Amp for Merlin VSM

I would think any tube amp would sound good with the Merlins. Ask Bobby he will tell you whats best.

Amps that work well with Merlins:

The top two positions are both occupied by OTLs. It is not coincidence that Merlin shows with Joule Electra at shows. The other OTL is Atma-Sphere, usually the M-60. There are more M-60 owners with Merlin than any other speaker.

The speakers were literally designed to work well with OTLs.

Next is the ARS, likely followed by the RM-9 or RM-100.

The speakers are tube-friendly but you want a little power, 60 watts is a good minimum. For that reason most SETs are out unless you are in a very small and lively room.

The speakers play nice with transistors but you aren't going to hear what the speaker does with them...

I have the latest TSM's (Master). I also have an earlier iteration of the TSM's. The Merlins are very transparent and can be a little "crisp" to some including me. I've listened to the VSM's with the RM9. I also owned the RM10's for a while, which sound very nice with Merlins. Never listened with an OTL but looking forward to it one day. Currently using Conrad Johnson Premier 16xs with the el34 in triode. The CJ amp sounds wonderful. Just the right amount of warmth and tonal accuracy for my taste that complements the Merlins very nicely.

Sorry, meant to say Premier 12xs. Premier 16 is my preamp. Again very nice combo and goes very nicely with the Merlins.

What about a rogue cronus magnum?

Manley Stingray, is also a good natch. I've owned such a combo, and it was divine. If you do a search, you'll find quite a lot of threads on that combo.

Interesting.
Bobby P did not like the idea of the Manley Stingray.
He greatly preferred the Cary SLI-80.