Merlin Music Systems TSM Black Magic Edition

Merlin Music: Black Magic TSM-MMM Bookshelf Speakers

These are very special speakers. There isn't one particular thing about their design that sets them apart from others in their class, it's a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I believe the owner/designer (the late Bobby Palkovich) to have been an inveterate 'tweaker', someone committed to implementing small incremental changes to elevate the performance of his product while never having to throw out the baby with the bathwater, if that makes sense.
Evidence of Mr. Ps propensity for tweaking is found within the package, more on that later.
Buying these reminded me of discovering a ‘Time-Capsule’ hidden away and waiting to be found by a new owner.
The packing is all-original. The shipping carton has only been shipped one time. It was shipped from the late Merlin owner and designer, Bobby Palkovich, to the first owner and no other shipping labels have been applied.
Inside the box everything looks original. There are various sets of RC Networks, one for bi-wire and one for single-wire use. They did not include the Master RC networks, a $495 addition, so I went ahead and purchased the Master RC from Rick at Signature Sound in NYC. The Master RC takes these speakers up yet another notch and are included in the price.
There are two sets of jumpers, one is a hefty silver Cardas pair which appear to have been specially made by Bobby P for this pair.
There’s the original wooden alignment tool and the manual (printed), along with some tips and tricks from Bobby P.
There’s also a pair of sound-enhancing material/cloth pieces with instructions on use. Apparently, Bobby P sent these out with some of his new speakers as a ‘gift’ – these look unopened – unused.

These TSM-MMMs are the very latest “Black Magic Edition”, an incredible-sounding sealed box 2-way… 87dB efficient and very amplifier friendly 8 ohm (6.5 ohm min) load.
They’ve been taken fantastic care of and there is not a ding or significant mark anywhere to be seen. If I don my reading glasses and put my nose up to the cabinets there are some very, very light marks, it looks like maybe they’re from removing the speakers from the new heavy-duty polyethylene bags/covers, (included).
Please note that there are no grills provided with these TSM’s as they were built per customer request without grills. There are no holes in the front baffle for the grills to mount to and they look very streamlined and elegant.

This is a very late serial number matching pair, one of the last sets made.

It’s hard to describe the way these speakers sound without my vocabulary being reduced to gush. They’re among the most ‘lifelike’ presentation I’ve heard from any speaker, large or small. They produce a huge soundstage with incredible depth and detail, but it isn’t until you hear the reproduction of the female voice through these Merlins that you begin to understand what a true genius Mr. Palkovich was. To give you a small indication of what I mean – when you think about the massive R&D resources available to a company like Sonus Faber, for example, and compare their operation to that of a solo entity such was Merlin’s design operation. Now compare a modern pair of Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M, to the Merlin TSM-MMM BME, as I’ve been fortunate enough to do, and you’ll be hit squarely in the face by the sense of irony. Good that the Cremona Auditors are, the Merlins are simply in another league. Both make beautiful music, but the Merlins are able to sound ‘beautiful’ without succumbing to an excess of euphonic coloration. It’s in the area of transparency where they truly excel, particularly over something like the aforementioned Cremona Auditor M. The glass is crystal, crystal clear. There’s nothing between you and the performance that you hear emerging from the Merlins and broadcast around the room. Change a set of cables anywhere in your system, and you’ll immediately hear it. Roll a tube in a preamp and you’ll never have to wonder to what extent the new tube selection makes a difference, the change will be laid bare before you. Yes, these are reference-level monitors which would surely be at home in any studio, but they’re also music-making masterpieces.

You might think I’ve set the bar a little high in some of the above, but trust me, it’s real. I’ve owned a fair number of stand-mounted speakers in the 40+ years I’ve been around this hobby but nothing I’ve heard comes close to these fully tricked-out Black Magic Edition Merlins. That’s not to say you can just drop them in your room and enjoy everything they offer. They’ll need careful placement. A 1/4inch tweak can make all the difference. They’ll also need a good set of stands, preferably 24-26″ depending on the height of your chair.

These are basically collectors’ items and are priced fairly. Like a vintage Patek Philippe or The Macallan 50, the value will increase over time.
Treat yourself. In fact, knock yourself out.
Stands shown not included. Local pickup/audition is welcomed.

Merlin Music speakers are serviced and supported by Rich Brkich of Signature Sound.