Excerpt from the HI-FI '98 Standout Room Report

Standout Room: Blue Circle Audio, Merlin Music Systems

Merlin Music and Blue Circle first teamed up at HI-FI '97 to great effect, and this year the match seemed even better.

The system consisted of the Merlin VSM-SE loudspeakers in new navy-blue finish (approximately $7,500), Merlin BAM module, Blue Circle BC6 stereo amplifiers in a vertical-biamp configuration ($3,700 each), Blue Circle's brand new BC3000 linestage preamplifier ($6,250) with BCG3.1 power supply, and a Resolution Audio CD player atop an Osiris Audionics Ariel Mk II isolation platform. Wiring throughout was by Cardas.

The system displayed a robust, rich sound with a wealth of detail and a soundstage that reached far beyond the rear wall and once again impressed the heck out of Doug Schneider. In all, the system represents fine value with reference-level performance in its price category.

Excerpt from the HI-FI 98 Show Report
Published August 1998

". . . The 7th floor had three great sounding rooms. The Wisdom Audio room won me over with its combination of true subwoofer bass and planar midrange and treble. The Adrenalines are VERY big speakers, with a price tag to match, but they seemed to offer sonics of more than commensurate skill. The Nordost/Sonic Integrity/System Audio Speaker room combined detail, musicality and dynamics with affordability. But the highlight of the floor, and indeed, for me the show, was the Blue Circle Audio/Merlin Music Systems room. I know you’ve heard me rave about this combo before, but as good as it was, Bobby Palkovic (of Merlin) and Gilbert Yeung (of Blue Circle), have taken it even further. Blue Circle introduced the BC-3000 line-stage preamp, a modification of the BC-3 linestage that DAS raved about (and bought), as well as upgraded power supplies. And Merlin has continued to refine the VSM-SE. The speaker now uses new Cardas binding posts (which are a thing of both simplicity and beauty) and a new molding process for the cabinet. Just as with the BC-3000, these changes are evolutionary but significant. At least once each day I found my way up to the Blue Circle/Merlin room to relax and remind myself that great sound at a show is possible.. . ."

...Todd Warnke, Senior Contributor