Another vote for the Berning. I used to own the ATM1, which is not quite as good as the ATM3, but sounds pretty similar.
The main reason the 3s cost so much is because of the higher power and the assoiciated high cost/high quality transformers on them. With the Merlins, you don't need that much power, they are relatively easy to drive. The ATM3 makes more sense when you have a more power-hungry speaker and don't want to give up on tubes.
Merlins and OTLs are a match made in heaven! Cheers,
Spencer
The main reason the 3s cost so much is because of the higher power and the assoiciated high cost/high quality transformers on them. With the Merlins, you don't need that much power, they are relatively easy to drive. The ATM3 makes more sense when you have a more power-hungry speaker and don't want to give up on tubes.
Merlins and OTLs are a match made in heaven! Cheers,
Spencer