[drphoto]

Danny, has anyone send in any variant of the Merlin TSM monitor for evaluation? I have one of the last iterations, the Mme. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think this speaker is spectacular. This has a totally inert cabinet a modded Morel tweeter (by a company I think called Renascence, Morel mid bass (matched) Holland caps, Caddock resisters and Cardas binding post ($52/ea retail) Dunno inductor brand. I recently ordered the upgrade crossover for my newly purchased Maggie LRS.  It pains me to say, as Maggie fanboy,  but I think these kick the crap out of the stock LRS. And not just in dynamics. I think remarkably transparent and fast. Bobby refined this basic design for over 20 years. Dunno if he had employees or was a one man band, but I know for a fact he built my pair by hand. Now granted at around the $3K mark when new, these are not a cheap speaker, but given the parts quality, when you factor in mark ups, seem like a bargain.

Anyway, not an ad for Merlin, as they sadly or no longer as Bobby passed away a few years back. But you seem to find (rightfully) fault w/ a lot of off the shelf speakers for using crap parts.....but this one doesn't. So wondered if you heard.

My only knock on them, is they're pretty ugly. Not because of truck bed paint, but because horrible socket things for the grill, as I removed.

Sorry for long winded post.

[jmimac351]

I haven't sent one to Danny, but I have owned Merlin speakers for over 20 years.  I bought a pair of VSM SE speakers in 1999 from Bobby.  Right now they are apart, waiting on me to finish installing the "Black Magic" crossover upgrade... the last crossover version for that speaker.  Danny measured a VSM speaker long ago and it didn't measure that well.  He's sent me the measurements.  What I've seen elsewhere is that later versions of the VSM measured better, as there were subsequent upgrades done by Bobby to the crossover.  Rich Brkich at Signature Sound was a close friend of Bobby's and actively supports those speakers, and Joule Electra equipment.  Merlin speakers and Joule Electra tube gear go hand in hand.  I've meant to ask Rich whether the later versions of the VSM crossover, specifically the Black Magic version I have, actually adjusted the response of the speaker, rather than just swapping in better parts.  I didn't know enough at the time to even ask that question when I paid him for the upgrade.

I've also owned the TSM speaker on 2 separate occasions.  Earlier this year I sold my latest pair of TSM - TSM Black Magic. I agree, it's a great speaker.  I ended up selling it because I wanted just a bit more dynamics.  It would have been fine if I put a high pass filter on the amp driving them.  The funny thing is... I ended up buy locally off of FakeBook Marketplace a pair of Eggleston Works Fontaine speakers and sent one to Danny.  Yep, the speakers Danny showed in the video. I knew the speaker had issues from the beginning, but it has the Dynaudio Esotar tweeter (which I love / same as in VSM) and it had the same Morel drivers as the TSM.  I figured that would be a good way to get more dynamics from drivers I was familiar with, and that "Danny could fix it".  What Danny found is that those Morel drivers like to ring a bit.  And, because of the large voice coils in the Morel drivers, they require some power to get going.  The Fontaine is a ported speaker, though.  The TSM is a little unique in that it's sealed.  It would be interesting if one was sent to Danny to have him go thru it to see how that speaker acts, being in a sealed box.   

FYI, here's a look at the Black Magic version of the VSM crossover.

[Danny Richie]

A customer brought in the larger VSM model.

It used first order filters with no compensation for the baffle step loss. So the lower end was pretty thin compared to the bass region. So Bobby incorporated an active EQ system he called a BAMM to bring the bass levels up, but it only jacked up the very bottom and left a hole in the midrange. The opt amps and power supply used in the BAMM also colored the sound. It also had phase issues in the vertical off axis, and I think it had a peak at about 1kHz.

I thought I was going to get to design a new crossover that balanced it all out, but the customer heard our X-Statik model and that ended that. He said he wasn't going to waste money fixing the Merlin as the X-Statik bettered it all over. He bought the X-Statik kit and I have no idea what he ever did with that Merlin. 

[jmimac351]

A customer brought in the larger VSM model.

It used first order filters with no compensation for the baffle step loss. So the lower end was pretty thin compared to the bass region. So Bobby incorporated an active EQ system he called a BAMM to bring the bass levels up, but it only jacked up the very bottom and left a hole in the midrange. The opt amps and power supply used in the BAMM also colored the sound. It also had phase issues in the vertical off axis, and I think it had a peak at about 1kHz.

I thought I was going to get to design a new crossover that balanced it all out, but the customer heard our X-Statik model and that ended that. He said he wasn't going to waste money fixing the Merlin as the X-Statik bettered it all over. He bought the X-Statik kit and I have no idea what he ever did with that Merlin.

Danny, when I get my VSM together... am I going to be able to take relevant / useful measurements with a UMIK microphone and REW?  I'm really curious to see how my VSMs measure compared to the ones you measured, and whether REW is good enough for doing any of that stuff.

[Danny Richie]

Danny, when I get my VSM together... am I going to be able to take relevant / useful measurements with a UMIK microphone and REW?  I'm really curious to see how my VSMs measure compared to the ones you measured, and whether REW is good enough for doing any of that stuff.

I hear that the newest REW will allow a gated time window. That transforms it from a room measurement device to a speaker measuring device.

Some of the lesser expensive mics typically used with them can roll off the top end. So it is all about the mic as much as the software.

I'll drop in the measurements of the VMS model.

[Danny Richie]

The Merlin VSM

On axis response:



Crossover:



Horizontal off axis:



Vertical off axis:



Spectral Decay:



Impedance:

[jonbee]

I had a pair of vsm-se many years ago. They sounded just like the measurements suggest. I didn't get why they were so well regarded. They went away pretty fast.
I had a couple pairs of tsms lastly tsm-m. Pretty decent, but little bass and the mids seemed a bit un-natural. They had very good detail presentation, though. Not bad, but not good sonic value for $.

[DaveC113]

Many years ago when RMAF first got going, Merlin were one of the few that made coherent sounding speakers. This was the time when single drivers were very popular, because most multi way cone n dome speakers sucked. YG sucked, Wilson sucked, going around RMAF there were VERY few speaker manufacturers who could make even ok sounding speakers. Merlin was one that wasn't just bad sounding relative to other choices. Times have changed and I don't think Merlin speakers would hold up today, but for what they were and when they were selling, they were good. It could easily be argued many single driver and vintage speakers were better though, and some speakers stood out like the Oswald Mills speakers with the solid cherry cabinets and ribbon tweeters. Overall those were pretty dark days for high end audio, very few rooms at RMAF weren't just plain bad, and not because of setup, the products were simply bad.

[jmimac351]

I hear that the newest REW will allow a gated time window. That transforms it from a room measurement device to a speaker measuring device.

Some of the lesser expensive mics typically used with them can roll off the top end. So it is all about the mic as much as the software.

I believe the gated thing is correct... and can adjust to 4ms to account for first reflection. I don't quite know enough to be dangerous with it, yet.

You've already measured the speaker.  I bet you can eyeball this like looking at The Matrix while eating a turkey sammich and tell me what to throw at it... like remote tuning a race engine with Motec

DrPhoto... send Danny a TSM.  He will measure it / fix it for free.  You just buy the parts from him and you'll get a schematic.  If you don't know how to wire up the crossover, I gotta guy...

[FullRangeMan]

I have read Merlins were voiced to pair tube amps,
but at that low efficiency they need power.

[jmimac351]

I have read Merlins were voiced to pair tube amps,
but at that low efficiency they need power.

Bobby routinely teamed with Jud Barber / Joule Electra.  Joule was known for their OTL amps - usually their VZN-100 mono block amps. This is my Joule Electra VZN-80 OTL stereo amp, getting a tune up.  I also have a Joule Electra LAP150 preamp. All tube, point to point hand wired, dual box preamp.

Bobby always mentioned that Merlins were a "High-Q" design and needed low / zero feedback amps. Whatever the case, that OTL amp and Merlins sure sounds good; however, I am aware they can sound even better.

[FullRangeMan]

Congratulations, they are great amps. 

[jmimac351]

Here is the spectral decay for the EgglestonWorks Fontaine, which uses 2 of those Morel drivers.  I'm pretty sure they are the exact same driver.  These are playing full range in a ported enclosure.  There is ringing in the woofer that Danny tried to bring down with a notch filter.  It would be interesting to see what the response is in the TSM... with a single woofer in a sealed enclosure, and an actual crossover. 

[knotscott]

Merlin threads don't come up much anymore, so apologies in advance if this is a bit off topic from the OP, but I couldn't resist. 

I met Bobby Palkovic sometime around 1983 or 84.  Bobby was an extremely charismatic and likable guy....we hit it off very quickly, and I ended up working part time with him (and Paul Heath) at Merlin while they were still based out of Paul's store on Alexander St in Rochester.  Bobby had just introduced the Merlin 1, followed by the 2, and later the 3 and 4s, long before the VSM and TSM models.  They started dragging me to CES shows by the mid 80s, when they were showing with Convergent, who had just introduced the SL-1 preamp.  Such great memories of serious audio overload!  I think the last version I owned were the 4+... they were huge!   I was very saddened to hear of Bobby's passing. 

A couple of years ago I got offered a pair of Merlin Signature 3s.  They needed refoaming, and some refurbing to the wood, along with some soldering and general TLC to the pots.  The came out great, and ended up making a wonderful grad school gifts for one of my sons.  Thanks for letting me tread on your thread for a bit! 

[jmimac351]

Thanks for sharing!  Bobby was one of a kind... and obviously in a lot of mental pain / anguish.  I was also very sad to hear about his passing.  Fortunately, Rich Brkich is still actively supporting Merlin / Joule Electra stuff.  Rich is an exceedingly kind and decent man.

It's too bad Iowa Park is so far from Central FL... I'd have a VSM to Danny in a heartbeat.  The interactions I've had with him and Hobbs have been an absolute pleasure... and made for a lot of FUN... which is a big reason why I do most anything.

It's a shame Danny didn't clip together a few caps / coils on the VSM while he had it... just to document what it needed.  I spend his time pretty freely, though. 

[drphoto]

One of my former business partners had a pair of those old foam wrapped Merlin towers from the 80's. I thought they sounded very good.

Ok, so being someone who is always willing to admit when I'm wrong, I have the my Merlin TSM-MMe in a desktop, near field system. I recently acquired a Schiit Vidar 1, as I like it's small form factor. A lot of love out there for these. The rig sounds very good overall, but I think vocals sound sorta gritty and harsh. Thought it was amp, so I sent to factory. They said it was fine. Maybe it's the speaker after all. I have the original shipping box, maybe should send to Danny for eval. Some people mentioned 'ringing' of the Morel mid driver. Where does that come from? Is it a basket issue? Can it be fixed?  I'm now getting back to the hobby after a 10 year absence. I had 'audio nervosa' and would nit pick system flaws instead of enjoying music. Took away all the fun.

Oh, I have a pair of GR OB subs I need to finish when I set up a new main rig w/ my Maggie LRS (with GR crossovers) but for desktop I got one of the RSL 10" Speedwoofers. Very nice unit. Does suffer from cabinet vibration, so I installed some No Rez. But it is indeed fast and punchy, not bloated.

Thanks for everything over the years. I really miss when folks from the Midwest area would gather at Rob (Marbles) house. Everyone was cool as hell. I had fun playing kickball w/ Rob's kids on the tennis court.

[Tyson]

The evaluation from Danny is free so nothing lost if you send them to him. 

You might find that it's cheaper and easier to get great sound from something Danny designed from scratch to be great, instead of fixing a sub-optimal design by someone else.  Especially for a desktop the new LGK series is really good.

[drphoto]

I think audio nervosa my rearing it's ugly head again. For the most part, this system sounds fantastic. But I just listened to 'Last Night of the World' by the great Bruce Cockburn Ripped from CD to MacMini using dBpoweramp in lossless format. Vocals on verses just fine, but gritty on chorus. Switched to a track from Sheryl Crowes magnificent debut album 'What I Can Do For You'. Vocals fine......high hat a bit nasty. Maybe the Merlins are revealing flaws in the recording?  One of my favorite test records is Jazz at the Pawnshop and it sounds very good, not a bit of grit or harshness on anything.

I thinking I'm losing what's left of my mind sometimes.

If I didn't work in healthcare, I'd go back to smoking weed like the early 80's when even a Marantz 1060 and Advent speakers sounded great. 

BTW: if people say the Morel mids have 'ringing', does that mean they smear sound or cause actual distortion. Can one apply damping material to the basket or is it something inherent in the speaker design. Really don't know.

Thanks for playing along.

[drphoto]

As a quick followup. Listening to more 'Pawnshop' at very high volume. sounds really....I mean really good. Nothing etched, gritty or harsh.  I'm going to lean into the recordings maybe having an issue. I think I always like speakers like ProAc because they tended simply sound pleasant. Everything smooth and warm. Maybe a characteristic of a lot of the British stuff. Actually always wanted a pair of the old ProAc Response 2.5, but always thought they were just ridiculously overpriced. I think the Merlin is ruthlessly revealing. I know some of you have said it's not that great, and that's fine. I'm not defending the purchase. Not loyal to any brand, except maybe Mac computers. (As someone who was in the commercial art field, it was the industry std.....and I stuck w/ 'em even during the dark days. Too bad I didn't buy a bunch of stock when it got down to around a dollar/share when John Scully was CEO. But the Mac OS was and is superior at least for me) But that's way off topic.

[jmimac351]

As a quick followup. Listening to more 'Pawnshop' at very high volume. sounds really....I mean really good. Nothing etched, gritty or harsh.  I'm going to lean into the recordings maybe having an issue. I think I always like speakers like ProAc because they tended simply sound pleasant. Everything smooth and warm. Maybe a characteristic of a lot of the British stuff. Actually always wanted a pair of the old ProAc Response 2.5, but always thought they were just ridiculously overpriced. I think the Merlin is ruthlessly revealing. I know some of you have said it's not that great, and that's fine. I'm not defending the purchase. Not loyal to any brand, except maybe Mac computers. (As someone who was in the commercial art field, it was the industry std.....and I stuck w/ 'em even during the dark days. Too bad I didn't buy a bunch of stock when it got down to around a dollar/share when John Scully was CEO. But the Mac OS was and is superior at least for me) But that's way off topic.

1) Who cares what people think, if you like it. I can point you to reviews for a speaker I just read about that is an absolute train wreck, yet received RAVE reviews.  But I understand you're wondering...

2) I don't think Danny has measured that particular speaker... what he showed was the VSM, and those measurements were from 2009.  I'm digging into whether there were changes to the crossover response for the VSM as there were "upgrades".  I suspect Danny has a hunch there will be some "issues", since the TSM and VSM were designed by the same person.  And, as I mentioned, it has the Morel driver that showed some ringing in another application.  I've owned your TSM speaker on 2 separate occasions. I like the speaker, it just didn't play has big as I wanted... when I occasionally asked the speaker to do it.

However... it is also true that you may like something, until you hear something better.  If you have the front grill for the speakers, put one on and wrap it in shrink / bubble wrap.  Put it in a box and send one of them to Danny.  He will check it out.  There are quite a few of those speakers out there and there is a loyal following, including a FakeBook group for Merlin owners.

To confuse you even more, I'll share this... you could probably sell those TSM speakers, buy the Sony CS-SS5, and do the upgrade for them (as I am doing right now, in addition to my Wilson Duette).  Based on what I'm hearing with the Sony in stock form, I think they will pretty easily better the TSM.  Oh... and you'll put $750 - $1,000 in your pocket.

Here is a YouTube video for the Sony.  One of the main reasons I'm sharing it with you is the spectral decay for that speaker.  It's one of the cleanest you'll see.  That means the drivers stop playing, when they are supposed stop playing (faster than others).  And that excess ringing is an issue your TSM speakers likely have with that Morel driver. 

https://youtu.be/upVyx7G5T2U?si=jdiFcCE3oMZBjCpS

Why do you want less ringing?... you'll be hearing soundstage depth and things floating in the air in 3-D, in additional the the tonal stuff you said you like.

I paid $66 and change for a pair of "Used / Like New" Sony's from Amazon.  Whether you get them and do the upgrade, or not, buy a pair of those Sonys and compare them to the TSM... give yourself some point of other comparison... for barely any money. 

I'm listening to a pair of stock Sonys right now since my junk is spread out all over the country.