PREFACE - The below review is of the 1st generation of the Merlin VSM loudspeaker, after its introduction in mid 1994. In the years since this review, the speaker has undergone a few refinements. Please read through the other Bound For Sound follow up reports on the VSM following this review for a full picture of the VSM's current capabilities.

BOUND FOR SOUND - 5/95

"MERLIN MUSIC SYSTEMS - VSM LOUDSPEAKER"

VSM 2-way loudspeaker by Merlin Music Systems $3,500 (introductory offer). PO Box 146, 4705 South Main Street, Hemlock, NY 14466, PH 716-387-2390. 6.5" paper/carbon hybrid woofer and 1 " Esotar soft dome tweeter in an enclosure 43" x 9" x 11" (HWD); 2.1 kHz crossover, 2nd order; 90 lb. each, sand filled enclosure, filled at factory; 7 ohm average impedance; comes with sand prepacked and secured within cabinet.

Quite frankly, I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. When Bobby Palkovic told me of his intentions to build a state-of-the-art loudspeaker for $3,500, I had to be interested. What red blooded audiophile could back away from a loudspeaker using the same parts that one might find in speakers costing more than $15,000? I emphasize the words might find, because there are many, many speakers that use drivers and parts offer lower quality than found here, while costing much more. For example, the Esotar tweeter from Dynaudio used with the VSM, is used with only one other speaker that I'm aware of on a production basis, that being the Extrema from Sonus Faber which goes for somethingaround$10,000! And then there is the Scanspeak paper/carbon hybrid woofer used in the VSM. If it looks familiar, it may be due to the fact that not only is this the woofer used in the Chapman T-7, but it's the same woofer used in the Wilson Audio Watt 5 ($8,200). One in the same, my friends. And then there are the components in the 2nd order crossover; resistors and caps that seldom find their way into audio designs, being reserved for industrial or military use due to their expense and difficulty in sourcing. And all of this is packaged in a solid black wrapper that is braced and radiused with one thing in mind - the music. Now, I will admit that the VSM has a more workman-like look to it than does a speaker like the Extrema or the Watt 5. There is something exotic and exciting about a speaker like the Sonus Faber - the look and feel are Ferrari and Italian. But, for the person who knows that looks can wear thin over time, the VSM may in fact be the long term relationship that he or she is looking for.

SET-UP. Tubes. The speaker is easy to drive, even the little HCA-600 transistor power amp from Parasound ($395) drove the VSM with ease, but it was with the tube amplifier on hand (and two hybrid amplifiers) the speaker truly made its mark. And it's no mystery as to why that was the case. The speaker is a low "Q" design, and without going into the math of it all, it means that this is a highly damped, low distortion design that is tight and taut in the bass. Perhaps too taut and tight in the bass if the VSM is connected to a high damping factor transistor amplifier. This is not to say that transistor amps won't work with the VSM, just don't look for that warm and cozy lower midrange to park your nest in. The energy is still there, but it's a dry sounding energy, and not the wet, liquidy ambient persona that a speaker such as the NSM 50 has. And while the approach taken by the VSM is the more accurate one, those persons with a taste for the lush and romantic won't be moved. Unless, unless one goes to an amplifier with a higher output impedance (or lower damping factor - I use these terms interchangeably), a tube amplifier for example with an output impedance of .5 ohms or so. The lower damping capabilities of a tube amp will serve to loosen up the bass and lower midrange, and this is when the speaker really starts to shine, though not necessarily bloom, or take on an overly romantic hue. Without the iron tight grip of a transistor amp with a three figure damping factor, the speaker will loosen up and display the natural spontaneity in the lower mids that a top flight speaker system must display. And why shouldn't this be the case? After all, Bobby Palkovic does his measurements of the speaker with a transistor amp having a damping factor of greater than 500 at 1,000 Hz, but he does his listening with some of the best tube equipment that money can buy. For the last 6 months it has been the Joule Electra Marquis, a beautiful push-pull OTL triode that really does have some moxie and control. But, it also explains why the speaker reacts the way it does with the various types of amplifiers. It's physics, nothing else. And while I did audition the VSM at length with my RE Designs LNPA 150 transistor amplifier (and don't forget the HCA-600), much of my auditioning was done with the VAC PA160, the Counterpoint NPS-100, and the Counterpoint NPS Mono amps, These latter amplifiers are not all blessed (?) with tube output sections, but they are either tubed or tube hybrid designs, all with relatively high output impedances and low damping factors. That's the trick with the VMS. Again, the speaker is so easy to drive. While I did not have a multitude of low watt triode or single ended tube amps on hand, I have every reason to believe that almost any amplifier with a heartbeat will drive this speaker to ear cracking levels. It is efficient (90 dB), but more importantly it presents nothing to the amplifier that would cause a problem. The impedance profile is without the current robbing dip that is often found in the upper bass, nor does it whack out above 10 kHz. The design is relatively benign; witness the ease in which the Parasound HCA-600 did its thing with the VSM. I regret that I wasn't able to hook the Counterpoint Solid Two up to the VSM, but the Solid Two is now doing time with L. J. Linton (he reports that it is knocking him out just as it did me).

Speaker cables provided by Merlin for the audition were the Cardas Golden Cross. I also used the Sonoran Desert Cables and the Apex ICTL (this speaker warrants the heavy hitters). I would have liked to use the Synergistic Research Signature No. 2, but a bi-wire set was not in the house. After the smoke cleared, it was the Sonoran that came out on top with the transistor amps; the Cardas and the Apex were basically a toss up when it came to the tube type units. If there was a preference, it would be for the Cardas with the VAC, and the Apex with the two Counterpoints. But it was close, real close.

Speaker placement. That's a good one. Ordinarily, I place the loudspeakers in my room approximately 87" from the rear wall. With the VSM, I was able to obtain the results that I was looking for, but the speakers had to be moved closer to the back wall by about 17'. This of course, meant a change of my listening position by a similar amount. Moving the speaker even closer to the back wall did shore up the bass to an extent - more moxie, but that was at the expense of some of the extraordinary imaging, and image density. Toe-in of the speakers will actually depend on the type of room you have. With the speaker looking directly at you (on axis), the transients are snappy and there is a tiny upper midrange squiggle that gives an edge to the music that will liven up a dead sounding disc. The tweeter was designed , however, to be listened to at about 10 degrees off axis, where it has some of the smoothest response that can be had. In a very dead room, most listeners will prefer to listen right on axis for the added presence. In the average room, which most people have, something less than head-on will be preferable. In this regard, the 10 degree off axis suggestion is a good one. You also have the option of using the screw-in speaker cones to lift the front of the speaker backward a few degrees. A modest amount of backward tilt will also accomplish part the desired 10 degree off axis listening angle. But don't go overboard, a little tilt is good, but a lot is not necessarily a good thing. In as much as each room is different in its acoustics, some experimentation will be required. Speaking of room acoustics, the VSM has an incredibly wide dispersion pattern that is even and extended. Merlin has done everything possible to alleviate edge diffraction's and axially induced distortions by radiusing all edges remotely close to the drivers, a must with a speaker with the dispersion characteristics of this one. The owner of this speaker will want to take care that the it is free from near field obstructions such as closely placed tables, hutches etc., if the ultimate in performance is desired.

DEGREE OF ABSOLUTE, TRANSPARENCY. It's odd how much this speaker reminded me of the Legacy Focus. It's not that they are the same size, use the same drivers, or try to accomplish the same things acoustically they even sound very different. But, both are thoroughbreds that address the reproduction of music in the home in a no compromise fashion. Each is looking to do some things better than they have ever been done before, by anybody else. This isn't a concept that is new in 6.5" 2-ways; audio history is full of them. All one has to do is look at some of the all out efforts by Wilson Audio (the WATT), by Sonus Faber, by Celestion, by Monitor Audio, by B&W (the Silver Signature), and others that come in the form of a 6.5" 2-way, many of which perform at a level well below that of the Merlin (most use parts of far lower quality also). So, there is a market for this loudspeaker, even if it serves a relatively small niche, if only due to price.

If you have read all that has been said above, then you no doubt know much of what I'm going to say about the sound of the VSM. Let me start out by saying, that during the last six years of audio reviewing, I have never used a loudspeaker so capable of revealing source changes, and changes in ancillary equipment. And it was not simply a case of this speaker using the best tweeter in the world, and that tweeter being capable of revealing more. It was a case of the speaker revealing subtle nuance changes from top to bottom frequency wise. No, it didn't go very deep into the bass. But in spite of that, it was capable of exposing and disrobing an amp or preamp not worth its salt in the bottom octave. Odd how it should be so revealing of the bottom octave when the VSM itself starts to roll-off in the bass at around 65 Hz, hitting its minus 3 dB point at 45 Hz. The woofer may be three dB down at 45 Hz, but it still says much about the source and the software being used. In the lower frequencies, the speaker is more powerful sounding than a speaker with a 6.5" woofer has any right sounding. It will play loud, even at frequencies considered by most to be bass frequencies. In its present configuration, the VSM is not the type of speaker that will rattle the hinges on the doors with thunder, but it is beefy enough that it won't leave you craving for more bass either. This speaker is surprisingly dynamic, and robust. During the time that I had the speaker in my listening room, and while using it with some very powerful power amplifiers, I was never really able to drive the speaker to overload. It will handle immense quantities of power without stress or strain. The manufacturer's suggested 200 wpc max power is a realistic one.

Going up in frequency into the lower midrange, you'll notice that the speaker is revealing but never loosey, goosey liquid. Actually, even with a low damping factor tube amp the VSM has a creeping dryness in the lower mids that is audible occasionally. I guess the situation seems to stand out some in light of the otherwise exceptional performance all around.

But, what is so exceptional about the sound? Staying in the lower mids, we have a speaker that is deceptively clean and even. Running a few bass frequencies off of the Sheffield test disc exhibits a speaker that is as smooth and as structured as any speaker made. I've spoken about bass and lower midrange bumps in the past concerning some pretty good loudspeakers. Measuring the VSM revealed a speaker with an almost amplifier-like response curve. Save some little tiny bumps in the upper mids, this speaker is not only basically flat above 100 Hz, it sounds that way in the listening room. For several years I've been running frequency response curves in my room with all the speakers auditioned. A few curves run + 4 dB in the main room on a good day. The VSM came in at around ± 3 dB every day from 65 Hz to 15,000 Hz!! In a real live listening room, this is quite a feat! And my room isn't overly treated, so any audiophile should easily accomplish the same.

Into the midrange. In terms of sonics, VSM reminds me very much of one of my all time favorite bookshelf loudspeakers - the Sci-Fi Crown Joule. What a presentation these speakers have in the mids. First of all is the expansive soundstage. Listening to the VSM is very much like looking in on a stage from mid-hall. Clifford Jordan was visual in his presence on "Live at Ethell's" from Mapleshade. His movements were clearly perceived, and there is no doubt about it when he turns to face the other players on the stage. When he does so, the ambient signature of his sax changes in a way that you can actually tell which way he is turning, and how far he turns. Few speakers are so nearly palpable in their precision. Another thing that is difficult to do is capture the realistic sound of applause. Many speakers turn applause into the sound of frying bacon - too crisp, too many sharp transient overshoots. The VSM was consistently right in its ability to properly portray the sound of air escaping from two hands as they come together. Clap your own hands, then listen to Clapton's "Unplugged", "Jazz at the Pawnshop", or the Clifford Jordan's disc. The first thing that you will probably notice is that your hands don't sound like bacon when you clap them. The second thing that you will notice is that your speakers don't sound much like your hands - that is unless you are listening to the VSM. In addition to that, the stage depth with the VSM is exactly how it was recorded. When you have a recorded group of clapping people with this speaker, there is a sense of volume, or a space, filled with fleshy humans that was neither flat nor two dimensional.

In the upper midrange and lower highs, the speaker is transparent and textured, without exhibiting the glare and white light that many speakers do. At the same time, and I know that I'm being picky here, it did not display the startling energy that I obtained with the Sci-Fi Crown Joule. The VSM is good in this regard, even excellent, but the SciFi simply had the advantage here. Now, listen to the highs. Cymbals are so clean and articulate. No shishing, and they are placed nicely behind the speakers even at hard right and hard left. Drum kits placed at the right rear of the stage, such as those on Red Norvo's "The Forward Look" from Reference Recordings (RR-CD8), have the cymbals right where they are supposed to be, even when struck hard. In my opinion, soft dome tweeters such as the Dynaudio and Morel have an advantage over their metal domed brethren in the area of dynamics and dynamic contrasts. You can hear this in the VSMs, as they sort out the tangled sonics of many recordings that other speakers just "schmear" over.

CONCLUSION. It's a pleasure to work with a product so completely thought out, and executed with such care. Every detail is attended to in a way that I associate with old world craftsmanship. In talking to the manufacturer, it was abundantly obvious to me that Bobby Palkovic is one of those guys that lives and dies with his products. It must operate perfectly in your system, or he's not satisfied. And he'll do whatever it takes to make sure that the end user of his speaker is satisfied to the Nth degree. Many would then say, that as a reviewer, I am likely to see his best side. Maybe, but Bobby's customers have called me since our review of the Merlin EXL- 1, and to a person, they have been nothing but complimentary about the product and the service - they all knew him personally too. This is a company where the owner/designer is accessible to anyone who buys the product.

On the last day or two of my audition period, I was able to briefly mate the VSM to the Entec subwoofer. It was beautiful. And the resulting sound should be able to fill any reasonable acoustic space that a person can conceive. On its own, the VSM is the kind of speaker that can adequately load medium to large rooms. Under perfect conditions, I would prefer to use it in rooms smaller in size than my main room. It worked, but with a single 6.5" woofer this speaker is better matched to rooms in the 10' x 12' to 14' x 20' range. The larger the room, the greater the radiating area a speaker must have to sufficiently load and unload it with speed and precision. This is still a speaker based on a 6.5" woofer, and in that regard it does have its limitations. But, the word is that Bobby Palkovic has a subwoofer in the works that builds upon the work already done with the VSM, including a method whereby the VSM and the sub are physically and acoustically mated together. It should be incredible, and we should have a sample when it is ready.

Stop the Presses!! Just as this review was being completed and readied for the audioletter, Merlin called to say that they had heard a dryness in the mids and lower mids. And while it wasn't audible all of the time, it was something that they were certain to remedy. Mind you, they had not seen the review yet, and I hadn't mentioned my feelings on the subject to them. Both of us came to the same conclusion independently of the other. Palkovic tells me that a change in the construction of the woofer has been made to lower the resonance point of the driver, and in doing so, the spectral balance is more even than before, with more heft in the mids and lower mids. The change is of the slip-it-in variety, so that it can be easily done in the field if an owner so desires. Just what the doctor ordered. I'll report on the changes at a later date.

Bound For Sound 7/96

Excerpted from "MGD on Power Amps: Part 4"

After a month taken off to look at other things, software, etc., we are back on the trail of the power amplifier. With the exception of the Polyfusion 960, all the amps covered herein had their final go over using the Merlin VSM loudspeaker. I chose the Merlin because I wanted a ruthless loudspeaker, a speaker capable of revealing the innermost secrets of the amp on trial. The speaker had to be a piece of cake to drive, however, with reasonable efficiency, as it was not my desire in this round of auditions to stress the drive capabilities of the amp on hand (that had already been done), but to create something of an ideal condition for the amp to perform in. The conditions that I desired were to be fair to triode and transistor amp alike, while still affording me an unbiased and uncolored view of what was happening with each amp. After careful consideration or nearly every speaker on the planet, the final choice was the VSM. It's as easy a load to drive as anyone could desire assuring that each and every amp would get an evenhanded appraisal of its performance the last time through. But that was not enough; the speaker had to be capable of telling great truths about the electrons energizing its air moving motors. It couldn't flinch under great influxes of power, yet it had to be capable of revealing the finest graduations of tone, timing, and amplitude. All of which is not to say that the Amrita Jovian Pillars were not up to the task, but the Pillars had been used earlier and they did present a load that some of the amps simply were not up to handling, particularly the tube amps. The Merlin had the ease of operation that I was looking for at this juncture in the proceedings. It simply turned out to be the right speaker at the right time.

Bound For Sound 7/96

Excerpted from "Future Fun"

Let me comment on the VSM from Merlin briefly and cover those crossover updates. This has always been a very fine loudspeaker. Initially, it didn’t much care for transistor amps and there was some dryness in the mids. Then came the Gen 2, where the speaker learned to like the solid state amplifier a little more, and things became more dynamic overall. Then there was the Gen 3. This was something special as all parameters of performance melded into a single musical machine.

As I chose the Gen3 to be my final loudspeaker choice for the amplifier survey, Bobby at Merlin has been keeping me abreast of refinements and developments in the speakers he makes. The man never sleeps, but now he has done something remarkable. Last week he sent me crossover changes that take the present VSM to levels of performance previously unthought of. And while he wasn’t considering the change of the moniker to Gen 4, if one considers the magnitude of the improvements wrought by this crossover change, and if one were using increments of improvement brought on by Gen 2 and Gen 3, I’d call this the Gen 99 upgrade - it is that amazing! In terms of pure accuracy, precision, and truth, the VSM now walks all over all that I have heard in the past. It’s amazing in what it can reveal about a recording - new things, things not contemplated before. After I took all of 15 minutes to install the modification, I had to listen to my recording favorites all over again simply to become reacquainted. So much more information was reaching these ears, things quite literally never heard before, or heard and not understood before so that I sat motionless for periods of fifty minutes at a time way into the night.

I’m tempted to say that this crossover approach is the single most significant change in audio experienced during the almost eight years that I have been publishing BFS. I want to say that now while the enthusiasm is boiling in my veins – but more listening is required. I must see if what I experienced over two days with the Symfonia preamp, RE Designs mono amps, and JPS speaker cables is repeatable with the Balanced Audio Technology amp and preamp. I must try the Mesa Baron again, and the OCM’s and the Audio Alchemy, and the Joule Electra, and…, you get my point.

I’m used to, and a certain extent callused by, system changes based on tweaks that are supposedly earth shaking. Some work, some don’t. But with all, no matter how positive the results have been, somewhere there has been a fly in the milk that turns out to be a trade off necessary to accomplish the positives. Right now I hear no trade offs being made with the crossover update. All I hear are positives of the most difficult to attain variety. The Crossover change is only $160!! I’m panting, see you next month.

BOUND FOR SOUND 9/96

"MERLIN REVISITED"

I really don't want to take a lot of time and space doing this, but with the most recent crossover revisions by Merlin Music Systems (phone 716-367-2390) to their VSM and TSM, a second-take was in order.

The changes in both speakers have nothing to do with the physical construction of the cabinet or the drivers; all that remains the same. The change in the design has to do with an RC network that Bobby Palkovic designed for the pair, which is then inserted right before the crossover at the speaker terminals. It works like this. The RC network comes assembled, one for each set of bi-wire terminals on the back of the speakers. The networks have a spade at each end, which the user attaches to the terminals. This is done for each set of terminals. To make things a little easier to AB, I hooked to each RC network two banana plugs, and then inserted the banana plugs into the terminals. I may be losing something in the hook-up, but if so, it isn't much.

What Bobby is doing is actually pretty simple, and he tells me that the idea for such a network in conjunction with a loudspeaker was born at Bell Labs years ago in their work with OTL power amplifiers. So, once again, we're not doing anything really new here, just rediscovering the past and putting the experience to use. What I'm not going to do at this time is give the values of the resistor and capacitor away, or how they are configured. I don't think that we need everyone trying a DIY project at this point in time, particularly since Bobby has designed his crossover to interface with this particular RC network (or is it the other way around?). Anyway, using the network that Bobby designed for his speakers on somebody else's speakers is a sure way to mess things up, even if it does work spectacularly in some isolated cases. (If you want more, talk to Bobby.)

How the new RC network affects the sound. I've already related to you in past issues how the new RC network struck me upon first use in the Big Rig - a memorable listening experience for even the most jaded 'phile! When the rest of the system is in top operating order, the RC network added to the VSM or TSM is like coming home to the music. The back of the stage simply opened up, as clean and pristine as being there. It was like everything came together music-wise by separating out all the individual elements. Then, by dividing up and clarifying all that had been previously mixed together, the entirety of the performance became a singular living event. Yes, we still have the natural limitations presented by software, electronics, driver design, etc. that result in low level distortions - nothing's perfect. But with this change in the crossover we are taken closer to the original event, closer to what is actually on the software being played, be it vinyl or digital. And in some respects, closer to the music than I thought was possible with our present speaker technology. With my old stand-by audition CD's, (CD's that have been in some of the finest systems one can buy) I was clearly hearing things not heard before. Noises that once appeared random in nature all of a sudden sounded like things recognizable. And with those revelations at hand, well, you can imagine my incredible excitement. If the rear of the stage and the little sounds of a performance were all of a sudden in startling focus and standing in broad sonic relief, how much better the rest of the sonic spectrum must have sounded. It took the VSM's and made the bass more full and convincing, while still resolving more bass information than before. At first, the highs seemed softened, but they were not. That became more than obvious when going to recordings with more than the usual cymbal work on them. Take "Eye to Eye" by Pine Top Perkins, Ronnie Earl, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (AudioQuest 1043). This is a monster blues recording in the best of the Chicago blues tradition, and it has upon it more than its share of cymbal work. With the RC network in place, high frequency hash was substantially reduced without in any way damaging the high frequency fundamentals or harmonics. If anything, the harmonies were improved and washed clean of damaging sideband distortions that otherwise obscure. This is important for the true home aficionado, for it's a true step in the right direction for those looking for that last 10%. The first night with the new network in the system the VSMs sounded better than it seemed a speaker had a right to. The resultant sound talked to me; let me gaze at the performers with the eye in my mind that makes the pictures that I see in my dreams. The threshold separating the illusion from the reality had been breached, if only in little ways with the right music on the player. Since that time I have had to send the Merlin VSM's back to Bobby, but in their place now sits the TSM. It's a smaller version of the VSM, but a speaker that still captures the spirit of the larger VSM, if not the full scope of its dynamic range. It too is capable of transporting its listener, though a little less convincingly.

What the crossover change doesn't do is change the basic character of the speaker. The VSM is still the VSM, but it's a better VSM. Same for the TSM. The change won't turn a 7" woofer into a 12" woofer. It won't enlarge the actual size of the cabinet. But it does seem to at last allow the speaker system to work optimally, or so my auditioning would strongly suggest. I've heard many speakers in my days, and within the physical restraints placed upon the design by the laws of nature, I've not heard a more revealing loudspeaker, a more true loudspeaker, a more musically consonant loudspeaker.

A final comment. For months prior to the RC network, I had looked for a speaker cable that would mesh sonically with the capabilities that were obvious in the speaker, but for one reason or another, were not coming out. Oh, the sound was good by most standards, but a little button was being continually pressed in my musical mind saying that "it could be better still." The JPS bi-wire speaker cables were the answer. In my auditioning of the speaker, I had tried almost every speaker cable one could imagine. At one point in time Bobby from Merlin went so far as to have George Cardas send me an expensive "Golden Cross" system which included interconnects and speaker cable. Nice, but the music would not relax with transistor electronics. It was uptight and retentive, the opposite of what I'm looking for in a loudspeaker. Same for the Tara, the Apex, the Metaxas, for everything. Then I received a ten foot bi-wire pair of speaker cables from JPS and it was as if the speaker took a deep breath, exhaled, and kicked its feet up on the couch for a nice evening of music in the DeWulf household. That was it. And while I cannot say that I have had the same stunning success with the JPS speaker cable in every installation that I have put it in, it would be crazy to own a pair of Merlin VSM's without its soulmate speaker cables from JPS. I'm not saying that you have to have a certain this or that, including sacred beads and an incantation to make this speaker work. It's just that what we are trying to achieve is a higher level of musical realism, something beyond the ordinary, something that transcends, and the Merlins go beyond the ordinary when set up right, and as far as I'm concerned, setting the VSM up right means with the JPS speaker cables.

Oddly enough, the TSM's didn't especially need the JPS speaker cables to sound their best; I don't know why. I'm only reporting the details. This speaker worked with the JPS, obviously, but I also obtained excellent results with cables from Silver Sonic, Apex WireWorld and others. My gut feeling is that the TSM isn't strung so highly as is the VSM, it's not quite the same thoroughbred, and as a result is a little easier to get along with. Then again, it's not quite as ruthlessly honest either. Choose your poison ... I did.

VSM

Click for Specs

Copyright © 1997 Merlin Music Systems Inc.
4705 South Main Street, PO Box 146
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