Always use protection

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

Delivery Man- "I have a package for planethifi. Where do you want it?"

Me- "Right on time, thanks. Just drop it over there by the Christmas tree."

DM- "OK sir, please sign here… and here. Thank you, have a good day."

Me- (thinking to myself), "That was the easiest delivery I’ve ever had. Fast, prompt and hassle-free."

Some things are taken for granted and accepted as the norm because that’s the way it’s always been done. It usually takes something extraordinary to break down these preconceptions and change the way you perceive the said event or procedure. My experience with the TSM-SE has been one of those enlightening events and it began with the delivery of a large box from Bobby Palkovic of Merlin Music Systems.

The TSM-SE arrived at my door sealed in a thick walled corrugated cardboard box. After peeling away the glue tape and packing staples, I opened the lid and found the speakers to be snuggled safely within a sturdy foam case. The packaging engineers were working overtime on this project. It would take a negligent forklift operator at the CES to penetrate this box. In addition, the speakers were carefully wrapped in heavy plastic to keep the statically charged foam peanuts off the delicate drivers and any moisture away from the cabinets. Removing both speakers from the box was easy and very straightforward. This isn’t always the case. As Dennis will confirm, most manufacturers approach packaging as an afterthought. We both worked at the same Hi Fi retailer and probably opened hundreds of pieces of equipment during the season. Damaged cabinets and casework due to overzealous shipping or inadequate packaging was not uncommon. It’s reassuring to find a product with as much thought put into its protective ‘shell’ as its technical design.

As a self-proclaimed, anal-retentive audiophile, I will tell you that the clear tape placed along the edge of CD’s ranks high on my list of annoyances. It is nearly impossible to remove the tape without the label leaving its adhesive behind on the jewel case. I’ve encountered similar situations with the packing tape used to seal loudspeakers and equipment. Peeling off the tape usually tears the plastic bag or leaves residue on the cabinet or casework. Bobby Palkovic uses less tacky tape to hold the plastic around the cabinets and more of the same stuff to hold a cylindrical protector securely around the soft dome tweeter. It peels away without tearing or marking the surface. It’s probably re-useable too. (you may add cheap and environmentally conscious to my list of self-descriptors).

The manual is a work of art. It’s not the most comprehensive in terms of quantity of information, but it is the most readable and easiest to follow. For those manufacturers still employing techies to draft their instruction manuals in wingdings2, please get a hold of Bobby and ask his advice. Somehow, he has managed to inform the end-user on speaker placement, rake angle, toe-in, amp/speaker compatibility, and crossover network. And he accomplishes this with simplicity and common sense, leaving all preconceptions behind at the factory. Engineers and sales consultants (and reviewers) approach the set-up process with confidence attained from years of hifi education and listening experiences. These qualities should never be assumed upon the consumer who may require hand holding throughout the installation process.

Also included with the bound set-up book are ‘network’ speaker cable jumpers, a wooden triangular alignment tool, and a pocket bubble level meter. In conjunction with the manual, the listener uses the bubble meter to level the speakers once they are set on stands and the alignment tool to fine-tune the speaker toe-in. I found the inclusion of these set-up aides thoughtful and necessary. While it is possible to get impeccable sound from these speakers without opening the manual, it may turn into a long and arduous task (as with any high quality loudspeaker, set-up is crucial and requires time and patience). Merlin takes the brain strain out of the set-up process by doing the research for you in advance. Just follow a couple of easy steps, pop open a beer, and enjoy the concert. It’s really that easy. Bobby has cracked the "high end code" that intimidates new entrants to the high end. By placing the combination in the customer’s hands, he unlocks a world beyond mid-fi and in the process enhances customer satisfaction. Merlin leaves nothing uncovered and quality certainly is in the details.

Quality all around

My review of the Decware SE84a stirred up the DIY juices in me. I’ve been flipping through Sonic Frontiers’ comprehensive Parts Connection Catalog and reading up on resistors, caps, hook-up wire, and other user upgradeable parts. What is surprising is the cost of audiophile grade components. What is not surprising is the increase in sound quality that a single high quality piece can make if it replaces an average quality piece in a critical portion of the signal path. Using the budget SE84a as a guinea pig, I replaced a 9" piece of stock Aperture low-level signal wire with XLO 6N’s hook-up wire and immediately heard an increase in detail, soundstage focus, and high frequency sparkle. My null hypothesis was rejected: parts are not parts. And high quality parts cost good money. I’m a Curious George who likes to know where all the money goes when determining the price tag of the product. If I see expensive parts used in the design of a speaker, I do not automatically think that it will sound great, but at least I know that it isn’t overpriced.

Parts do make a difference and Merlin obviously agrees. The TSM-SE is a two-way design equipped with excellent Morel drivers. Morel used to manufacture tweeters and woofers for DynAudio and retained many of the characteristics of their previous designs. Mounted to the baffle are a MDT30 1" silk damped dome tweeter and a MW164 6" woofer. The MW164 deserves particular attention with its 3" voice coil, vented pole piece, opposing polarity magnets and a pulp damped cone to break up resonances. On the backside, you’ll discover bi-wired copper alloy speaker posts from Music Post. These hefty connectors have knurled heads, allowing the user to crank down on the speaker cable without the use of a torque wrench. Maximum contact area and pressure are the result. Internal wiring is Cardas Cross OEM throughout with Hovland MusiCaps and Caddock resistors in the hard-wired crossover.

I was immediately impressed with the inert properties of the loudspeaker cabinet. These babies tip the scales at 26 pounds each. Place them on sand-filled Osiris speaker stands and you’ve got yourself an immovable object. Now all we need is an irresistible force (I hear Natalie Imbruglia is taken). Rapping my knuckles on the side of the cabinet produces a dull thud. If you bang your forehead against the wall, you’ll know exactly what I’m describing. This high structural rigidity is due to 1.5" thick super damped MDF cabinet walls on the front, back, and bottom of the speaker and ¾" walls elsewhere. In addition, internal braces stiffen up the front and rear baffle so the Morel speakers can work their magic without hindrance. The inside face of each cabinet wall is covered with a special 3M dampening compound as well as Dacron Fiberfill for broadband frequency absorption. Finally, the cabinet corners and edges are rounded to reduce sound diffraction from the tweeter and woofer. What does all this Tech-Speak mean? Absolutely nothing if the speaker doesn’t sound good. But in the case of the TSM-SE, all this exquisite attention to detail helps form an inert launching pad for the dedicated drivers. And believe me, these babies can fly.

Sounds Like…

My initial impressions were negative. I set-up the TSM-SE’s by the book and found them to be dull in presentation and diminished in detail. I checked all my equipment and cabling, but everything was working properly. There weren’t any cracker crumbs on the floor, which ruled out Gremlins, and my wife was at work so sabotage was out of the question. After turning my apartment around, I checked the last thing I could think of - my email. The In-Box had a message from Bobby regarding the RC network that attaches between the bi-wire speaker posts on the rear of the TSM. It looks like a speaker cable jumper with a large Hovland MusiCap attached in the middle. This device is an ultrasonic filter which operates from 1.6 MHz and up (between the AM and FM frequency bands). It eliminates RFI, EMI, and ultrasonic ringing in wires and amplifiers. It also terminates the amp with a 100 ohm load at 100KHz. Because speakers are basically an open circuit in the highs, the RC network provides the amplifier with a more stable medium by terminating its output. The only catch is that some amplifiers also contain an ultrasonic circuit on its outputs called a Zobel. When used in conjunction with an RC network with inductance between them (speaker wire), you build a tank circuit which resonates at high frequencies. The result is a dulling effect and a lack of detail.

I’m not certain if my Rowland Model 1 contains a Zobel, but I know that with the RC networks in place, sax sounded more like a kazoo than a brass horn. The attack of the piano on "Strode Rode" of Sonny Rollins’ Saxaphone Colossus (DCC GZS-1082) was softened and the sheen on Max Roach’s cymbals was buffed out and bland. Someone also performed Origami with the soundstage and folded everything in towards the center. But when I removed the RC networks, I heard more information from my listening couch than ever before. Yes, there were occasions when I perceived more information from other speakers but later attributed the increase in detail to a more aggressive treble. Occasionally, tipped up high frequencies can fool the listener into thinking that the presentation is more detailed. This is similar to adjusting the sharpness on your television, which does nothing more than add high frequency noise to the picture, thus making you ‘see’ more information. Matthew Bond of TARA Labs first brought this to my attention. His cables are resolute without sounding grainy or harsh, a more difficult task for a designer to accomplish. Merlin achieves the same result on the loudspeaker front. The TSM-SE’s are extremely revealing but lack the brightness and glare associated with lesser designs. I call this rare quality truthful resolution. Janis Ian’s Breaking the Silence (CAPP 027) showcased the awesome clarity of the Merlins on "Some People’s Lives", a live two-track recording. Like Windex on glass, the TSM-SE snapped her voice into focus. I could hear every lip-smacking movement of her mouth as she glided gracefully throughout the song. The piano strikes also came through with vibrant clarity, imparting air and a warm glow to each and every note. I felt as though someone had replaced my original pressing with one vastly superior. More of the same was discovered on the next disc. On "St. Thomas" from Saxaphone Colossus, I could hear Sonny’s horn moving up and down and swaying back and forth! This was the first time I was able to hear significant changes in depth perception. Backtracking to "Strode Rode", Doug Watkin’s breathy articulate string bass now shared the stage with Sonny’s textured and resonant reed. This was a great departure from the listening experience having the RC networks in place.

Classic Records’ excellent Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances Op.45 (DAD1004) 24/96 recording was cued up next. The blurring of the impact and distinction of the kettle drums beat, heard through so many other speakers, was absent from the TSM presentation. Precise attack and decay succeeded in conveying the proper tempo throughout the performance. I also enjoyed the Merlin’s smooth and unfatiguing treble on this recording. In particular, brittleness and glare were absent from strings. This is not an easy task for a high resolution speaker. Generally, I find that high resolution loudspeakers have difficulty reproducing violins. They tend to sound steely and cold. Here was an exception. On the TSM-SE’s, violins were draped in velvet, a luxurious field of music wrapped around delicately vibrating strings.

Big sound from little speakers? You betcha. "Saeta" from Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain (Columbia CK65142) sounds incredibly huge through the little Merlins. Miles stands 6 feet tall and pumps clear textured notes through his horn. And way off in the thickly textured background, little nuances such as the softly plucked harp emerge from the stage. Although much lower in volume than the surrounding instruments, these strings are both delicate and defined. Front to back layering is also first rate. Sara K.’s voice is well in front of the strumming guitar on "Brick House" from Chesky’s DAD compilation, (Chesky CHDVD171). Some may argue that the quality of the recording justifies the above statement, but I believe that a high quality source (24/96 or not) raises the playing field and makes comparisons between contenders easier and the results more apparent. It does not allow mediocre loudspeakers to sound excellent.

Are you a whistler? Yes, people who ‘whistle while they work’ are annoying but I find the sound of a whistle to be difficult to reproduce accurately. It will either be metallic sounding, or too dull. Livingston Taylor sounds wonderfully realistic on the Chesky DAD sampler. The whistling during the start of "Isn’t She Lovely" is sharp but palpable. It sounds like it is flowing from human lips, not out of a toy from a cereal box.

I found the midrange of the TSM-SE to be well balanced and quite neutral in tone. One band of frequencies (or instrument) did not present itself more than another set of frequencies. This may or may not appeal to the listener. I am a strong believer in building a system with flat frequency response. Tell it like it is and let me decide whether the recording is good or bad. Many audiophiles will disagree. They may prefer a loudspeaker with more bloom in the midrange or a more forward sounding middle. If you require a loudspeaker that is tailored around the deficiencies in your system, then the TSM-SE is not the loudspeaker for you.

The Merlins also go loud without breaking up. While playing Metallica’s self-titled black album (Elektra 961113-2), I was impressed by their ability to adapt to all types of music. The rhythmic crunch of Kirk Hammett’s picks and the snap of Lars Ulrich’s beats on "Don’t Tread on Me" were conveyed with aggressive honesty. The old lady next door banged on the wall in agreement. She gave the Merlins a 4 hammer rating (the plaster guy visits once a month to repair the damage). The highest score this year!

These loudspeakers won’t plumb the depths of Bassdom, but I found the bottom end full, reasonably extended, and well-defined. Pull out U2’s compilation, The Best of 1980-1990 (314-524-612-2). On "With or Without You", Adam Clayton’s Fender is rhythmic and forceful, neither adding nor detracting from the rest of the music. Beck also agrees. On Mutations (DGCD-25309), his latest release, Track 11 – "Static" ends with some very funky bass. The TSM-SE’s accepted the challenge, entered the groove and boogied like a club kid at Webster Hall. Never once did I feel the need to turn the Bass knob up, although I did pull off a few DJ scratches. Unless you are lucky enough to live in loft-like spaces or prefer to do the rump-rumble with your friends, the TSM-SE’s bass response will be more than satisfactory. Besides, most listeners have major nodes in the low frequencies, which require inconvenient speaker placement or large, ugly bass traps to alleviate the overly ripe bass. Stand mounted loudspeakers such as the TSM-SE’s can be a boon for audiophiles with smaller environments because linear frequency response is most difficult to attain in the lower registers (see my Budget Box column in the July issue). I would rather get Class ‘A’ sound in 90% of the frequency range, than Class ‘AB’ sound in 100% of the range.

Conclusions

Purchasing these reference quality monitors should be a no-brainer. They are instilled with top-flight sound, first-rate components, and expert workmanship. You’ll hear a wealth of information that was previously lost on your CD’s, resolution that does not come at the expense of hard and brittle treble. Imaging was precise and soundstaging was finely textured and three-dimensional. The critical midrange is extremely clear, uncolored, and truly revealing of the source. If you take all these wonderful accolades and roll them up into a fanatically designed cabinet, you are left with one of the finest sounding loudspeakers on the market.