Please be gentle with me. It's going to be little while setting up the CS2's, trying various combos, and coaxing the last bit of goodness out of them
I've spent a couple years with the Merlins and feel like I'm finally touching the point where I really see what they're truly capable of. Over that time, I tried quite a few things that didn't work well and they don't hesitate to let you know it right away. They ARE fantastic speakers in every way and I do like them a lot. Then there's still the MXe lead free mod I haven't done yet because I simply fear shipping them back to NY safely
Maybe some day I'll do a road trip to visit Bobby
I DO think comparing them will just be to point out how each one is compromised in its own way. Among many of these very best speakers it just comes down to trade-offs and taste, as well as what it takes to get you personally involved in the music (dancing, finger snapping, singing along, or whatever floats your boat).
At the moment, I'm using a bone stock SB3 digital in to the DCX through the transformer MGalusha recommended, so the Candela is just chillin'. My SB2/Ultimate PS/Burson is back at Wayne's getting a valve job and a tuneup. Since the DCX has a lot of room for improvement, I'll be on a path to modify it fairly soon as well.
More to come...
Tom
