Excerpts From Volume 7 Issue Number 4 (Spring 1998)

Dave Glackin

Bobby Palkovic of Merlin Music Systems, Inc. provided the Best Music-Provoked Chills Down the Spine. The Merlin VSM-SE loudspeaker is now complete, with the addition of the BAM active equalizer, and with simplifications to the crossovers as well as new capacitors [Note from Merlin: This should read new inductors] from Hovland. These loudspeakers recreated a realistic timbre, a sense of instrumental body, and a natural musicality that was scary. They also appeared in two of the other best sounding systems in the show. With the BAM, the speakers are now 4 dB down at 30 Hz, and they sounded seamless all the way. Cantate Domino was reproduced with outstanding timbre, articulation, and transparency, with no sense of strain in the massed choir; the organ was very palpable. Both Blue Skies and the Fairfield Four sent those aforementioned chills down my spine. The speakers were powered by the beautiful Joule Electra LA-100 preamp and Marquis VSN-100 monoblock. Keep up the great work, Bobby.

Gilbert Yeung of Blue Circle was demonstrating the Best Hybrid Amp. Their BC6 25Wps stereo amp was driving a pair of Merlin VSM-SE loudspeakers with the BAM bass augmentation module. The Blue Circle/Merlin combination was producing one of the most musical sounds of the show, with outstanding delicacy, articulation, transparency and spaciousness. This was a hard room to tear myself away from.

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Reprinted from Positive Feedback, Vol. 7, #4, Spring, 1998, and Copyright 1998, all rights reserved, by Positive Feedback. Positive Feedback is a creative forum for the audio arts published four times per year. Subscriptions are $20 per six issues in the U.S.A., U.S.$30 in Canada, and U.S.$50 elsewhere on the planet. To subscribe to Positive Feedback, to sign up as a distributor, or to advertise, contact: Positive Feedback, 2939 N.E. 155^th, Portland, OR 97230. Phone numbers: (503) 256-1300 (Business Office Phone), (503) 254-3866 (Business Office Fax), (503) 257-2002 (Editorial Office Phone). Editorial E-mail address: davidr@ix.netcom.com Web page: http://www.positive-feedback.com . Positive Feedback encourages the submission of articles, essays, and reviews to the above address. Ad rates available upon request.