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Re: Merlin -vs-Sonus

208.125.34.178

Posted by MaxwellP on May 2, 2007 at 09:26:36

In Reply to: Merlin -vs-Sonus posted by Itch on May 1, 2007 at 16:56:36:

I have heard both the Auditor and the Merlin TSM-MMe in two different but similarly-sized rooms (12 x 20 x 8) with the same source and amps (Rega Apollo and Pathos Classic One mk.iii). I listen to all kinds of music: classical in the morning and jazz at night for concentrated listening sessions, and most all the other genres for drinking wine and marveling at the wife. Here’s what I heard:
The Auditors are nice sounding and present musical lines in a way that is easy to follow. With jazz, there is distance between the players and the soundstage is fairly high and wide. The tonal color is just medium rich.—as they say—not quite warm. The bass is tuneful and ever-present. I had the sense, however, that they were over-energized and working a bit hard. They seem to throw the sound out in your direction.
The Merlin TSM-MMe is somewhat warmer, more relaxed, and more tonally rich. Soundstage is higher and wider with maybe a tad less airiness or space between musicians, though. The bass on the Merlins is less prominent sounding than the Merlins. I don’t think it’s that the Auditors go deeper, it just the way they’ve decided to build the enclosure and do the cross-over, I’m guessing. Partly negative though, as that is partially what makes the Auditors sound over-energized. The Merlins have a very sweet top end that is unfailingly stirring on the right material. Musical lines are not just easy to follow, but instruments like piano retain their character throughout the frequency range. You become acutely aware of all of the notes emanating from each instrument. I think that this is because—importantly--the Merlins are much more coherent than the Auditors. They speak with one voice seemingly. You don’t hear the separation of woofer and tweeter. It may sound oxymoronic, but what the Merlins seem to me to be is “startlingly inert.” They are very composed and non-electronic in character. Rather than throwing the music at you as the Auditors do, music just floats in the space around the speakers. To my ears, this is the formula for a more involving listening session. Where the Auditors are fun, the Merlins are profound.
I ended up buying the Merlins about 6 months ago and I couldn’t be happier. I added a small and cheap 8” Velodyne sub that I had and the bass is great. Sometimes I use it and sometimes I don’t. One of the important aspects that is hard to audition for is long-term usability. That is, do they play all the music that you like to listen to well? Yes, the Merlins sound great with everything I play through them. I’m also discovering some music in my library that never sounded good to me before. My listening room is a mess with LPs and CDs lying all over, and I’m going broke buying new music. I’m happy. The standard YMMV applies, of course, but the Merlins are keepers in my book. Good luck with the search.
Tom

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