单拿330高音，绅士宝皱棚低音。
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Merlin VSM (developed for recording studio use and high-end home entertainment systems) was critically designed to meet the unique demands concerning professional performance parameters and State of the Art sound reproduction.
The function of the VSM (in a studio application) is to provide the recording engineer and/or artist with an exact and uncolored reproduction of the recorded program material. The VSM accomplishes this, in part, by providing the engineer with very wide band width, extremely flat frequency response and super smooth phase. The exceptional performance of this system along with its lifelike sound and purity gives the engineer a very useful instrument when doing his work. He no longer has to mix around the inherent colorations in conventional monitor systems. On the other hand, compact home entertainment systems can play with finesse but cannot achieve the SPL of live music. In the past, separate monitors have been used for mix-down and playback, resulting in additional cost and loss of continuity. The sound pressure level (110dB max.) generated by the VSM allows the engineer to use our system for both mix-down and playback monitoring. Virtually all of the dedicated studio monitor systems provide high SPL at the expense of performance and sound quality. With the VSM, the engineer has, at his disposal, State of the Art performance (in test data) and sound quality with the sound pressure levels that suit his needs.
The function of the VSM (in a home environment) is to provide the listener with all of the benefits of a studio monitor design plus those that audiophiles hold dear. State of the Art performance (in test data) and sound quality are extremely important, but the demands that audiophiles place on imaging, staging (three-dimensionally), openness, spectral balance, dynamics with an effortless character and purity, are quite different from the engineer's needs. The VSM provides the audiophile with all of these characteristics and more. Our home user derives a significant benefit from the high sound pressure levels that can be generated by the VSM. This system is appropriate for use in very large environments delivering superlative results. The VSM will easily fill small to large rooms with a bold, big and dynamic sound. This is most impressive for a 6?quot;, two-way design.
Many audiophiles have a high regard for ribbon or electrostatic designs. Many also feel their transparency is superior to dynamic systems. The VSM was designed to surpass their capabilities in this regard and provide superior high frequency and low frequency extension. The VSM was also designed to provide the audiophile with mid-band resolution capabilities of the most expensive multi-driver and panel systems without their specific interface needs and serious set-up problems. The Merlin VSM is a compact speaker system (at $4,500/pair) that provides the audiophile with ease in all aspects of set-up, the confidence generated by its superb test results (50-20kHz +/- 1.75dB) and sonic reproduction that could possibly be the finest in the industry (from 50-20kHz).
INNOVATIONS
The Crossover:
The crossover/terminal module is easily and independently removed. It can be separated from the cabinet by unscrewing four Phillips fasteners and unsoldering four connections. This makes repair or modification a quick and easy task. All component connections are hard wired (soldered directly together) to improve signal path integrity. The components are then potted and covered with an anti-resonance compound. This provides a controlled and protected environment, resulting in a purer sound. A tolerance of .02% in component matching ensures superior and consistent performance and allows all modules to be totally interchangeable.
Typical second order systems (two-way) wire the tweeter out of phase with the woofer. Our second order network is in itself a unique example of engineering due to the fact that both the woofer and tweeter work in electrical phase with each other. This was accomplished through computer development of the enclosure relative to the specific needs of each driver and the separating network. Our crossover works like a textbook example without the usual glitches producing super flat response and phase at the crossover point of 2,150Hz. We selected specific and different gauge connecting wires that are best suited the requirements of each driver in its specific operating band width. They are made of stranded copper to ensure signal path continuity.
The capacitors are both rare and expensive to manufacture because they are made of separate layers of aluminum foil and polypropylene. Their leads are made of stranded copper to ensure signal path continuity. We have found that these capacitors do not require the usual break-in period associated with more conventional types.
The resistors are a metal film TO220 type part. To our knowledge, this is the first time this type of part has been used in crossover application. The use of this type of part produces obvious results. Conventional wire-wound resistors resonate and are inductive, causing transient break-up (ringing) and a noticeable roll-off of the highest frequencies (inductance). Our resistors are made of Micronix?Film fired on a high-alumina ceramic. This construction makes them both anti-resonant and non-inductive. Again, little or no break-in is required. This is also a rare, and expensive part.
The inductors are precision hand-wound with heavy gauge copper wire on air-core bobbins. They are measured to the precise value (within .02%) and then potted to control resonance.
The terminals are mounted to the thick crossover plate (?quot;) to eliminate binding post resonance. They are made of copper to ensure signal path continuity and negate the diode effect created by using dissimilar metals at termination points. The crossover is bi-wired (two sets of terminals) with a dedicated bandpass filter for each transducer. Used in a bi-wire configuration, the amplifier has superior control over these drivers. Jumpers can be used to connect the woofer and tweeter circuits externally. This allows single runs of standard speaker wire to be used.
A quad eutectic solder is used for all connections. It is composed of the usual lead/tin alloy with 2% silver and 1% copper. This is simply the best solder we have found. The integrity of the connections helps produce superior sonic results.
The Tweeter:
Dynaudio (from Denmark) manufactures 1,000 pairs of the Esotar per year. At $300.00 each (retail). it is expensive but well worth the money. This part is handmade in matched pairs and shipped only when it passes the most stringent test procedures. It is the general consensus of the press that the Esotar is one of the finest high frequency reproducers ever made. That is why it is the tweeter of choice in many price-no-object speaker systems.
The Esotar has a very impressive appearance. Its translucent 1" textile dome is centered in a 5?quot; baffle. The baffle's size keeps near field diffraction to a minimum, ensuring the flattest response and smoothest phase. The magnetic structure is very large and heavy, requiring six screws to fasten the baffle to it.
In our circuit we achieve superior performance to any previous application because we are utilizing a dedicated circuit and enclosure that addresses the specific needs of this transducer. We cross the Esotar 1-?octaves above its own resonant frequency to protect it and eliminate IM distortion induced by low crossover points. In our circuit, we suggest its power handling to be 200 watts program. In reality, it is 1,000 watts. The Esotar will never be stressed used in this fashion, resulting in an effortless and distortion free character. The meticulous selection of the preceding components (i.e., capacitors and metal film resistors) results in unsurpassed sound reproduction. There are many unique qualities in the performance and the sound of the Esotar. This tweeter is capable of extremely linear response (+/- 1.75dB from 2,150Hz to 20kHz), extended response (-2dB at 30kHz which is incredible for a textile dome), very smooth phase over its entire bandwidth (less than 10 degrees of phase shift), ultra low distortion, and fantastic dispersion. Sonically, it is capable of unlimited dynamics, outstanding resolution, stable imaging and the finest incandescence of the highs. The Dynaudio Esotar is the most realistic sounding tweeter ever developed.
The Woofer:
ScanSpeak (also from Denmark) manufactures limited quantities of the 8545 per year. At $120 each (retail), it is one of the most expensive woofers on the market. This driver is handmade and shipped in matched pairs only after passing strict testing procedures. Though now used in many other designs, we were one of the first companies world wide in production with this piece. The 8545 has a fascinating appearance. The woofer's 6?quot; paper carbon fiber cone has a 2?quot; inverted dust cap at its center. The heavily textured cone walls are virtually flat and display very little surface area due to the size of the dust cap. This assembly is suspended by a low diffraction profile (elliptical shaped) rubber surround from a black cast aluminum basket. The entire suspension (spider included) operates in a passive and linear fashion. A brake (in the suspension) is employed to stop excessive cone excursion, lower distortion, and improve power handling. The woofer's 2" voice coil travels around a vented pole-piece which is mounted to a massive magnet. The large motor induces a substantial BL product, which provides superior control while reducing oil can resonances. This relatively small but substantial woofer is then fastened to the baffle with six Phillips screws.
Excellent self-damping properties are provided through the uneven texture of the paper carbon-fiber cone, shape of the cone, shape of the surround and aluminum basket. The mid to top end resonance is controlled to such an extent that with our second order network, cone break-up is suppressed to 60dB below program material. Most recently developed cone materials require much steeper slopes in the network to suppress cone break-up to a lesser degree. We are able to achieve more with less crossover, resulting in much less complication, component coloration and a quicker, cleaner and more natural sound.
The flat cone shape, inverted dust cap, and elliptical (low diffraction) surround enable the 8545 to produce a very wide directivity pattern. The response of this woofer is perfectly flat, even 30 degrees off axis (at the crossover point of 2,150Hz). This provides the listener with an extremely open and non-directional sonic character.
The free air resonance of 27Hz (which is extremely low for a 6?quot; woofer and lower than most 8" drivers) enables us to tune the enclosure to produce output that is 5dB down at 37Hz (this is also comparable to most 8" woofers). This woofer (mounted in a 19 liter enclosure) is capable of very deep usable response, along with extremely flat response (50-2,150Hz +/- 1.75dB) and super smooth phase (less than 50 degrees of phase shift) over the same bandwidth.
Used in our network, the ScanSpeak 8545 handles 200 watts of program material while producing 110dB of sound pressure. This is a very high performance woofer with excellent test capabilities, truly natural, highly resolved, open, effortless, and extremely dynamic sound. It is rare to have as fine a match in pure potential as we do with the ScanSpeak 8545 and the Dynaudio Esotar. The sonic transition from driver to driver is imperceptible.
The Enclosure:
The enclosure was designed around the specific needs of the drivers. We chose ?quot; MDF because of its rigidity, milling qualities, ecological benefits, and economy. We had considered thicker and more exotic materials. They were not better, only different (with respect to resonance and construction problems). Enclosure resonances were dealt with in two ways. First, the inside. Anti-resonance compound was applied to strategic points on the inside walls of the woofer chamber. These surfaces were then covered in Dacron fiber fill. The cross-brace (which ties the four walls together) and the area below it is covered with ?quot; foam. The Dacron and foam were selected to control different resonant frequencies. The nineteen liter bass enclosure is fastened to a chamber that contains 23 lb. of compressed fine grain sand (for mass loading). It is located in the bottom 1/3 of the structure. The sand chamber is, in turn, fastened to a 5" thick, solid MDF plug which brings the VSM up to its desired height. The woofer baffle is 1?quot; thick to give the bass transducer a solid and resonance-free firing plane. The tweeter and crossover share a separate compartment to isolate them from the back-wave generated by the woofer. Second, is the outside. The brass rod inlay (which has a different resonant frequency than the enclosure) is used to increase the surface tension of the top and front baffle (really!).
Speaker feet (cones) are supplied with the VSM. They are part of the design and must be used for best results. The dynamic coupling characteristics can be altered by changing from three to four feet. That is why the speaker was designed with five threaded inserts on the bottom of the enclosure. This allows the end user to experiment and determine a preference (i.e., three feet results in a cleaner, more fleshed out mid-band while four offers a fuller, more bodied character that could be desirable in a large subtractive environment).
A higher percentage of individuals would use the VSM without the grille, but we have made a sincere effort to minimize the usual diffraction problems associated with this type of cover. The size of the grille is relatively small, but we fasten it with five connectors to control resonance.
The enclosure's baffle width, height, milled edges, driver placement and physical alignment were computer-generated to produce the flattest frequency response and the lowest possible diffraction.
Specifications vs. Sound:
Many unique and individual performance characteristics have already been discussed, relative to the driver in question.
When considered as a total entity the VSM, for its size, offers a very broad usable response (37-30kHz). Its actual response (50-20kHz +/- 1.75dB, on axis, even smoother 10 degrees off axis), is exceptionally flat and when coupled with a maximum phase shift of 10 degrees provides the listener with Reference grade or State of the Art performance. When a speaker produces super flat response with a minimum of phase shift, the reproduction takes on a very coherent and uniform character, imaging is rock solid and very specific so the speaker thrives on complex material. The VSM at 90dB (1 watt, 1 meter) is relatively efficient and handles 200 watts of program material. An minimum impedance of 6.5 ohms at cabinet tuning and 15.6 ohms at crossover allows use of low to high power amplifiers of any design. Virtually all of us would buy a compact system that offers the performance and room filling qualities of larger speakers. The VSM presents the listener with a compact enclosure capable of resolving music at sound pressure levels up to 110dB. It loves to be played at any level in small or even very large rooms. It is one of a few compact systems that can perform at this range of volume levels, but the only one capable of State of the Art sound in conjunction with this potential.
I have been designing speaker systems for twenty years, and it has made me aware of how subjective sound can be. Six magazines requested VSM review samples during the 1994 Summer CES (the products introduction). These requests came from around the world, including three from the United States. Four of these magazines wrote show reports where the VSM was referred to as one of the best or the actual best sound at the show. This is remarkable for a $4,500 speaker system being driven by only $4,000 worth of auxiliary equipment. For the past few months, I have been traveling around the country doing VSM product seminars. Virtually every dealer, consumer, and audio club member that heard the VSM wanted a pair for their very own. Maybe great sound is less subjective and more universally accepted than I had originally thought.
I am sure that all of you have listened to many excellent speaker systems in the past, and I have also. It is part of my job to be aware of the advancements that the marketplace has to offer. It is my opinion that the VSM is the most honest sounding speaker system available to date. It is capable of producing a truly three-dimensional sound with very solid and specific imaging across and deep into the sound stage. The ambient decay and textures are nothing less than true to life. The VSM portrays a fleshed out mid band (a characteristic of the best three-way designs) with incredible resolution of the image and its envelope. The VSM's most striking characteristics are clarity and smoothness. It does not create pseudo detail by exaggeration or inducing a metallic nature to the sound. It derives its clarity from the music core. All aspects of the spectral balance have been dealt with to attain maximum purity. By today's standards, the VSM is signature free. This speaker system is extremely open and produces a life-size image. It is capable of fantastic resolution at low or high volume levels. There is never a hint of stress or dynamic compression which results in an effortless and bold character. The bass extension and body compares to that of much larger speaker systems.
ERGONOMICS, SERVICEABILTY, & SAFETY
The Merlin VSM was designed to be user friendly. All components (except for the terminals) are countersunk or flush mounted, which gives the speaker a smooth and uniform appearance. There are no sharp edges to catch clothing, hurt the hand or unsuspecting children. Their compact size and moderate weight allows them to be moved easily by one person. The VSM is finished in a environmentally friendly polyurethane water-based finish that is extremely durable. You can wash and polish them to protect the finish. This will keep them looking new for years to come. The brass logo and inlay are covered with a clear lacquer so they will not tarnish. Speaker feet are included to provide a stable contact with the floor (four cones can be used for greater stability and safety). They can penetrate carpeting and are adjustable for easy leveling and tilt compensation when setting the listening window height. Set-up procedure is now a quick and easy task.
Five-way binding posts are employed and spaced 2?quot; apart in a bi-wire configuration. This type of connector offers the most options for cable hook-up. The terminals protrude and are spaced apart for easy connection of the most unwieldy speaker wires. The large, knurled barrel allows the end user to secure a proper connection without the use of tools.
The tools needed to service or upgrade the VSM include an Allen key, #2 Phillips head screwdriver, solder (all included) and a soldering iron. When you remove the grille (covered in a flame-retardant fabric) and have a look at the front and back of the speaker, you will notice that the woofer, tweeter and crossover module are easily and independently removed. Virtually anyone can replace these parts in the field, in minutes, eliminating the need to return the entire speaker for service. The drivers were selected for their reliability and are extremely well protected by the choice of the crossover frequency and slope. The individual crossover components exceed our maximum recommended power handling by a factor of ten. Our ten-year warranty against failure shows our confidence in the entire design.
APPEARANCE
The Merlin VSM is elegant and timeless in appearance, at home beside a grand piano or in contemporary settings. The VSM's milled edges, moderate height and small footprint create a sleek rectangular image which never dominates but only enhances its surroundings. The carbon black finish is a perfect contrast to the glow of the Merlin logo and matching brass inlay on the top and front baffle. The fit and finish quality become most apparent when the VSM is used in a free-standing set-up because the five visible faces are beautifully finished.
Black cone-shaped speaker feet are supplied with the VSM. They add to its elegant appearance, while providing a pointed contact system that can penetrate carpets and stabilize the enclosure. The cones are adjustable to compensate for irregularities in flooring, allowing the speaker system to be leveled on all planes and stand plumb.
The grille was not an afterthought, a great effort was made to ensure that its design enhanced the appearance of the product while having minimal effect on performance. The refinement of the speaker's design becomes most apparent when the grille is removed, exposing two very unique and sophisticated drivers. The woofer cone (6?quot; in diameter) is heavily textured and suspended by an elliptical-shaped rubber surround from a black cast aluminum basket. The tweeter's mounting plate is oversized (5?quot; in diameter) and has a translucent 1" textile dome at its center. The tweeter is countersunk to perfection, flush with the baffle surface, while the woofer is surface mounted butted to the tweeter. The slender profile enhances the VSM's baseless character which adds to the elegance of the floor standing mini-monitor design.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Many factors in the design and engineering of the Merlin VSM improve the quality of life. The use of MDF (a recycled hardwood fiber board) for cabinet construction, along with a durable polyurethane water-based finish instead of expensive hardwood veneers, keep the speaker economically as well as ecologically friendly. The VSM has a timeless appearance that will be appealing well into the future, and a minimum amount of effort will keep them looking new. The modular design of the crossover, the ease of repair, the construction of the speaker combined with the high quality and durability of the speaker's parts, also contribute to the economy of the system. Speakers that sell for two to four times as much do not have the outstanding performance, exceptional sound quality, and individual parts cost of the VSM. The VSM is not inexpensive but represents an outstanding value for the consumer or recording engineer in need of State of the Art accuracy and sound reproduction of source material. The durability of the drivers and the additional protection and power handling afforded by the crossover ensures a long operating life without failures. The ten-year parts and labor guarantee on the Merlin VSM affirms this,
The VSM's compact size and moderate weight allow them to be easily moved and set up by one person. This floor standing mini-monitor design eliminates the need for costly add-on stands. Stands may bring a smaller system to a desired height but they decouple the speakers from the floor, reducing the room filling qualities apparent in floor-standing systems. Most stands have a large footprint, making them difficult to set up and place in some room settings. The spacing of the surface-mounted terminals improve accessibility so that unwieldy wires can be connected with ease.
The speaker system was designed to present an easy load to any amplifier, allowing the amplifier's maximum performance to be realized. Then, a wide variety of equipment was used to help voice the VSM (i.e., cables, preamps, amps, digital sources, and turntables). This process took one full year. The end result was a system that did not require a specific product interface to achieve optimum performance and sound quality.
The appearance and compact nature of the design allow it to be placed in virtually any setting or room size. Compact systems usually provide a small sound with limited dynamics. The VSM can fill very large rooms with a pure sound that is both effortless and extremely dynamic. Their imaging is solid and lifelike, with soundstaging comparable to the finest found in much larger speaker systems. Purchasing a pair of VSM's will be an enjoyable experience because they are a serious little speaker capable of BIG FUN!
