Music leaped from the speakers and enveloped me with wonderful sounds.  Information was in abundance as I could easily discern various instruments from each other and the background on Dead Can Dance.  Soundstage and imaging were in perfect harmony, opening an audible portal into the recording’s soul.   I reviewed the older TSM-SE version over a year and a half ago, and didn’t remember them sounding THIS good.  While I felt them to be the best stand-mounted loudspeaker I have ever listened to, the new TSM-M appears to have surpassed even this incredibly high standard.  Fire up the can old boy, there’s going to be a pair of TSM-M coming through.

Sound in the larger room was even better through brand new VSM-M’s ($8,200/pr), beautiful new 225 watt/ch Joule Electra VZN-220 Right of Passage OTL Monoblock amps ($19,960/pr), Joule Electra preamp, and an analog front-end.  Bobby Palkovic of Merlin placed an operatic piece on the platter that immediately transformed the room into a realistic music hall.  Overall, the sound was both richly textured and resolute, a combination that is very difficult to achieve in a single package.  Soundstage was expansive and stretched the width of the room.  Treble reached into the stratosphere, accentuating the high frequency without sounding harsh or bright.  A Lorna Hunt track sounded breathtakingly ‘live’ and true to the recording.   Vocals were airy and musical, with a slew of detail that bombarded the listener into submission.  I wanted more!  Bass was also forceful, especially so considering the small driver and lack of subwoofer in the equation.   Of course, Bobby has a remedy in the works for those with large rooms and/or the need to pound the house down.  A matching subwoofer for the VSM series will debut at the Stereophile show in May.  And for all those TSM owners out there, you won’t be left out either.  A powered sub for you is also in the works.

This system also plays loud!  High sound pressure levels did not appear to affect the loudspeaker’s ability to remain composed and assured.  Some of this could be due to the scattered room treatments around the room.  As my listening session moved on, I realized that Merlin/Joule had successfully removed the listening room from the sound equation, something that many of the other presenters had not successfully accomplished.  Best Sound at Show?  In my opinion, yes.   Aside from the mind and ear-opening demo of the 10.2 format in the TMH hall, this room has my vote for best sound and over the past few years, most consistent sound.  Keep it up fellas.   And to all the exhibitors at the CES this year, thanks for putting on a great show.