Last stop for the day.  I'm beat and ready for a pizza, beer, hot shower and a good nights sleep.  But I'm excited nonetheless for what lies ahead.  I climb a flight of stairs on the other side of the hotel and peek my head inside the Merlin Music Systems room.  There are a number of people hanging out and some fabulous music is playing from the system in the larger ante room.   I've spoken to Bobby Palkovic a number times, having reviewed both the TSMse as well as the VSMse loudspeakers, but I've yet to meet him face to face.  I sit myself down on the couch and find myself immensely enjoying the sound from this system.  It consists of a Muse transport and DAC, VPI analog rig, Joule Electra LA-P200 preamplifier (US$5,000), Joule Electra VZN-100 100 watt mono OTL amplifier (US$10,000/pr),  Cardas Golden Reference cables (US$5,000-$6,000 per system), and Merlin Music Systems VSMse w/battery BAM (US$8,150). 

I cannot elaborate more on the magical qualities of the VSMse's.  I would love to wax prolific on the wonderful qualities of the Merlin VSMse but I believe my review in the pages of PHF was comprehensive enough.  These loudspeakers are incredible.  And in this system, using Joule Electra electronics, the sound is glorious and involving - the best sound so far.  I found myself singing along to the music, totally at ease.  After an all-day adventure through the Alexis Park, the sound in the Merlin room was refreshing, an oasis in all the chaos that is the CES.

I finally meet Bobby after finally reading the name on his badge.  We've talking all along, not knowing who each other was.  How silly.  He put on some memorable vinyl and I listened with envy.  I thought again about putting together an analog front-end, but I don't have the money or the patience right now. But that was not enough.  In the second Merlin room, I was exposed to an Aiwa 5-disc DVD player (US$150), Bel Canto DAC-1 (US$1,300), Joule Electra Vamp, Cardas Cross cabling and Merlin TSMse resting on a pair of Osiris speaker stands.  The sound was breathtaking in the smaller sized room.  Presentation was first-rate and impressive on any scale.