound, and physical impact is simply at a scale that I cannot believe we will ever get that close to with our stereos,

But - a BIG but, I might add - there are several charcters of the TSM-MME that on a vastly smaller scale are striking and eminently musical. These include (1) the timbre of instruments, which are vastly clearer and therefore in my opinion more musical; (2) the reduction in distorition, which continues to capture my fancy; (3) the solidness of instruments, voices, and (4) the real dynamics as one hears a crescendo. When I was waiting on the arrival of the speakers, I mentioned to Bobby Palkovic that the most beautiful aspect of listening to the Seattle Symphony in Benaroya Hall is the magic of a massive momo image with natural "stereo" distribution of the instruments within the mono image. While we all have certain preferences, I have come to recognize that for my ears the most musical sound is one where there is denisity to the center image. Sooundstaging and discrete instrument placement come in very much a second or third place.

I have had some very good speakers over the past twenty years, including Hyperion monitors, the Von Schiekert VR-3, the Thiel 3.6, the Mission 782, and my favorite of them all - the Kef 104/2. The latter of very musical speakers, very easy to just enjoy. However, they have much more distorition and the stability of the image as well as its density is significantly weaker than the Merlin's. It's quite interesting how well Bobbyt knows his two "children," his description of what would be different with the TSM-MMEs compared to the KEF 104/2 was spot on.

I could be happy with the KEF's. I am very happy with the Merlin's. Although I know that there is much room to grow up from the ancillary equipment (Musical Fidelity pre and amp, California Audio Labs CL-15), I think I'll take a breather and enjoy the music for a while without following the upgrade pull. The cost of getting Bobby's recommended CD and amplifier, not to say the cables, is daunting. Perhaps if we had installment methods for high-cost equipment similar to automobiles....

It's of course of pleasure to support a fine father like Bobby Palkovic. His model is one very much worthy of our support (squeezing the maximum out of a limited number of items).