By Rich Rodgers

Bobby Palkovic threw it in my face. For those that don’t know, Bobby is the moving force at Merlin, he being the designer, marketer, chief cook and solder man. The VSM Gen. III with RC network (MGD called it the Gen. 99) has been discontinued and replaced by what Bobby calls the VSM Basic. He assured me that the VSM Basic was not the same thing as the "old" Gen. III, and that the new VSM Basic was a much improved product over the old model. Though still not quite up to the quality of the flagship VSM-SE, the upgrade to the VSM Basic, according to Bobby, was supposed to blow me away. He really threw it in my face, that was, how much better the new speaker was supposed to be. But, being the polite Southerner (and it is capitalized) that I am, I said, "Do it!, Turn my GenIII’s into VSM Basics,"

I've always felt that the Gen. III's were the perfect reviewer’s tool. They've always sounded so pure and so clean, so low in distortion. Reminiscent of good electrostatics these speakers have always been - snap fast and quick. But now we have the VSM Basics. From what I understand, the changes are comprised of a significant crossover change, and a complete change of the internal wiring. Bobby isn’t the kind of person that changes things simply for the sake of changing things, and he doesn’t introduce supposed "upgrades" merely to create an excuse to increase the price. The new VSM Basic costs not one cent more than the old VSM Gen. III. It still costs $4,500, but it sounds even better now... a lot better now.

The VSM Basic sounds more efficient even though it isn’t. It's the result of the VSM Basic having more slam, more impact capability, and more punch - I could have just said more dynamics, but that wouldn’t have made the point as well as slam, impact and punch. And you get all those explosive dynamics without boom or excessive bloom, even though the bass appears to go deeper. It's way solid and satisfying, just like building the hen house on a solid concrete foundation with steel reinforcement. You even get a larger soundstage. The sound is now just hangin’ out further left and right of the speakers. Front to back depth is deeper still.

Which brings me to gossipin' about the midrange. It just has to be, when you go and improve everything below the midrange, the goslin's always going to follow the goose home. By that I mean, you go and make such major improvements to the bass and lower midrange dynamics, and the midrange is going to improve accordingly. It's gotta happen, and it's happened here. The middle frequencies are glorious, and you can see to the back of the curtain. It's glorious, it’s vibrant, it’s color rich!

Highs are a tad smoother, but not lacking any extension. If your tube preamp is sucking down some RF, you’ll hear it with the VSM Basics. The old Gen. III had a bit of the "In Your Face" over a small area in the middle highs, that’s gone now.

Please re-read the words put on paper by the Editor regarding the evolution of the original VSM’s. When you understand that this new speaker is better than what Marty was describing in the old speaker, then you'll start to realize how good the VSM Basic is. Like Marty, I strongly suggest using the JPS Superconductor bi-wire speaker cables on the new speakers. With the VSM Basic/JPS system, every minor change in the system takes on new audibility.

But, do you still want a little more bottom out of your bottom-end? The BAM (Bass Alignment Module) actively adds 10 more Hz to your bottom, and according to Mr. Palkovic, it does all this without screwing-up any of the information higher up. Oh lordy, my wife is going to take me to the river, but, OK Bobby, do it. Hit me with the BAM!

I loved my Gen. III’s, as did everyone who heard them. However, having them upgraded to VSM Basic revealed a whole new world of musical realities waiting to be unleashed. Maybe the VSM-SE ups the ante even further, I wouldn't doubt it. But, the VSM Basic is the best speaker I've heard at, or anywhere near, $4,500; my vote for Component of Exceptional Merit.

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