Description
The design brief for the Richter ‘bookshelves’ was to ensure a high degree of musicality aka listening engagement. This engagement is associated with timing, coherence and ‘foot tapping’. In other words, they have to ‘haul you into the music’!
In a sense, they also have to play the role of sonic illusionists demonstrating a big, natural, dynamic sound that belies their size and price.
This is always a challenge but it’s also the fun part. This is where driver, crossover filter design and cabinet noise reduction techniques culminate in the final ‘musical sonic illusion’.
We feel the Richter Merlin / Mentor fulfils the Richter design philosophy of listening engagement expressed in the form of ‘musicality’. From the top: The soft-dome neodymium tweeters provide wide dispersion, producing a lively and spacious sound stage with smooth musicality, and a response extending well beyond human hearing.
The highly efficient 5-inch mid/bass drivers harness composite cones combining the natural acoustic finesse of paper with the strength of modern carbon- fibre technology. This produces ideal damping characteristics plus the coherence and timing essential to draw you into the music.
The awesome bass is rich, deep and musical.
New crossovers were painstakingly designed with feedback from a large team of audio specialists across Australia to produce emotional vocals, an astonishingly vivid sound stage and a smooth blending of frequencies. The highly stable off-axis response means the Legends maintain realism in a wide spectrum of listening environments – because everyone’s listening room is different.
The cabinets have been completely redesigned using non-parallel panels to reduce standing waves, and the comprehensive bracing is positioned to minimise harmonics. Double thickness rear and front baffles and new high density damping makes these the most neutral and musical cabinets we have ever produced.
Do yourself a favour, just listen!
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WINNER OF THE 2017 LOUDSPEAKER OF THE YEAR (UNDER $1,000)– Sound & Image Awards |
MERLIN V REVIEWby Aust HiFi Magazine |
Susan R –
The Merlin V speakers put out a very rich and full sound for a set of small speakers with only a tweeter and mid range bass. Having just moved to an apartment, I had to part with my large 60kg custom designed Etone speakers from the late 1980’s (still going strong and loud!) and was dreading having to listen to something tinny and hollow that would fit with apartment style living.That is what I thought would have to happen until I was shown the Merlin V’s. I am extremely happy with the quality and clarity of the sound they put out, now having tested them out with all my favourite recordings ranging through jazz, swing, classical to contemporary. While I don’t get to feel the sound vibrate through my chest cavity anymore, the Merlins still sound crisp and clean at a high volume. Instruments and vocals both sound ‘real’. For their size the quality of sound is excellent. Highly recommend these for use in smaller spaces!
John –
I really appreciate the engineering that has gone into the Merlin V bookshelf speakers. They sound so natural a big sound from these small speakers that doesn’t fatigue in fact I can listen to them for hours.
Carl –
A very remarkable speaker. Brad Serhan and the Richter team have done an amazing job. The mids are smooth , natural and human and the treble is stunning, not in that ear shredding tizz and excessive sparkle way that so many speakers seem to have these days, but in a natural, neutral, pleasurable way which I assume is to do with the driver integration and reworked crossover.
I for one could have done with a just little less bass because the Merlin’s have more than enough for my middle-sized room.
Air, space and room filling music at even low to moderate level listening. Stylishly finished and solidly built cabinets.
These are keepers.