The Following Excerpts Are From HI-FI ’99 Show Reports Publicly Posted on REC.AUDIO.HIGH-END Newsgroup by HiFi’99 Attendees

From: "Arthur Shapiro" arthur1@home.net
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: HiFi 99: Report #3
Date: 21 May 1999 16:05:31 GMT

. . . We were doing pretty well in seeing the show, aided by the fact that things ran until 7pm on Friday and Saturday, but time was getting short. Turning a corner, it was a treat to find the Merlin room, complete with Bobby Palkovic, one of the more interesting gentlemen in the industry. Bobby never grows tired about discussing his product line, and I've gotten The Story in pretty decent detail over the years. The Merlin room was a departure from the past several shows, where Blue Circle electronics were in use. This year, some impressively large Joule 100 wpc OTL monoblocks were sitting adjacent to each speaker. The very dark red-black "ruby heart" Merlin VSM speakers were strikingly similar in color to the wooden bases of the amplifiers. I couldn't help but think of the time my wife was asked, with respect to something unrelated to audio: "Was it a coincidence?" And she answered: "No, it just happened."

The VSMs were equipped with the new rechargeable battery-powered version of the Bass Augmentation Module, termed appropriately enough the BBAM. Cabling was by JPS. Over in the corner was none other than Lloyd Walker and his BIG bucks Walker turntable. This air-bearing monster had a Clearaudio Accurate cartridge, and the assembly reposed on a most impressive 750 pound Walker table. If there was any digital gear in the room, I didn't notice it.

You know, I'm unlikely to own a speaker like the VSM, simply because my own taste in systems is toward a bigger style of presentation. I like big speakers that move the proverbial air. But every time I encounter the Merlin products, either here at the shows or in dealer systems, I appreciate and enjoy what they do to music. There's not a better tonal balance out there, and in a medium-sized room or smaller, the VSM is well worth any audiophile's consideration. The product is at home with both classical and popular music, is voiced in a really intelligent manner, has appropriate energy and drive, and seems happy with a variety of amplification components.

We heard a female vocalist droning a rendition of "Light My Fire." Not my style of music, to be sure, but there was a delightful sense of presence to that voice. Guitar, bass, and drums had nice impact without being aggressive. The consistently excellent tonal balance of the VSMs was apparent. They are detailed, but not ruthlessly so. We could hear the air passing through a blown trumpet, but that instrument still retained its musicality. Imaging was dead-on when we auditioned a piece with double bass and drums.

Spoken voice is always a brutal test for an audio system. An older LP of a live Harry Belafonte concert was played, and one could almost imagine that one was in the nightclub, or whatever the venue might have been, listening to the voice through a small amplification system. The singing of Mr. Belafonte could similarly not fail to impress the listener with its realism. Of course, having a Walker turntable playing this LP was, perhaps, stacking the deck!

We stayed a little while longer, enjoying a couple different pieces of music. The verb in that sentence says it all; this was one of the better rooms in the show. And let's not forget the electronics as well, as the first-class reputation of Joule has been well earned over the years. . . .

From: "Mark Katz" mlkatz@home.com
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: HiFi ‘99 Part 3
Date: 23 May 1999

. . . Merlin always has a good presentation, each year seemingly a bit more refined and subtle than the last, though essentially of the same character. The Merlin VSM SE speakers with the new battery powered BAM (bass augmentation module) were paired with Joule Electra LAP 100 Line amp Mark III, VZN-100MkIV OTL monoblocs, Walker Audio Proscenium Gold Signature air bearing turntable and arm with a Clearaudio Accurate cartridge, and JPS Labs cabling and power cords. Guitar sounds fast, clear, and very musical. Trumpets brassy and sweet with believable tonal balance. Highs are shimmering. The OTL amps worked well with the Merlins. The amps unusual color was almost identical to the speakers, "Ruby Heart Red", as Merlin's Bobby Palkovic proudly pointed out. A serendipitous coincidence? . . .